Better late than never
The Daily Progress/Megan Lovett
Virginia’s Cedric Peerman (center) splits UNC defenders Ebele Okakpu (left) and Quan Sturdivant for the winning touchdown.
Fighting back tears of joy, Virginia coach Al Groh basked in the moment for a split second.
Several minutes prior, senior running back Cedric Peerman had presented the game ball to Groh, capping off a memorable night that included yet another win for Virginia over North Carolina at Scott Stadium and completed an unblemished three-game homestand.
In improbable — and almost unbelievable — fashion, UVa surged past the 18th-ranked Tar Heels, 16-13, in overtime on a crisp evening in front of 52,342 fans.
It was Peerman that scored a pair of touchdowns on 2-yard runs that pushed the Cavaliers into overtime and later into a frantic celebration that included a sea of students and fans spilling onto the field.
“[Receiving the game ball] will be something I’ll cherish for a long time,” Groh said. “When somebody like Cedric Peerman wants to do that, not only him individually, but as a representative and captain of the character and heart of the team, it’s very meaningful and very appreciated.”
The wild finish, while expected in the rivalry, included some unthinkable heroics after UNC went ahead 10-3 with just 2:22 remaining.
Virginia (4-3, 2-1 ACC), after gaining only 168 yards of total offense on its first 52 offensive plays, methodically marched 82 yards on nine plays that took only 1:35 off the clock.
On the final drive of regulation, quarterback Marc Verica completed 7 of 8 passes for 80 yards and found three different receivers for plays of at least 16 yards to take the Cavaliers’ suddenly-energized offense into North Carolina’s red zone.
“I think we played the defense a little wrong. We played it too soft,” said UNC safety Deunta Williams. “We didn’t think as much as we needed to.In a couple of plays, I didn’t get over on top of them like I needed to. I think it was just overall bad coverage.”
On 1st-and-10 from the UNC 11, Verica fired a pass to his left to Kevin Ogletree for a 9-yard completion. After declining a penalty on the play, Verica threw his lone incompletion into the end zone in the direction of tight end John Phillips.
With ample time and a timeout to allow for a running play, Peerman was given the ball and followed the left side of his offensive line into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds left.
“We talk about being at our best at the end of the game and we certainly were,” Groh said of the game-tying drive. “Marc Verica did a great job on the two-minute drive. It’s something we practice a great deal and we did what we’re supposed to do.
“[Verica had] great poise there and some kids came up with some terrific catches and that series was obviously very appropriately called.”
UNC almost avoided overtime after the touchdown.
Robert Randolph, filling in for injured placekicker Yannick Reyering, had his extra-point attempt blocked by North Carolina’s Deunta Williams, but the kick had just enough force to fall beyond the crossbar.
“Once I got the kick off, I thought it was going in without a doubt,” said Randolph, who made a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter to get Virginia on the scoreboard. “There was just one hand that tipped it and it was in slow motion from there.
“It was a very nerve-wracking moment. I tried to keep my eyes on it pretty well, and I just saw it barely sneak over the bar.”
After winning the coin toss, Virginia forced UNC’s offense onto the field to start overtime.
The Tar Heels managed 10 yards and gained a first down with back-to-back carries by Shaun Draughn and then tried a pair of pass plays that sandwiched another run by Draughn.
Virginia’s defense held serve, forcing 4th-and-6 at the UNC 11, which led to a 28-yard field goal from Casey Barth.
Peerman ran for two yards on the Cavaliers’ first play in overtime and set the stage for what Groh said might have been a season-changing result.
With Phillips oddly lined up as a fullback, Verica flipped a floater to the right side of the field that magically landed in Phillips’ hands at the UNC 4.
“It is just one of them plays,” Phillips said. “I will be honest with you, Marc threw that ball up and it was in the lights. I just kind of jumped up about where I thought it was going to come down, and the Lord must have been looking out for me.
“It just fell right into my lap.”
Although fans are forbidden from racing onto the field, police officers and stadium security were no match for the magnitude.
“I was glad to see the students enjoy themselves,” Groh chuckled.
For the game, UNC amassed 332 yards of total offense, including 83 of which came on UNC’s opening drive. That 10-play possession was capped by a 1-yard touchdown by Ryan Houston.
