UVA and UNC Meet for the 120th Time Saturday in the South's Oldest Rivalry

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Oct. 19, 2015

Virginia, North Carolina Square Off in the South’s Oldest Rivalry
• Virginia and North Carolina will meet for the 120th time in the South’s Oldest Rivalry, a series that was first played in 1892. The Cavaliers have faced the Tar Heels more than any other school (119) in program history.

Virginia vs. North Carolina
• Virginia trails the all-time series with North Carolina, 61-54-4, and trails the series in Chapel Hill, 31-12-3.
• 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. All of UNC’s games in 1956 were forfeited by conference action.
• Saturday’s game will tie the rivalry for the second-longest series in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history; it was the seventh series in FBS 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).

The Most Offense Typically Wins
• In UVA vs. UNC games since 1940, the winning team has out-rushed the loser 56 of 72 times, with one game featuring the same yardage for both.
• The winning team has had more offensive yards 57 times and has been outgained just 15 times since 1940. UVA was the most recent team (2014) to outgain UNC and lose (443-374).
• The loser has outgained the winner just eight times since 1975, but it has happened six times in the last 14 years, including in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

… On the Ground
• Since 2006, the Tar Heels have averaged 128 rushing yards per game vs. the Cavaliers, with UVA winning only four of the last nine meetings.
• Since 1996, UNC has scored only 12 rushing touchdowns with two coming in 1997 and 2011. In contrast, UVA has scored 29 times on the ground in that span.
• In the last 19 games, UNC’s offense has scored 43 touchdowns, with 30 coming in six games (1997, 2002, 2010 , 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), while the defense has scored nine touchdowns (eight interceptions and one punt return).

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 1984.
• Over the last seven years, North Carolina has committed 11 turnovers, while UVA has committed 14 (five of which were INTs in the 2010 meeting).
• North Carolina is 9-2 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).

Virginia-North Carolina Connections
• UVA WR T.J. Thorpe transferred to Virginia after playing three seasons at North Carolina. He appeared in 34 games for the Tar Heels and had 42 receptions for 574 yards and five touchdowns. He missed UNC’s 2012 season due to a broken foot he suffered during preseason training camp. Thorpe graduated from North Carolina with a degree in exercise and sport science and enrolled at Virginia last spring.
• Thorpe’s 16-yard touchdown reception with 4:05 left in the 2014 meeting between UVA and UNC resulted in being the game-winning score for the Tar Heels.
• UNC co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer worked on the same UNC staff with UVA defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta in 2001. Brewer was the wide receivers coach for the Tar Heels from 2000-04.
• Tenuta was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Tar Heels in 2001. While in Chapel Hill Tenuta had such pupils as former Tar Heels Julius Peppers, Ryan Sims, David Thorton, Dexter Reid and Michael Waddle.

Bradshaw to Miss the First Half of the UNC Game Due to Targeting
• OLB Zach Bradshaw will miss the first half of the UNC game because of a targeting penalty during the first overtime of the Syracuse game.
• After Bradshaw’s ejection was upheld after the booth review, true freshman OLB Eric Gallon replaced Bradshaw during the second and third overtimes.
• Gallon is from Lakeland, Fla., and is the son of Eric Gallon, Sr. The elder Gallon was a running back at Kanas State from 1989-92 and had his best season in 1991 when he rushed for 1,102 and nine touchdowns. The elder Gallon is now the running backs coach at Tennessee State.

UVA Tops Syracuse in Three OVertimes
• Last time out Virginia played its first overtime game since 2011 when the Cavaliers topped Idaho, 21-20, in one overtime.
• UVA’s first overtime game since 2011 saw the Cavaliers top Syracuse, 44-38, in three overtimes. It was UVA’s first three-overtime game ever.
• Virginia trailed 24-14 in the fourth quarter. Virginia won its first game trailing by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter since Sept. 28, 2002 at Wake Forest when the Cavaliers trailed 34-24 and won, 38-34.
• UVA is now 4-5 all-time in overtime games and have won four of its last five overtime games.

Virginia Offensive Drives and the Record Book
• Against Syracuse UVA reeled off a 19-play drive that resulted in an Ian Frye field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime. The 19 plays serves as the second-most on a scoring drive in program history.
• Earlier in the year UVA had a touchdown drive that lasted 9:13 against William & Mary. That drive served as the second-longest scoring drive in program history.