Cavaliers Travel to No. 16 USC Saturday Night

Story Links

Game Details
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Capacity: 93,607
Playing Surface: Grass
Series vs. USC: USC leads, 1-0
In Los Angeles: First Meeting
Last Meeting: 2008 (USC 52-7)
Radio: Virginia Sports Network(affiliates)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 212, XM 191
Webcast: FSN (CSN in Mid-Atlantic Region)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com

Virginia Makes California Debut
• Virginia will be playing its first game ever in the state of California.
• This is the 28th different state in which UVa has played.
• UVa has played just one game previously on the West Coast – that game was played 34 years to the day from this contest, a 38-17 defeat at Washington on Sept. 11, 1976.
• The Cavaliers have played just three times previously vs. programs from California – 1998 vs. San Jose State (52-14 win), 2004 in the MPC Computers Bowl vs. Fresno State (37-34 OT loss) and 2008 vs. USC (52-7 loss).
• When USC played at UVa in 2008, it was the Trojans’ first-ever trip to Virginia.

Rare Trip West of the Mississippi for the Cavaliers
• This is only the 15th game played west of the Mississippi River in school history.
• Virginia is 4-10 in games played west of the Mississippi.
• UVa’s last venture west was a 23-3 season-opening loss at Wyoming in 2007; the Cavaliers’ last win west of the Mississippi was a 45-40 win at Brigham Young on Sept. 25, 1999.
• At approximately 2,500 miles from Charlottesville, this game is also the third-longest trip in school history.
• The longest is a journey of approximately 4,800 miles for the 2000 O’ahu Bowl in Honolulu, while the second longest was the trip to Seattle in 1976 (approximately 2,800 miles).

Virginia Versus Pac-10 Teams
• Virginia is playing just its third game ever against a team representing the Pacific-10 Conference and is seeking its first win against a Pac-10 foe.
• UVa lost at Washington in 1976 and dropped a home contest to USC in 2008.
• The Cavaliers have a future home-and-home scheduled with UCLA; the Bruins are slated to travel to Charlottesville in 2014, with UVa venturing to the Rose Bowl in 2015.

Noting UVa’s Road Openers
• Virginia is 42-73-3 all-time in road openers, including losses in its last four openers on the road.
• UVa last won its first road game in 2005, a 27-24 victory at Syracuse.
• The Cavaliers were 2-3 on the road in 2009, with wins at North Carolina and Maryland.
• This is Virginia’s first road opener against a ranked team since UVa played its first road contest of the 2002 season at then-No. 5 Florida State on Aug. 31, 2002.

On the Road Against Non-Conference Opponents
• This is the only road non-conference game the Cavaliers will play this season.
• It marks the 13th year in a row they have played at least one non-league road game.
• UVa’s last non-conference road win was a 23-21 triumph at Middle Tennessee in 2007.

Virginia vs. AP Top-25
• Virginia is playing a ranked non-conference opponent on the road for the first time since dropping a 21-9 decision at then-No. 22 Virginia Tech on Nov. 30, 2002 (prior to Virginia Tech entering the ACC).
• UVa’s last victory on the road against a ranked non-league foe came on Sept. 25, 1999, when the unranked Cavaliers won at No. 17 Brigham Young (45-40).
• USC, at No. 16 in this week’s AP poll, is the highest-ranked non-conference opponent that UVa has faced on the road since Nov. 25, 2000 at No. 6 Virginia Tech.

Last Meeting: 2008 (USC 52, UVa 7)
• Mark Sanchez threw three touchdown passes in his first game as Southern California’s true No. 1 quarterback and the third-ranked Trojans rolled over Virginia, 52-7, in the teams’ first-ever meeting on Aug. 30, 2008.
• USC rolled up 558 yards of total offense, compared to 187 for Virginia.
• The Trojans led 21-0 after just 11 minutes, and Sanchez finished 26-for-35 for 338 yards.
• The Cavaliers’ score came on Mikell Simpson’s 7-yard run late in the first quarter.
• UVa QB Peter Lalich hit on 18 of 35 passes for 155 yards and one interception.

22 Cavaliers With Prior USC Experience
• Twenty-two current members of the Cavaliers’ football team played in the 2008 contest against USC.
• Four current Cavaliers also started that contest – B.J. Cabbell (RG), Dontrelle Inman (WR), Matt Conrath (DE) and Chase Minnifield (CB).
• All four also started UVa’s 2010 opener vs. Richmond.

Click on link at top of page for full notes