Virginia football furthered its budding reputation as a fourth-quarter team with a 22-17 victory over the visiting Clemson Tigers Saturday.
Trailing 10-6 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers found themselves in excellent field position, courtesy of two 15-yard Clemson penalties and strong runs from sophomore running back Alvin Pearman. Virginia capitalized on the opportunity, sending senior wide receiver Billy McMullen stumbling into the end zone for a Cavalier touchdown.
The one-yard run was the first rushing attempt of McMullen's career, and Groh freely admitted it was a play taken straight from the pros.
"That's a play I remember practicing many times before we would play San Fransisco with Jerry Rice," Groh said. "That was a play that was always in their playbook with Jerry. It payed off well for us today."
The payoff came in the form of a 13-10 lead, which the Cavaliers took and never looked back.
Riding the momentum of McMullen's touchdown, the Cavaliers put a quick stop to a Clemson drive and battled back on a 17-play, 85-yard drive that set up freshman kicker Kurt Smith's 21-yard field goal.
Clemson took over from its own 18-yard line, but the Cavalier surge was far from over. Tiger quarterback Willie Simmons fired the ball downfield, only to have Virginia sophomore tackle Andrew Hoffman tip the ball into the waiting arms of linebacker Rich Bedesem.
Bedesem took the field after senior linebacker Angelo Crowell was injured early and led the team with seven solo tackles.
Bedesem "deserves a lot of credit for what he did," Groh said.
Virginia wasted no time taking credit for Bedesem's interception. Cavalier quarterback Matt Schaub bounced back from an 8-yard sack and hit Pearman for a 10-yard gain. The junior signal-caller then connected with freshman tight end Heath Miller in the end zone, giving Virginia a comfortable 12-point lead with five minutes remaining.
Schaub's composure throughout the game suggested that his breakout performance in the fourth quarter against Duke was no fluke. A week later, he completed several passes under pressure from Clemson defenders and seemed relatively unfazed after throwing his one interception right before halftime.
Schaub "made a lot of spontaneous plays," Groh said. "I thought that he showed mental toughness by the way he just got over it. He came out and really played an excellent half, led his team down the field against some big guys."
Clemson replaced Simmons on their final drive, so it was freshman quarterback Charlie Whitehurst who led the Tigers on a 92-yard touchdown drive.
The Tigers' drive was too little, too late. Virginia ran out the clock,preserving the victory and pushing their winning streak to five games.
The Cavaliers again benefitted from their young players, with receptions from freshmen Miller and Jason Snelling and strong kicking from Smith and punter Tom Hagan.
Virginia freshman running back Wali Lundy hauled in 11 passes, tying the school record for most receptions in a game and breaking the record for receptions by a running back.
Lundy "is a very humble kid. He's been kind of matter-of-fact about things from the start. He hasn't been daunted by any challenges."
Seven games into the season, Lundy and his freshman teammates have indeed begun to feel as thoughtthey belong.
"I'm getting to feel like a veteran," Lundy said, smiling.
Groh called the second half, "our best half of football this year," and complimented his team for their persistence.
"We were playing the kind of game that we were trying to play," he said. "Fight it out, hang in there, find ways to win -- This is our kind of game."
McMullen agreed with Groh's analysis. "It's a no-quit attitude," he said. "We knew we were going to win."
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