The Tar Heels, who entered leading the national in turnover margin, were plagued by three turnovers forced by Virginia’s defense.
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Reader Reactions
There’s no disconnect between criticizing the coaching staff, recruiting, and overall direction while supporting the team.
Let’s see if you feel the same way when the team promptly goes on a 3-game losing streak and then gets blown out in Blacksburg yet again.
Agree with you totaly cornbread. There are fans and then we have the die hard, support the team regardless fans. I’m proud to say I’m one of the latter. GO HOOS!
After several years of defending Groh and more importantly after the Duke game I was among those who figured it was time for a change. Let’s face it: at that point UVA was one of the two or three worst teams in the country. It’s not that they were having problems, or seeing a run of bad luck. They flat-out disgraced themselves and the University. ESPN had them in their Bottom 10. They were thoroughly and undeniably whipped in every phase of the game by DUKE. The team was ill-prepared, and the play-calling was abysmal. They had lost their starting quarterback, who can’t play at this level anyway, had no running game, and couldn’t even stop DUKE.
There are two things a Virginia Football coach MUST do: Never lose to Duke, and don’t let Tech blow you out year after year.
It’s not about winning championships for me. That is highly unlikely to happen. ACC division title? Perhaps. ACC title? That would be huge. National title? Probably never going to happen. But being competitive is crucial, and for the first 4 games of this season Virginia was not competitive. Their three games against D1 teams were all complete blowouts. There was nothing - NOTHING - shown in those games that would make other than the casual rah-rah fan see any bright spots, or even any potential.
To most observers, this was a program headed the wrong way in a hurry. Realists understand that last year’s 9-4 record was not solid. The team could just as easily have been 3-9 (they would not have played a bowl game, which is why the two records do not both add up to 13).
I don’t think it’s irrational to expect that the coaches of the University’s teams meet the minimum standards of not fielding teams that are embarrassing, which is what this team was until October 4. Worst in the ACC? That’s bad. #5 on the Bottom 10? That’s unacceptable and intolerable.
I’m not an Al Groh “hater.“ You want “sad?“ Sad is seeing Duke cream your team when they can’t even half-fill their stadium because their football program is Columbia bad. Sad is coming to the conclusion that the coach you had defended pretty much since the day he was hired had let the program get away from him and by ALL indications had lost their respect. They DID NOT play hard. Combine that with the fact that recruiting has not been impressive, and it’s not unreasonable to express the opinion that it’s time to make a change. Compound that with the new “let’s siphon as much cash out of our supporters as we can” approach and what you have is a volatile fan base.
If this team hadn’t turned things around and had continued to exhibit the same lack of intensity, lack of preparedness, and lack of intelligent play-calling it would be Groh’s last year. No question in my mind of that.
Instead, the improbable happened. He and the team turned things around on a dime. Some sources say that Lalich was a cancer on the team, was very prima-donnaish, not at all liked, and on top of that not a good quarterback. His incompetence gave the defense no hope. CLEARLY, changing to Verica has made a huge difference. At this point he looks like he might be the best signal-caller since Schaub. (Of course, this begs the question of why he sat so deep on the depth chart for two years, but that happens everywhere.)
So things have turned around completely. The team could still lose the rest of their games, but this stretch of solid wins reminds me of what I admired about Al Groh before the 1-3 debacle to open this season: he finds a way. He always finds a way. I’ll try not to forget that the next time the team loses to somebody like Duke.
It has got to be a sad morning for all the Al “THE OWL” Groh haters. Just when you thought that them ole Tar Heels were going to restart your “AX AL” revival the Cavs go and steal the THRILL OF VICTORY from the jaws of the AGONY OF DEFEAT. You know who you are! You wear your little orange and blue on Saturday to support the team but in your heart of hearts, you are still convinced that ole Tommy Jefferson’s School of Higher Learning needs to “Fire Al Here, Fire Al Now, Win an ACC Championship” You’ll say “The kids won this one!“ You’re right, kids that are well coached and kids that give the game ball to the coach that is teaching them to win. To quote my dear ole momma “You can lead a Wahoo to water but you can’t make it THINK.“
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