Virginia, North Carolina Square Off In The South's Oldest Rivalry
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Game Details
Date: Sept. 17, 2011
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Venue: Kenan Stadium
Capacity: 63,000
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Series vs. UNC: UVa trails, 54-57-4
In Chapel Hill: UVa trails, 12-29-3
Last Meeting: 2010 (UNC 44, UVa 10)
Television: ESPNU
Radio: Virginia Sports Network (affiliates)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 149 (UNC) | XM 192 (UNC)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com
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 | North Carolina
Game Notes: Virginia | North Carolina
Virginia, North Carolina Square Off In The South’s Oldest Rivalry
• Virginia, off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2005, heads to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the 116th game in its series with North Carolina.
• The Cavaliers have faced the Tar Heels more than any other school (115). Virginia Tech is next at 92 games.
Noting Virginia In ACC Openers
• UVa begins its 58th season competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday at North Carolina.
• In conference openers, Virginia holds a 22-35 all-time record.
• The Cavaliers last won their conference road opener in 2009, a 16-3 victory at North Carolina.
• After that 2009 contest, placekicker Robert Randolph was named the ACC’s Specialist of the Week (3 FGM from 43, 38 and 36 yards) and Matt Conrath was named the ACC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week (4 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 passes broken up).
The Virginia-North Carolina Series
• Virginia trails the all-time series with North Carolina, 54-57-4, including a 12-29-3 mark in Chapel Hill. There is a difference in the series record between the two schools because of the game in 1956 that North Carolina forfeited for using an ineligible player.
• UVa has won two-consecutive games on the road at UNC – 16-3 in ‘09 and 22-20 in ‘07.
• The rivalry is the fifth longest in Football Bowl Subdivision history and was the seventh series in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history to reach 100 meetings with the 1995 game.
• The two schools have met every season since 1919 and there have been only four seasons since 1900 when they did not meet (1906, 1909 and 1917-18, when football was postponed at both schools because of World War I).
Longest Series In FBS History
Teams (Date of 2011 Meeting) Games 1st Game
Minnesota/Wisconsin (Nov. 12) 120 1890
Kansas/Missouri (Nov. 26) 119 1891
Nebraska/Kansas 117 1892
Texas/Texas A&M (Nov. 24) 117 1894
Virginia/North Carolina (Sept. 17) 116* 1892
Miami (Ohio)/Cincinnati (Oct. 1) 115 1888
*includes this week’s meeting
Last Meeting: 2010 (North Carolina 44, Virginia 10)
• After 14-consecutive losses at Scott Stadium, North Carolina earned its first road win at Virginia since 1981 by a score of 44-10.
• Virginia had five turnovers in that game.
• Current UVa QB Michael Rocco was 3-for-8 with an interception and passed for 45 yards on that day.
The Most Offense Typically Wins
• In UVa vs. UNC games since 1940, the winning team has out-rushed the loser 54 of 68 times, with one game featuring the same yardage for both.
• The winning team has had more offense 55 times and has been outgained just 13 times since 1940.
• The loser has outgained the winner just six times since 1975, but it has happened four times in the last 11 years, including in 2007 and 2008. (In both instances above the 1956 (forfeit) and 1984 (tie) games aren’t included.)
Keeping The UNC Offense In Check
• Since 1979, North Carolina has scored more than 27 points three times (1997, 2001, 2010). In contrast, the Tar Heels topped 27 points seven times from 1970-78.
• Also since 1979, the Tar Heels have managed to score more than three touchdowns three times (six in 1997, five in 2010 and four in 2002).
… On The Ground
• Since 2006, the Tar Heels have averaged 100.6 rushing yards per game vs. the Cavaliers, with UVa winning four of the last five meetings.
• Since 1996, UNC has scored seven rushing touchdowns with two coming in 1997. In contrast, UVa has scored 26 times on the ground since then.
• In the last 15 games, UNC’s offense has scored 27 touchdowns, with 14 coming in three games (1997, 2002 and 2010), while the defense has scored six touchdowns (all on interceptions).
Turnovers Make A Difference
• Since 1982, the Cavaliers are 15-2-1 when committing fewer turnovers than the Tar Heels. The losses occurred in 1995 and 2001, while the tie was in ‘84.
• Over the last three years, North Carolina has committed seven turnovers, while UVa has committed five (all last season on interceptions).
• North Carolina is 5-2 vs. Virginia when committing fewer turnovers.
• There have been four games since 1982 where each team committed the same number of miscues and Virginia has won three (1985, 1988, 2003).
Red Zone Accuracy
• In its first two games of the 2011 season, Virginia is 11-of-11 with six touchdowns and five field goals in the red zone.
• UVa finished the 2010 season ranked No. 80 in the nation in red zone statistics (39-of-49 for 79.6 percent).
Cavaliers Off To 2-0 Start For First Time Since 2005
• Virginia is 2-0 for the first time since 2005 when the Cavaliers won their first three games on its way to an 8-5 season and an appearance in the Music City Bowl.
• Only two UVa teams that started a season 2-0 did not end up going to a bowl game since the Cavaliers started going to bowl games in 1984. The 1985 squad (6-5) and the 1992 team (7-4) are the lone UVa teams to open a season 2-0 and not make a bowl game.
Noting The Indiana Victory
• With a 34-31 win at Indiana in Week Two, Virginia won its first road opener since beating Syracuse in 2005.
• UVa won its first non-conference road game since beating Middle Tennessee in 2007.
• Virginia won a road game for the first time since winning at Maryland in 2009.
• UVa won its third-consecutive game against a Big Ten Conference school: Indiana (2011 and 2009) and Minnesota (2005).
• It was the first road win in program history at a Big Ten school. UVa won at Penn State in 1989, but the Nittany Lions didn’t join the league until 1990.
Randolph Second in Field Goal Percentage in the History of the ACC
• Senior PK Robert Randolph has connected on 38-of-45 (84.4 percent) field goal attempts in his career, which currently ranks him second in the history of the ACC:
Player, School (Yrs) FG% FG-FGA
Brandon Pace, VT (2004-06) 85.3 58-68
Robert Randolph, UVa (2008-11) 84.4 38-45
Connor Hughes, UVa (2002-05) 83.5 66-79
Bob Paulling, CU (1979-83) 82.9 34-41
Casey Barth, UNC (2008-11) 80.9 51-63
Bold indicates active player
• Randolph has made more field goals (8-for-8) than any other placekicker in the nation this season and his career percentage (.844) ranks him No. 7 on the NCAA active career leaders list:
Player, School FG% FG-FGA
Matt Hogan, Houston 90.62 29-32
Grant Ressel, Missouri 90.38 47-52
Jack Griffin, FIU 86.96 20-23
Michael Meyer, Iowa 86.96 20-23
Justin Tucker, Texas 86.67 26-30
Derek Dimke, Illinois 86.11 31-36
Robert Randolph, UVa 84.44 38-45
• Randolph made a career-high four field goals against William & Mary and at Indiana and has made 18 of his last 19 field goal attempts. He had a streak of 10-straight makes in 2010.
• Randolph, who scored on a fake field goal at Duke in 2010, was one of only two kickers to record a touchdown last season in FBS play. He’s the only ACC kicker to find the end zone since at least the 2005 season.