TarHeelBlue Game Day 2000 - Virginia - University of North Carolina Athletics

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2000, Noon
Site: Scott Stadium (capacity: 61,500, natural grass) in Charlottesville, Va.
Series Record vs. Virginia: Carolina leads, 55-45-4
TV: JP Sports
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Radio Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play), Mick Mixon (color) and Stephen Gates (sideline) provide the call. A live broadcast also is available on the University of North Carolina's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
Websites: North Carolina (TarHeelBlue.com), Virginia (virginiasports.com)
Injuries: LB Merceda Perry (fractured right ankle) out for season, P John Lafferty (mononucleosis) out, RB Rufus Brown (shoulder) out, DB Anthony Anderson (shoulder) out, WR Chesley Borders (hamstring) probable, LB Brandon Spoon (strained quad) probable, DB Errol Hood (right thigh) probable, LB Robert Harris (hip contusion) probable, FB Ronnie Robinson (hamstring) probable.

South's Oldest Rivalry Renews in Charlottesville
Seeking to end a three-game slide, North Carolina faces Virginia in the South's oldest rivalry on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Noon in Charlottesville, Va. Saturday's game will be the 105th meeting between the two schools in a series that first began in 1892. The Carolina-Virginia series is the ACC's oldest and tied for the fifth-longest in NCAA history.

The game will be the first road game for Carolina (3-4 overall, 1-4 ACC) since traveling to Florida State on Sept. 16. The Tar Heels have split a pair of road games this season, winning 35-14 at Wake Forest on Sept. 9 and falling 63-14 at Florida State on Sept. 16.

After starting the season 3-1, Carolina has dropped three consecutive contests - all at Kenan Stadium - including a 42-28 loss vs. Georgia Tech (Sept. 30), a 38-20 loss vs. NC State (Oct. 14) and a 38-24 loss vs. Clemson last week.

Virginia is coming off a 37-3 loss at Florida State. The Cavaliers are 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the ACC.

Carolina-Virginia Series Notes
* Carolina leads the series, 55-45-4. That includes a 22-19-0 record in Charlottesville and a 27-19-1 mark since the ACC was formed in 1953.
* The Tar Heels have not defeated Virginia in Charlottesville since 1981 when Carolina won 17-14. In the nine losses since that victory, Carolina has averaged just 14.3 points per game in Charlottesville. In fact, Carolina has not scored more than 22 points in a game at Virginia since 1977, a 35-14 win.
* Virginia won last year's game 20-17 on a late field goal in the fourth quarter, ending a streak that saw the home team win eight consecutive games.
* The series began with a 30-18 Virginia victory in 1892 in Charlottesville and the two schools have met every year since 1919. The only years the two schools did not meet were in 1906, 1909, 1917 and 1918.
* In each of the last four meetings, Carolina has returned an interception for a touchdown. Chesapeake, Va., native cornerback Dre' Bly scored on a 51-yard return in 1996 and a 17-yard return in 1997. In 1998, cornerback Steve Fisher scored on a 37-yard return. Last year, safety Antwon Black returned a Dan Ellis pass 89 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
* A Virginia tailback has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the last three meetings (Antwoine Womack in 1997 and Thomas Jones in 1998 and 1999).

Famous Tar Heels From Virginia
* Many of Carolina's greatest football players have hailed from the state of Virginia. A short list includes NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor (Williamsburg), two-time ACC Player of the Year Mike Voight (Chesapeake), two-time All-America William Fuller (Chesapeake), bruising halfback Ken Willard (Richmond), All-America offensive guard Ron Rusnak (Prince George), record-setting wide receiver Corey Holliday (Richmond), linebacker Dwight Hollier (Hampton), four-time 1,000-yard back Amos Lawrence (Norfolk), three-time first-team All-America cornerback Dre' Bly (Chesapeake) and current quarterback Ronald Curry (Chesapeake).

