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Virginia (5-4, 3-2 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2 ACC)
Game 10 Saturday, Nov. 8 3:30 p.m.
BB&T Field (31,500) Winston-Salem, N.C.
Surface: FieldTurf
Series vs. WFU: Virginia leads, 34-12
Last Meeting: 2007 (UVa 17, WFU 16)
Television: ESPNU
Radio: Virginia Sports Network
Satellite Radio: XM Radio Ch. 190-192, Sirius Radio Ch. TBA
School Websites: VirginiaSports.com, WakeForestSports.com
Things You Need To Know
Virginia has won 10 straight games on the road against Wake Forest, dating back to 1985.
The Cavaliers’ schedule is rated the toughest nationally this week by the NCAA. Their opponents’ combined winning percentage is .689.
UVa is 11-1 all-time when Cedric Peerman gets 15 or more rushing attempts. The lone loss was last week vs. Miami.
Virginia has allowed the fewest sacks in the ACC (1.11/game). On the flip side, the defense has the second-most sacks in the ACC (2.78/game).
With 1.11 sacks per game this year, Clint Sintim ranks fifth nationally and leads the ACC in sacks. He also is the national leader in sacks among linebackers.
Television Coverage
ESPNU is televising the game.
Doug Bell (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst) and Melissa Knowles (sidelines) have the call.
Radio Coverage
All Virginia games are broadcast on the Virginia Sports Network, originating at WINA/WWWV in Charlottesville.
Dave Koehn (play-by-play), Frank Quayle (color analysis) and Tim Sherman (sidelines) have the call.
A Long Time Coming
Virginia is playing its first game in Winston-Salem since 2002.
The Cavaliers won, 38-34, in their last trip to Wake Forest.
UVa has won its last 10 trips to Wake Forest. The last loss came in 1983 (38-34) against the Al Groh-led Demon Deacons.
The Series vs. Wake Forest
The Cavaliers have won 20 of the last 21 meetings against Wake Forest and lead the series 34-12.
Last Five Meetings:
2000 Virginia 27, at Wake Forest 10
2001 Wake Forest 34, at Virginia 30
2002 Virginia 38, at Wake Forest 34
2003 at Virginia 27, Wake Forest 24
2007 at Virginia 17, Wake Forest 16
Close Affairs the Norm of Late
The last four games between Wake Forest and Virginia each have been decided by four points or fewer.
UVa won the last three meetings by a combined eight points, including a one-point thriller last season.
Wake Forest’s last three wins over Virginia (1981, 1983, 2001) have been by a combined 11 points.
Wake Forest’s last win was a 34-30 victory in Charlottesville six years ago.
More on the Wake-Virginia Series
UVa is 16-4 all-time in Winston-Salem, dating back to 1957.
Virginia had a 17-game winning streak from 1984-2000, the second-longest winning streak in ACC history.
Since the series was tied at seven wins apiece in 1970, Virginia has won 27 of the last 32 meetings.
Virginia Grads Face Off
Each sideline boasts a UVa grad in charge UVa head coach Al Groh (67) and Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe (75, 78).
Groh returned to his alma mater in 2001 to take over the coaching reins following George Welsh’s retirement.
Groh’s first college head coaching job was at Wake Forest, where he led the Demon Deacons to a 26-40 mark in six seasons (1981-86) and is tied as the fourth-winningest coach in WFU history.
Grobe earned his undergraduate degree in education in 1975 from UVa and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling in 1978. He was a two-year starter at middle guard and linebacker, lettering in 1973-74.
Current UVa offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Groh could often be seen at Wake Forest practices and served as a ballboy during his dad’s days in Winston-Salem.
The Virginia/Wake Forest game is one of nine in ACC history where the competing head coaches are alums of the same school and the first where both head coaches actually played their college ball in the ACC.
Groh is 3-1 vs. Wake Forest, while Grobe is 1-3 against his alma mater.
First Game on Turf this Year
The Saturday contest will mark the first time UVa has played on an artificial surface this year Wake Forest has a FieldTurf playing surface.
It is the first time UVa will play on FieldTurf since Oct. 6, 2007 at Middle Tennessee (23-21 win).
