Cavaliers Travel to Raleigh to Face NC State
Story Links
Game 9:
Virginia Cavaliers (7-1, 4-0 ACC/No. 15 BCS, No. 18 USA Today, No. 21 Associated Press) vs. NC State Wolfpack (2-5, 0-3 ACC)
Saturday, Oct. 27, 4:30 p.m.
Carter-Finley Stadium (57,500), Raleigh, N.C.
5 Things You Need To Know about Virginia Football
DE Chris Long is third in the country in sacks (1.25/g), second among D-linemen in PBU (seven) and passes defended (PBUs+INTs) with eight, and fifth in tackling by a lineman with an average of 6.3 tpg
Virginia has five wins of six points or fewer, the most in the country
Virginia has a seven-game winning streak, tying the school record for longest streak during a season (UVa also had seven-game streaks in 1914, 1949 and 1990)
In UVa’s come-from-behind game-winning drives the last three weeks, Jameel Sewell has combined to complete 14 of 15 passes for 167 yards
Mikell Simpson became only the fifth player in ACC history to compile 100 yards rushing and receiving in a single game last week vs. Maryland
Game Day Information
TV Coverage
This game is being televised nationally on ESPNU. Doug Bell (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst) call the action.
Radio Coverage
All Virginia games are broadcast on the Virginia Sports Network, originating at WINA/WWWV in Charlottesville. Mac McDonald calls the play-by-play. He is joined in the broadcast booth by former Cavalier great Frank Quayle, the 1968 ACC Player of the Year. Former UVa quarterback Tim Sherman reports from the sidelines.
First Trip To Raleigh since 2003
Virginia travels to Raleigh, N.C., for the first time in four years to face NC State Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Cavaliers have tied a school record with seven consecutive wins and are 7-1 overall this season. They have won back-to-back one-point games, only the second time that’s happened in ACC history. (Maryland did it last year). NC State ended a three-game losing streak with a 34-20 win at East Carolina last week. The Wolfpack is 2-5 overall this season and 0-3 in the ACC.
The Series vs. the Wolfpack
Virginia has won five of the last seven meetings, but the Wolfpack still holds a 32-21-1 series lead, including a 15-8 advantage in Raleigh
Fifteen of Virginia’s 21 series wins have occurred since 1983; UVa is 15-7 since then
In four of its last five series wins, Virginia has had to come from behind or break a fourth quarter tie to win
Eight of the last 12 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer
Curiously, nearly half (10) of Virginia’s wins over NC State have come by at least 10 points
A Battle to the Finish
Eight of the last 12 meetings between Virginia and NC State have gone down to the wire featuring amazing comebacks and nailbiting finishes on both sides
Jason Snelling scored on a 17-yard run with 1:31 to play to lift UVa to a 14-7 win last season
The 2003 match-up featured two NFL quarterbacksVirginia’s Matt Schaub and Philip Rivers from NC Statein a game that saw four ties and five lead changes before the Wolfpack pulled out a 51-37 win in the most recent game in Raleigh
Cornerback Jamaine Winborne batted away ball intended for Bryan Peterson in the end zone to preserve UVa’s 14-9 win in 2002
Virginia won three straight from 1998-2000 and every win was sparked by a second half comeback
The Cavaliers used a 14-point second half outburst in 1998 to win 23-13 at home
The following year UVa erupted for 30 points in the third quarter to break open a tight ballgame (19-10 at halftime) and win going away 47-26 in 1999
Fullback Tyree Foreman broke loose for a 38-yard touchdown run with 9:49 remaining to provide the winning points in UVa’s 24-17 triumph in 2000
Strange Game Back in 44
The 1944 meeting between these two teams, played in Norfolk, ranks as one of the strangest games in college football history
The Wolfpack pulled out a 13-0 win in a driving rainstorm by recovering two UVa fumbles in the end zone for touchdowns
While that is remarkable in itself, the Wolfpack failed to make a first down and had just 10 yards of total offense, an NCAA record for fewest yards gained by a winning team and one of only two games in Bowl Subdivision history where the winning team failed to make a first down
Slowing State’s Ground Game
The Cavaliers’ ability to contain the NC State rushing attack has been one of the factors enabling them to win seven of the last 10 games against the Wolfpack
Virginia has won all 10 meetings against the Wolfpack going back to World War II when holding them to fewer than 100 yards rushing
The only time in the modern day history of the series (since 1937), NC State won when rushing for fewer than 100 yards occurred in 1944 when the Wolfpack gained just 10 yards and won one of the oddest games in college football history. That game is the only time in series history the Wolfpack rushed for fewer than 125 yards and still won
Conversely, NC State has won 17 of the 18 games since 1937 when rushing for at least 200 yards. (The only time NC State rushed for at least 200 yards and failed to win occurred in 1998 as State gained 211 yards in a 23-13 loss)
Turnovers Also Make a Difference
Coaches cite turnovers as one of the keys to a team’s success in any particular game and this series is a good example of this coaching philosophy
Since 1983, the Cavaliers are 11-2 vs. the Wolfpack when committing fewer turnovers. NC State, on the other hand, is just 3-3 when it commits fewer turnovers
There have been three games since 1983 (85, 90, 03) where the teams had equal turnovers; UVa’s won only the 1990 game
Virginia has not committed a turnover five times since 1983 (84, 96, 98, 00, 06), while State has had at least one turnover every year since 1963 (40 games)
Virginia has committed only eight turnovers in the last 10 meetings, while the Wolfpack has turned the ball over 21 times in that span
Cavalier passers have thrown just eight interceptions in the last 16 games, while NC State has thrown 21
Virginia has intercepted at least one pass in 22 of the last 25 meetings
Grinding Out the Yards
Virginia has had at least one 100-yard rusher in eight of the last 13 games against NC State and has gained at least 200 yards rushing in 10 of the last 15 games against the Wolfpack
When outrushing the Wolfpack, Virginia is 16-6 since 1944
The team with the most rushing yards has won the last 10 meetings and 42 of 49 games since 1944. At one point the team with the most rushing yards won 18 consecutive games between 1963-82.
In their last seven wins over NC State going back to 1995, the Cavaliers have averaged 216.6 yards rushing per game
On the other hand, the Wolfpack has gained more than 200 yards only twice since 1981 (1997, 98)
Long Winning Streak
The Cavaliers have won their last seven games, tying for the longest winning streak during a season in school history
Virginia also won seven in a row in 1914, 1949 and 1990
The winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest current streak in the country
Winning the Close Ones
One characteristic of this year’s Cavalier squad is its ability to win the close games
Five of the Cavaliers’ seven wins have been by six points or fewer
UVa’s average margin of victory is currently 7.4 points, sixth closest among teams with at least three wins
UVa is the only team with as many as four wins by six points or fewer; only three other teams have at least three wins by six points or fewer (Alabama, East Carolina, UTEP)
This is only the fifth time in ACC history a team has won as many as five games by six points or fewer during the regular season (North Carolina-1976 and Maryland-2006 each won six games in this fashion)