Total Offense Adds Up
* Carolina's offense is averaging 380.1 yards per game this season, the highest since the 1995 season when the Tar Heels averaged 396.5 yards per game. Carolina averaged 367.5 in 1996, 378.9 in 1997, 328.7 in 1998 and 276.6 in 1999.
* Carolina has scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games - a feat it did not accomplish last season - and has scored at least 20 in all but one game (vs. FSU). The Tar Heels scored 20 vs. Marshall, 28 vs. Georgia Tech, 20 vs. NC State and 24 vs. Clemson.
* Carolina has gained over 400 yards of offense in three of the last four games - a feat that has not occurred since 1997. The Tar Heels had 403 yards vs. Clemson, 477 vs. Georgia Tech and 434 yards vs. Marshall.

Allen Fab Four Wide Receivers
* Overlooked in the Tar Heels 3-4 campaign has been the outstanding play of its wide receivers. One of the best quartet of receivers in the country, Kory Bailey, Bosley Allen, Sam Aiken and Jamal Jones have turned in some dazzling performances this season.
* Those four have combined to catch 80 passes for 1,456 yards (18.2 average) and eight touchdowns.
* Carolina is averaging 16.4 yards per catch this season. That is UNC's highest average per catch since 1946 when the Tar Heels averaged 18.1 yards per reception (35 for 633 yards).
* Carolina receivers have caught 25 passes of at least 20 yards, including eight plays of 50 or more yards. Highlights include:
* Against Georgia Tech, Bailey caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Ronald Curry that equaled the longest TD pass play in Kenan Stadium history. In that game Carolina also connected on pass plays of 54 yards to Allen and 50 yards to Jones.
* In the fourth quarter at Wake Forest, Allen had a 60-yard touchdown catch that sealed the Tar Heel victory. Against the Deacons, Carolina also had catches of 51 yards to Allen and 46 yards to Aiken.
* Jones made his first career catch a memorable one with a 55-yard touchdown reception vs. Tulsa in the season opener.
* Against Clemson last week, Curry connected with Jones and Aiken on two different 57-yard pass plays, setting up UNC touchdowns.
* Bailey's 129 yards receiving vs. Clemson were the most by a Tar Heel since Na Brown, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, had 142 yards vs. Maryland on Nov. 7, 1998. It was the second-most productive day for a UNC receiver vs. Clemson. L.C. Stevens had 169 yards vs. the Tigers in 1997.

Young Defensive Players Make Standout Plays
* Several young defensive players have made standout plays in the last few weeks. Safety DeFonte Coleman, a sophomore from Kinston, N.C., made his first career start against Marshall and had excelled in that role. He had 14 tackles vs. NC State and last week added 13 vs. Clemson, including a hit that knocked Tiger QB Woodrow Dantzler out of the game. Sophomore Dexter Reid turned in his best performance as a Tar Heel in the Clemson game last week with 13 tackles, including his first career sack. Sophomore walk-on Will Chapman continues to improve and earn more and more playing time. He posted six tackles vs. NC State and Clemson, including a sack vs. the Tigers. He has 2.5 sacks this season.

Turnover Troubles
* Carolina has had difficulty this season causing turnovers and taking advantage of opponents' mistakes. The Tar Heels are 108th in the nation in turnover margin and have caused just five turnovers in six games (two fumbles, three interceptions).
* Carolina has forced five turnovers and converted three into scores for a total of 17 points (two TDs, one FG). UNC opponents have forced 16 turnovers and converted nine into scores for a total of 54 points (seven TDs, two FG).

Allen Freshman Leads Tar Heels in Rushing...Again
* For the third straight season, a true freshman is leading the Tar Heels' running attack. Brandon Russell, a freshman from Decatur, Ga., has a team-high 366 yards on 114 carries. Russell became the first UNC freshman to start the first game of the season at tailback since Charlie Justice in 1946. In that game against Tulsa, he had 10 carries for 25 yards.
* Russell had 28 carries for 96 yards against NC State and scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run in the first quarter. Russell's 28 carries were the most by a Tar Heel tailback since Jonathan Linton had 37 carries against Duke in 1997.
* Russell rushed for 40 yards against Florida State, 79 yards against Marshall, a career-high 96 yards vs. NC State and 49 vs. Clemson.
* In 1998, freshman Rufus Brown led Carolina with 534 yards and in 1999 freshman Daniel Davis led the team with 303 yards.
* Durham, N.C., freshman Andre' Williams has been productive as well, carrying 26 times for 130 yards. He is third on the team in rushing behind Russell and fullback Anthony Saunders.

