UVA Hosts UNC on Saturday in the South's Oldest Rivalry

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The South’s Oldest Rivalry
• Virginia and North Carolina will meet for the 123rd time in the South’s Oldest Rivalry, a series that began in 1892. 
• UVA is looking for its first win over UNC at Scott Stadium since a 16-13 overtime triumph ten years ago (Oct. 18, 2008).
• The game will be televised in the Charlottesville area on NBC29.

Virginia vs. North Carolina
• UVA trails the all-time series with North Carolina, 63-55-4. 
• 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. Both schools count the 1956 game as a win.
• Saturday’s game will tie the rivalry for the second-longest series in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision history.
• 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).
 

*- includes this week’s meeting

Five Top Storylines
• The Cavaliers have faced the Tar Heels more than any other school (122) in program history.
• Virginia is one win away from being bowl-eligible for the second year in a row. UVA has not been bowl-eligible in back-to-back years since going to four bowls in a row from 2002-05.
• UVA’s defense has been solid at Scott Stadium, allowing five field goals and one touchdown in 12 quarters of play at home in 2018.
• HB Olamide Zaccheaus needs eight receptions to break Billy McMullen’s UVA career record of 210.
• Zaccheaus is the only active player in the nation with at least 2,000 career receiving yards (2,277) and 450 career rushing yards (496). There is no other active player that even has 1,500 career receiving yards and 450 career rushing yards.

The Most Offense Typically Wins
• In UVA vs. UNC games since 1940, the winning team has out-rushed the loser 57 of 75 times, with one game featuring the same yardage for both.
• The winning team has had more offensive yards 69 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 17 years, including in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014.

On the Ground
•  Since 2006, the Tar Heels have averaged 138.7 rushing yards per game vs. the Cavaliers, with UVA winning five of the last 11 meetings.
• Since 1996, UNC has scored 19 rushing touchdowns with three coming in 2015 and two coming in 1997, 2011 and 2016. In contrast, UVA has scored 30 times on the ground in that span. 
• In the last 22 games, UNC’s offense has scored 53 touchdowns, with 35 coming in six games (1997, 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016), while the defense has scored nine touchdowns (eight interceptions and one punt return).

Turnovers Make a Difference
• Since 1982, the Cavaliers are 16-3-1 when committing fewer turnovers than the Tar Heels. The losses occurred in 1995, 2001 and 2016, while the tie was in 1984.
• Over the last 10 years, North Carolina has committed 18 turnovers, while UVA has committed 21 (which includes 10 combined from the 2010 & 2015 games).
• North Carolina is 10-2 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).

First Family Takes in 1928 Meeting
• President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, attended the 1928 Virginia vs. North Carolina Thanksgiving Day football game at UVA’s Lambeth Field. The President was joined by the governors of both Virginia (Gov. Harry F. Byrd) and North Carolina (H.W. Chase). Over 20,000 spectators attended UNC’s 24-20 win 90 years ago. Lambeth Field’s grandstand only sat 8,000. Additional temporary bleachers helped hold the overflow crowd. 

Nature of the Rivalry
• There is a strong historical lineage and academic standing between UVA and UNC.
• UVA was founded by Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, while UNC was the first operational state university in the United States.
• UVA had its writer-in-residence William Faulkner, while UNC is the alma mater of Thomas Wolfe. 
• President Woodrow Wilson attended UVA and was president of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, while President James K. Polk attended UNC.
• UVA and UNC were also the first future members of the ACC to be elected to the prestigious Association of American Universities. UVA was elected in 1904 and UNC in 1922. 
• UVA was the opponent for the dedication game at UNC’s Kenan Stadium in 1927.
• Kenan Stadium was used as a model by the designers of Scott Stadium.

Peace Leads ACC Linebackers in Sacks/TFLs
• OLB Chris Peace leads the ACC’s linebackers with 5.0 sacks and is tied for No. 8 among the nation’s linebackers.
• Peace also shares the ACC lead for TFLs by a linebacker with 9.0. He is tied with Miami’s Shaquille Quarterman.
• Peace led the ACC’s linebackers in 2017 with 7.5 sacks.
• Peace is the only Cavalier who has started all 32 games of the Bronco Mendenhall era at UVA.

Defense Strong during Current two-game winning streak
• During UVA’s current two-game winning streak, the defense has been strong.
• Miami and Duke quarterbacks are a combined 37-of-69 passing (53.6) for 452 yards, five interceptions, one touchdown and have been sacked six times against UVA.
• During the UVA winning streak, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 6.0 yards per drop back and have had 12 passes broken up and 17 passes defended by UVA’s defense.

Potential Career UVA Records that could fall soon
• WR Joe Reed has 1,813 career kick return yards, needing 27 more to break the previous record held by Darius Jennings (2011-14). Jennings graduated with 1,839 career kick return yards.
• HB Olamide Zaccheaus has 203 career receptions, needing eight to break the previous record held by Billy McMullen (1999-2002). McMullen left UVA with 210 career receptions. Zaccheaus and McMullen are the only Cavaliers to reach 200 career receptions.

Virginia Strong in Starting Field Position
• In UVA’s five wins this season its average starting field position starts at its own 37.2, while in the two losses the average starting field position was its own 26.5, a difference of 10.7 yards.
• In UVA’s current two-game winning streak, its average starting field position is its own 39.5 yard line.