Tar Heels feel the pressure in C’ville

Wahoo fans simply refer to it as “The Streak.” Tar Heel fans consider it more of a curse.

Whatever the reference, the South’s oldest rivalry has taken a wicked turn over the past quarter century with Virginia’s mysterious domination of the series against rival North Carolina in Charlottesville. None of the players on either UVa’s or UNC’s rosters were even born the last time the Tar Heels won a game in Scott Stadium — 1981.

That’s 13 — if you’re superstitious and a Carolina fan, you may not want to read on — count ‘em, 13, straight Tar Heel losses in C’ville.

Virginia coach Al Groh always blows off any mention of streaks, and predictably did so when the topic came up during his press conference on Tuesday. Virginia players said that such streaks don’t have any bearing on Saturday’s 113th (there’s that number again) renewal of the rivalry. Some of them weren’t even aware of the streak.

It’s on their minds

However, North Carolina’s players were aware and talking about their impending visit to their unluckiest of venues in the ACC.

Asked about “The Streak” or “The Curse” (you choose), several Tar Heels had an opinion.

“I think that would be a huge step just to get that off our back,” said UNC linebacker Mark Paschal. “Every year it seems like we play Virginia [and people say], ‘Well, you haven’t beaten them there in 30 years or whatever.’ I would love for some guys next year to be sitting in this seat and not having to answer this question.”

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks realizes that Charlottesville is not an easy place to win. In fact, Virginia has won 25 of its last 30 home games dating back to the last three contests of the 2003 season.

“It’s just a hostile environment,” Nicks said of Scott Stadium. “It’s going to be a fight there to the last minute. We can’t get mixed up and caught up in that situation. We’ve got to look at it like it’s another game.”

But is it just another game?

Storied history

It used to be THE GAME on Virginia’s schedule. The two teams used to meet on Thanksgiving Day, once playing host to President Calvin Coolidge and the First Lady among 20,000 fans on Turkey Day in 1928, not one of UVa’s better years. Carolina won 24-20.

Since the two crusty old rivals first met in 1892, the Tar Heels lead the series 56-52-4, but the UNC drought in Charlottesville is inexplicable.

Me, I think it’s downright freaky.

There are a lot of weird streaks, curses in sports that no one can explain.

One of the most famous ones, The Curse of the Bambino finally died a few years ago. Others are alive and well, although perhaps not quite as noteable: The Chicago Cubs and the Curse of the Billy Goat (no title since 1908); Cleveland Browns and the Curse of Paul Brown (no title since 1964); Philadelphia Eagles and the Curse of Frank Gifford (no title since 1960); Cleveland Indians and the Curse of Chief Wahoo (no title since 1948); Buffalo Bills and the Curse of O.J. Simpson (no title since 1965); Minnesota Vikings and the Purple People Eater Voodoo Hex (no title — ever).

We could go on, but you get the picture.

Oh, there is one more. Clemson basketball’s 53-game losing streak in the city of Chapel Hill, where the Tigers have NEVER won a game. They lost in double-overtime at the Dean Dome last February. That’s an NCAA record for the longest home winning streak against one opponent.

Strange things happen. Ask some of the Virginia football players about some of the strange things that

happened during their 29-game losing streak to Clemson before Shawn Moore & Co. finally ended that jinx in 1990.

Freaky, I’m telling ya.

Mack Brown will never forget the 1996 game here (the eighth straight loss in the streak) when his No. 6 Tar Heels came to Charlottesville expecting a Fiesta Bowl bid after mopping the Scott Stadium turf with the underdog Cavaliers.

Carolina led 17-3 after three quarters and appeared on its way to a multi-million dollar bowl payday until Virginia dug in and the Tar Heels experienced a fourth-quarter meltdown.

UNC drove to the UVa nine-yard line and should have settled for a field goal that would have virtually locked the game away. But, as then-Cavalier coach George Welsh will tell you, Brown got greedy. He decided to try to score a touchdown.

Virginia defensive coordinator Rick Lantz noted UNC’s tendency in such situations, grabbed freshman defensive back Antwan Harris on the sidelines and told the youngster: “They are going to throw the ball to this spot … If I put you in there, will you promise me you’ll run to that spot?”

Harris said yes and followed orders. On the third down play Harris was in the proper spot, picked off a Chris Keldorf pass and raced 95 yards for a touchdown, igniting a 17-point,

fourth-quarter rally that saw Virginia pull off a 20-17 upset that knocked the Tar Heels out of a major payday.

For the next three years, Harris used to joke that his Cavalier teammates called him “One Play” for that famous interception. Others called it the “Six Million Dollar Interception.”

Is that freaky enough for you?

Then how about 2002, when Carolina led 21-0 at halftime only to lose 37-27?

Remember Marquis Weeks’ 100-yard sprint through the Tar Heels’ kickoff coverage team to open the second half? That’s when Weeks said later, it was just like running from the cops. The return sparked a 37-point UVa second half, the largest comeback in Wahoo history.

Even Groh admitted Tuesday that he didn’t know the streak went back to 1981 when Dick Bestwick was in his last season at Virginia. Even that game was close, 17-14, considering that UVa finished that season with a 1-10 record and the Tar Heels were ranked 13th (that number again) at the time.

Maybe it’s the curse of Dick Bestwick, who played at North Carolina.

UVa linebacker Clint Sintim, who also was unaware of the streak, did know one thing:

“Hopefully that won’t change.”