Tar Heels Smash Cavaliers

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David Watford had 2 INTs at UNC. ~ Mike Ingalls – TheSabre.com

Same song, same verse, a little bit louder, a little bit worse.

The Virginia football team’s 2013 tailspin continued its downward spiral Saturday at North Carolina. The Tar Heels gashed the defense, smothered the offense, and exploded on special teams during the 45-14 shellacking in Chapel Hill. UNC has now won four straight times in the South’s Oldest Rivalry, the last two by a combined score of 82-27.

“They executed well, and we didn’t execute well enough,” UVa coach Mike London said. “They had a big play on special teams on the punt return, which we definitely could not have. They did an excellent job doing what they needed to do, and we did not. The results are as they are.”

The loss this Saturday once again followed some familiar patterns with a major special teams breakdown sprinkled in for added frustration.

Offensively, the Cavaliers consistently had breakdowns to short-circuit possessions. Penalties and dropped passes again popped up an inopportune times, including the first drive of the game that had moved across midfield. By the end of the contest, Virginia had more than 25 plays go for no gain or lost yardage.

Quarterback David Watford finished 14-of-30 passing for 129 yards and 0 touchdowns. That’s back-to-back weeks with a completion percentage less than 50% and less than 150 yards passing. After avoiding the interception bug for a brief period in the middle of the season, he tossed two more picks against the Heels. D Green returned one 62 yards for a Carolina touchdown on an ill-advised throw late across the middle. Watford now has 12 INTs on the season, matching Michael Rocco’s 12 picks in 2011. Watford eventually gave way to Greyson Lambert, who posted 75 yards by completing 8 of 13 passes with 1 touchdown. The top target on the day was Keeon Johnson for the second straight week; he had 5 receptions for 59 yards and the TD.

The running game, meanwhile, had one bright spot in Kevin Parks. A high school star returning to his home state, Parks grinded out 100 yards and 1 touchdown on 24 carries. He now has 796 yards on the season in his bid for a 1,000-yard campaign. Otherwise, there wasn’t much production to be found. Runs between the tackles had limited success, while runs to the perimeter proved inconsistent. Taquan Mizzell and Khalek Shepherd combined for 20 yards on 7 carries.

With the 14-point outing, UVa’s scoring average dropped to 17.3 points per game against Football Bowl Subdivision teams. That’s one of the worst numbers in the entire country.

Defensively, the ongoing theme of big plays and long scrimmage touchdowns traveled to Chapel Hill with the Hoos. The defense allowed 415 yards on 70 plays against UNC. The Tar Heels piled up 10-plus yard gains with regularity, helping them overcome 102 yards in penalties.

The hosts also scored touchdowns of 29 and 85 yards. The 29-yarder came on a trick play when the Heels ran a reverse for receiver Quinshad Davis that turned into a quarterback throwback touchdown to Marquise Williams. The longest one of the day came on special teams, the first points-producing mistake by that unit this season. North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer muffed a punt before scooping it up and weaving through the initial defenders en route to the 85-yard TD. That’s 17 touchdowns of 25 or more yards allowed this season.

Brandon Phelps led the Hoos with 9 tackles on the day, while Jake Snyder and Daquan Romero added 8 and 7 stops respectively. Safety Anthony Harris continued to be a major contributor with 5 tackles and his seventh interception of the season, a number ranked in the top 5 nationally.

After playing some close games early this season and losing by one point at Maryland, UVa has now lost four straight conference games by double figures. A bye week on the schedule next Saturday will give the team a temporary reprieve from a seven-game losing streak. Games against Miami and Virginia Tech round out the season.

Final Stats