North Carolina Tar Heels vs Virginia Cavaliers Football Recap

North Carolina 28, Virginia 17

The North Carolina Tar Heels are holding up reasonably well under the strain of knowing that NCAA sanctions are just around the corner.

The Virginia Cavaliers are not holding up well in the face of the knowledge that they sit at the bottom of the ACC Coastal Division and show no signs of improving their lot in the college football world anytime soon.

Another year is bringing more misery to the Virginia football family, all while a North Carolina program laboring under a black cloud is making the best of its not-so-pleasant circumstances. UNC’s win on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, raises the possibility that the Tar Heels can make a run at the division flag; it also confirms that the Cavaliers will not make any run at a bowl game or the .500 season that must accompany it.

Virginia was really never in the game despite, in a lot of ways, outplaying UNC.   The Cavaliers had more first downs (23 to 22), more third down conversions (5 to 3), and more total yards (468 to 401).  Virginia’s downfall was ultimately the inability to sustain drives, and also turnovers, as quarterback Michael Rocco threw two interceptions in his last two possessions and also a first-half lost fumble in UNC territory.

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Virginia had two long drives in its first two possessions but only managed three points after Robert Randolph went 1 for 2 on early field goal attempts.   UNC answered the field goal on the following possession with a 74 yard drive in only five plays, punctuated by an 18-yard Bryn Renner touchdown pass to Jheranie Boyd.   After a long Virginia drive that stalled on downs at the UNC 36, Renner led UNC down the field for another score, a one yard run by Ryan Houston to give the Tar Heels a 14-3 halftime lead. 

Giovani Bernard opened up the second half with a 40 yard run, and Renner hit Dwight Jones for a 17 yard scoring strike a few plays later for a 21-3 lead early in the second half.   Rocco answered with a 41 yard touchdown pass to cut the visiting team’s deficit to 21-10, but UNC all but iced the game with an 88 yard touchown drive late in the third quarter to go up 28-10.   All the Cavaliers could muster in the fourth quarter was a single touchdown. 

Renner, who has had a very good year in his first year as a starter replaying T.J. Yates, was not the machine that he had been the first couple weeks.   He was 15-of-21 with 2 touchdowns and no picks. Against Virginia, the Heels relied on the running game, with 41 rushing attempts to 23 passing attempts.   Freshman Giovani Bernard led all rushers with 102 yards on 12 carries. For Virginia, freshman Kevin Parks was the better of the two-headed rushing attack, going 98 yards on 14 carries.   Perry Jones had only 39 yards on 8 carries.   Rocco was 22 of 37 for 287 yards and one touchdown but two crippling interceptions.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer