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Postgame Notes
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Virginia vs. Wake Forest Nov. 3, 2007 Postgame Notes
Today marks the fourth annual National College Football Day.
Series: UVa now leads 34-12 and has won 20 of last 21 meetings.
Virginia set an NCAA FBS record with its fifth victory by two points or fewer this season. Columbia won four games by two points or fewer in 1971 (two by 2 points and two by 1).
This is Virginia’s sixth win by six points or fewer this season. The Cavaliers join North Carolina (1976) and Maryland (2006) as the only teams in ACC history to win six games in a season by six points or fewer.
Virginia’s win over the No. 21 Demon Deacons is their first over a ranked team since a 27-17 win over No 24 Georgia Tech at home in 2005. It is also the Cavaliers’ 10th win over a ranked team under Al Groh.
QB Jameel Sewell led the team in rushing for the second time this season with 47 yards. He also led with 66 yards vs. UConn.
Sewell passed for 225 yards, his third game in a row with more than 200 yards, to become the first UVa QB to throw for 200 or more yards in three straight games since Marques Hagans in 2004 (Syracuse, Clemson, Florida State).
Virginia did not give up a quarterback sack for the first time since the Pittsburgh game, five games ago.
Josh Zidenberg’s 55-yard kickoff return in the first quarter was the longest of his career. His previous long was a 26-yard return last week at NC State. His runback was the second longest by a Cavalier this season.
Chris Gould dropped three punts inside the 20-yard line for the second time in three games.
UVa wideout Maurice Covington recorded the first TD catch of his career on a 39-yard play in the second quarter. It was also the longest reception of his career, the longest reception by a UVa wideout this year and the second longest reception by a Cavalier this year.
Covington had 55 receiving yards in the first half which is 10 more than his previous high for a single-game (45 vs. NC State in 2007 and 45 vs. Temple in 2005). He finished with 76 receiving yards tying Chris Gorham (UConn) for the most by a UVa wide receiver in a game this season.
Freshman Ras-I Dowling recorded an interception for the second consecutive game. His 17-yard return was the longest of his career. He also had a pick last week at NC State. He is the first true freshman to intercept at least two passes in a season since S Jerton Evans picked off four in 1999.
NT Allen Billyk (7), DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald (11), CB Vic Hall (7) and LB Clint Sintim (11) all established career highs for tackles, while DE Chris Long tied his career high with 10 tackles.
Long had two tackles for loss today and now has 18 this season, fifth in school history. He also had his 12th QB sack of the season, fourth in school history.
Virginia’s defense sack Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner three times today, the sixth time the Cavaliers had at least three sacks in a game this season. Virginia is 26-7 (.788) under Al Groh when recording at least three sacks.
Virginia rushed for 82 yards today, the first time UVa won with fewer than 100 yards since the Wyoming game last season (32 yards). It is also only the third time the Cavaliers defeated Wake Forest while rushing for fewer than 100 yards.
QB Jameel Sewell threw one TD pass today, the 18th game in a row against Wake Forest with at least one. The last time UVa failed to throw a TD pass against the Demon Deacons occurred in 1986.
During the coin toss for today’s game the Virginia athletics department honored former serviceman Dean Schwartz as part of the Wounded Warrior Project. A non-profit organization, the Wounded Warrior Project has partnered with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to raise awareness in the collegiate community. Hursh resides in Wise where is a business major at UVa-Wise. He enlisted in the Virginia Army National Guard in February of 2002 and was activated into service twice as a bridge crewmember and combat engineer. Schwartz’s second activation was to Mosul, Iraq. After two months of the deployment he was injured in an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) attack while on a road repair mission. The RPG that struck his vehicle severed his left leg at the knee. Schwartz spent a month at Walter Reed Medical Center and another eight months in rehabilitation.