It has become a rarity for UVa to play on an artificial surface UVa played on turf twice in 2005 (Syracuse, Boston College), but only once since.
This is the only regular season game that Virginia will play on artificial turf.
Another Homecoming
A week after hosting Homecoming festivities, UVa will be the guest for Wake Forest’s Homecoming this weekend.
It marks the third straight week UVa has been involved in a Homecoming the Wahoos won, 24-17, Oct. 25 at Georgia Tech during the Jackets’ Homecoming.
Containing Wake’s Rush Attack
The Virginia defense has done an outstanding job of bottling up the Wake Forest rushing attack en route to winning 20 of the last 21 games since 1984.
During this span UVa has allowed Wake to rush for an average of 128.6 yards per contest and 3.5 yards per carry.
Grobe’s Demon Deacon squads have averaged 220.3 rushing yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry in four games vs. Virginia.
Scoring Early, First Important
One of the keys to either team winning this game has been the ability to score early and score first.
Since 1982, the winning team has scored first 17 times (Virginia 16 wins, Wake Forest one).
UVa has scored on its first possession nine times since 1987 and won each time (The Cavaliers scored on their first drive on six consecutive occasions between 1987-92).
The Demon Deacons scored on their first possession and ended UVa’s 17-game series winning streak in 2001.
Last year, the Deacs took the early lead on a Sam Swank 27-yard field goal.
UVa Piles Up Offense vs. Deacs
The Cavaliers have put on some impressive offensive performances against Wake Forest in the last 25 years since the early 1980s.
The Cavaliers have scored 30 or more points in 13 of the last 18 meetings.
Two of UVa’s top-six total offense figures have come vs. the Demon Deacons.
The most impressive output was a 643-yard performance (323 yards rushing, 320 yards passing) in 1982.
The 643 yards of offense is the fourth-highest total in school history and marks the only game in school history where the Cavaliers gained 300 yards both rushing and passing.
Cavalier Rushers Shine vs. Wake
In 18 of the last 25 games against Wake Forest dating back to 1980, Virginia has had at least one player rush for 100 yards.
There have been 26 Cavaliers since 1954 to have rushed for at least 100 yards against Wake Forest, the most by UVa against any ACC team.
Virginia Schedule Rated Among Nation’s Best
Regardless of which service you check, the UVa strength of schedule is one of the toughest in the country.
Virginia’s opponents this year boast a 62-28 record (.689), tops in the nation.
Virginia currently has the third-toughest schedule in the FBS according to the latest Sagarin ratings.
Six of UVa’s FBS opponents already are bowl eligible, while Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and East Carolina are one win shy.
NCAA Toughest Schedule Ratings (based on opponent winning pct.)
1. Virginia, .6889
2. Georgia, .6842
3. Arkansas, .6737
4. Texas, .6598
5. Duke, .6596
Sagarin Strength of Schedule Ratings
1. Washington, 79.88
2. Duke, 77.48
3. Virginia, 77.2
4. Arkansas, 76.22
5. Georgia, 76.18
2007: Virginia 17, Wake Forest 16
Mikell Simpson ran one yard for a touchdown with 2:18 to play as No. 23 Virginia posted a 17-16 win over Wake Forest (No. 24 BCS, No. 21 AP), the Cavaliers’ third one-point victory in four games.
Wake drove to Virginia’s 30 in the closing seconds, but Sam Swank, one of the best kickers in the ACC, missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt with two seconds left.
Jameel Sewell was 20-for-43 for 225 and a 39-yard touchdown to Maurice Covington with 10 seconds left in the first half. Simpson caught eight passes for 77 yards and also rushed for 35 yards.
UVa Strong vs. Ranked Teams
Virginia earned wins over ranked teams in consecutive weeks Oct. 18 and 25 (No. 18 North Carolina, No. 21 Georgia Tech).
It is the first time since 2002 Virginia defeated ranked teams in back-to-back weeks. UVa beat No. 20 NC State and No. 18 Maryland that season.
The Georgia Tech win was UVa’s first on the road over a ranked team since winning at then-No. 19 Clemson in 2001.
UVa last won two games against ranked teams in the same season in 2005.
Currently, four UVa opponents are ranked (USC, UMD, UNC, GT) and the Cavaliers have defeated all but USC.