Virginia Closes Out Four-Game Homestand Saturday vs. NC State

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Game Details
Date: Oct. 22, 2011
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Venue: David A. Harrison Field at Scott Stadium
Capacity: 61,500
Playing Surface: Grass
Series vs. NC State: UVa trails, 21-33-1
In Charlottesville: UVa trails, 12-14-1
Last Meeting: 2007 (NC State 29, UVa 24)

Television: ESPNU
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network (affiliates)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 112 | XM 195

Live Stats: Click here for the link to the live stats page.
Note: Link available approximately 30 minutes before kick-off. Allow 1-2 minutes for it to load at the start.

Rosters: Virginia | NC State
Game Notes: Virginia | NC State

Virginia Closes Out Four-Game Homestand Saturday vs. NC State
• Fresh off its upset of 12th-ranked Georgia Tech, the Virginia football team closes out a four-game homestand with a Saturday, Oct. 22, contest vs. NC State. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., and will be televised by ESPNU.

Virginia vs. NC State
• Virginia trails the all-time series with NC State, 21-33-1, including a 12-14-1 mark in Charlottesville. The teams have not met since the 2007 season (NC State 29, UVa 24).
• UVa head coach Mike London has not faced the Wolfpack as a head coach. NC State head coach Tom O’Brien is 2-0 vs. UVa – 1-0 with NC State (2007) and 1-0 with Boston College (2005).
• Fifteen of Virginia’s 21 series wins have occurred since 1983; UVa is 15-8 since then. Nine of the last 13 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, including 2007’s five-point Wolfpack win.

Virginia-NC State Connections
• NC State head coach Tom O’Brien was an assistant coach at Virginia from 1982-96.
• NC State’s starting left guard, R.J. Mattes, is the son of former UVa All-ACC honoree and eight-year NFL veteran Ron Mattes. Ron Mattes was the offensive line coach and a graduate assistant for UVa in 2010 before moving on to an assistant coaching gig at Elon for the 2011 season.
• NC State is going up against its second Rocco of the season. NC State opened up the 2011 season against Liberty and head coach Danny Rocco, the uncle of UVa starting QB Michael Rocco. Danny Rocco was a Cavalier assistant coach from 2001-06.

A Battle To The Finish
• Nine of the last 13 meetings between Virginia and NC State have gone down to the wire featuring amazing comebacks and nailbiting finishes on both sides.
• Trailing by five with the ball in 2007, Virginia had a final chance but Willie Young sacked backup quarterback Peter Lalich on fourth down to seal it with 17 seconds left.
• The 2003 match-up featured two NFL quarterbacks—Virginia’s Matt Schaub and Philip Rivers from NC State—in a game that saw four ties and five lead changes before the Wolfpack pulled out a 51-37 win 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 remain- ing 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
• 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).
• There have only been two games in the history of the series in which NC State rushed for less than 125 yards and still won – 2007 and 1944.

Turnovers May Tell The Story
• Since 1983, the Cavaliers are 11-2 vs. the Wolfpack when committing fewer turnovers. NC State, on the other hand, is 4-3 when it commits fewer turnovers.
• There have been three games since 1983 (‘85, ‘90, ‘03) where the teams had equal turnovers; UVa 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 meeting since 1963 (41 games).
• Virginia has committed 10 turnovers in the last 11 meetings, while the Wolfpack has turned the ball over 22 times in that span.
• Cavalier passers have thrown 10 interceptions in the last 16 games, while NC State has thrown 22.
• Virginia has intercepted at least one pass in 23 of the last 26 meetings.

Noting The Georgia Tech Victory
• The win over No. 12 Georgia Tech marks the highest ranked opponent UVa has defeated since the Cavaliers topped then-No. 4 Florida State, 26-21, six years ago today on Oct. 15, 2005.
• UVa defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since a 24-19 win over then-No. 22 Miami on Oct. 30, 2010.

UVa’s Big Rushing Day
• UVa rushed for a season-high 274 yards vs. Georgia Tech; the Cavaliers rushed for 240 yards in their season opener vs. William and Mary. It marked the most rushing yards against Georgia Tech this year, topping Maryland’s 246-yard rushing day vs. the Yellow Jackets.
• UVa’s 272 yards were the team’s most since a 348-yard rushing day vs. Duke on Oct. 23, 2004.

Defense Comes Up Big Against GT
• Virginia’s defense held Georgia Tech to a season-low 296 yards. The Yellow Jackets’ previous low was 386 last week against Maryland.
• Georgia Tech came into the game with 45 plays of 20 yards or more; GT had just five (UVa had four plays of 20+ yards).
• Virginia held Georgia Tech scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season. UVa is outscoring its opponents 47-7 in the first quarter this year.
• UVa held Georgia Tech to 272 rushing yards, matching the Yellow Jackets’ season low, set last week against Maryland.
• UVa allowed just 24 yards passing, the fewest surrendered by the Cavaliers since they gave up 17 on Nov. 17, 1979, at home against North Carolina.