Virginia & NC State Postgame Notes
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Virginia postgame notes vs. NC State Oct. 27, 2007
This is the third game in a row Virginia’s opponent scored on its first drive.
Mikell Simpson’s 13-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter is the first TD reception of his career.
Simpson is the first Cavalier to rush for a touchdown and catch a TD pass in the same game since Cedric Peerman vs. Syracuse in 2005.
Josh Zidenberg’s 17-yard reception late in the second quarter is the longest of his career and is just the second catch of his career.
Cary Koch scored the first touchdown of his UVa career on a seven-yard toss from Jameel Sewell in the waning seconds of the first half. He scored two TDs as a freshman at Tulane in 2005.
Jameel Sewell threw for 200 yards for the second game in a row, the first time in his career he’s had back-to-back 200-yard games. Sewell finished with a career high for yards passing with 260 yards. His previous high was 243 yards vs. Maryland the last two years.
Sewell completed 24 of 43 passes to establish career highs in both categories, as well as the yards total mentioned above.
Ras-I Dowling tied the school record with five pass break ups today. Jason Wallace broke up five vs. Virginia Tech in 1989 and Joe Crocker vs. Clemson in 1995.
Dowling became the first Cavalier cornerback to intercept a pass this season. It is his first career interception and UVa’s first since the Pittsburgh game, a span of four games.
Eleven different players caught passes for Virginia in this game, the most this season. Ten players had catches vs. Duke and Connecticut.
NC State’s Donald Bowens’ 202 yards receiving in the third-highest total ever vs. Virginia and the most since Georgia Tech’s Dez White set a UVa opponent record with 243 yards in 1998 (on six receptions).
NCSU QB Daniel Evans’ 347 yards passing are the most against Virginia since Florida State’s Drew Weatherford threw for 377 yards in 2005.
This is Virginia’s sixth game this season decided by six points or fewer.
NC State Postgame Notes
– NC State snapped a nine-game ACC losing streak. The Pack’s last conference win was over Florida State last season. The win is also the first over a ranked opponent since that same game (FSU was #17).
– NC State finished with 431 yards of total offense, its highest total since putting up 475 against Eastern Kentucky in 2005, and the most against a Division I foe since Virginia Tech that same season (438).
– Sophomore wideout Donald Bowens set new career-highs with 11 catches for 202 yards. The 202 yards receiving is the fifth-highest total in school history, and the first time a Pack player went over 200 yards in a contest since Jerricho Cotchery had 217 versus North Carolina in 2003. His 11 receptions also ties as the fifth most in a single game, and the most since Cotchery had 11 against Kansas in 2003. Those are both top marks for a sophomore in Wolfpack history.
– Bowens also recorded touchdown passes of 40 and 30 yards in the game. He is the first player to have two receiving touchdowns in the same contest since Brian Clark did so at Georgia Tech in 2005.
– NC State scored the most points in an ACC contest since putting up 31 against Miami in 2004.
– Sophomore Jamelle Eugene rushed for a career-high 112 yards, and has gone over the century mark in two of the last three outings.
– Quaterback Daniel Evans went over 300 yards passing and also had three touchdowns passing for the second straight contest. He is the first Wolfpack quarterback to eclipse 300 yards in back-to-back games since Philip Rivers did so in three straight in 2003, and also the first QB to have three TD passes since two straight games since Rivers did so in three straight in 2003.
– Evans ended the contest with a career-high 347, besting his old career high that was set just last week (335).
– Junior Koyal George caught a 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter, the catch was the first of his career. George is the first walk-on for the Wolfpack to score a touchdown since Craig Moody did so at Navy in 2002. He would add another catch in the fourth quarter.
– Steven Hauschka connected on all three of his field goal attempts for the game, and now has five over the last two games. He is now a perfect 10-of-10 on the season.
– Hauschka is the first Wolfpack place kicker to connect on his first 10 career field goal attempts of his career, since Danny Deskevich hit all 12 of his attempts in 1998.
– NC State scored a touchdown on its opening drive for the third time this season (Wofford and Florida State). The Pack also forced Virgnia into an interception on their opening drive, the first time this season an opponent has turned the ball over on its first drive.
– NC State recorded two interceptions on the day, one by corner back Jeremy Gray and the other by safety DaJuan Morgan. The Pack came into the game with just three interceptions on the season, with only one by a defensive back (Gray).
– The Pack defense also recorded six sacks for the second straight contest, the first time with at least six sacks in back-to-back games since against Maryland (7) and South Florida (6) to end the 2005 season.