Curry Among Carolina's Career Leaders
* Curry will be making his 17th career start when the Tar Heels travel to Charlottesville and he will be playing in his 24th game overall. He has rushed 216 times for 784 career yards and seven touchdowns. He has completed 223 of 448 passes (.498) for 3,335 yards and has 18 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
* The Hampton, Va., native is ninth all-time at UNC in completions with 223. Oscar Davenport (1995-98) is eighth with 251 completions. He is fifth in career total offense and eighth in career passing yardage. (see charts)
* Curry is 16th in the nation in total offense 259.6.

The Sacks Keep Coming for Peppers
* A year after leading the Tar Heels with six sacks as a freshman, sophomore defensive end Julius Peppers is getting to the quarterback again in 2000. Peppers is tied with defensive tackle Ryan Sims for the team lead in sacks with six.
* Although he did not have a sack against Clemson, Peppers tied his career high with 10 tackles (six solo, four assists) and had one tackle for loss. He also had 10 tackles in 1999 vs. Wake Forest.
* Against NC State, Peppers had one of his best games of the season with seven tackles, including six solo stops, one tackle for loss and one sack.
* Three of Peppers' eight tackles against FSU were for losses, including two sacks.
* Peppers scored his first collegiate touchdown when he scooped up a fumble and raced 12 yards to the end zone against Wake Forest. The touchdown gave Carolina a 17-14 lead, an advantage it would not relinquish in the 35-14 win over the Demon Deacons.
* The touchdown marked the first time Peppers had scored six points in a Carolina uniform since he had six against Tulsa. Actually, he didn't score against Tulsa on September 2nd, but he scored six against Tulsa in March in the NCAA South Regional championship basketball game. Peppers added eight rebounds in that contest as the Tar Heels won and advanced to the Final Four.
* Peppers added two quarterback sacks for 27 yards in the win at Wake Forest. He had a 10-yard and a 17-yard sack. In two career games against the Deacons, Peppers has sacked the quarterback six times. Peppers was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play against Wake Forest.
* Peppers is a preseason candidate for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given to the National Defensive Player of the Year by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

Hodge's Senior Season His Best Yet
* Senior linebacker Sedrick Hodge continues to improve with each game and he is having easily his best season as a Tar Heel. The 6-4, 235-pound Atlanta native was added to the Butkus Award Watch List on Oct. 3 after his standout play in the first five games of the season. He was not selected as one of the 10 finalists on Oct. 19.
* Hodge is third on the team with five quarterback sacks for losses of 43 yards. Entering the 2000 season, Hodge had 3.5 sacks for his career.
* Against Clemson, Hodge chased down Woodrow Dantzler on third down early in the game to force a punt. On the Tigers' next possession, Hodge dropped Dantzler for a three-yard loss, forcing another punt. Later in the game with Clemson leading by seven, he teamed with cornerback Dexter Reid to stop Travis Zachery for a three-yard loss setting up another Tiger punt.
* Against NC State, Hodge had 10 tackles, including a sack for 19 yards. Hodge's sack came on third down and forced NC State to punt from its own 22-yard line. Carolina scored a field goal on the ensuing possession.
* Hodge registered three tackles for losses against Florida State, including two sacks, as part of his 11 total tackles. He also forced a fumble and was credited with a QB hurry.
* Against Wake Forest, Hodge forced a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown, had a 9-yard sack and had seven total tackles to help lead UNC to the win. He averaged nine tackles the last four games of the 1999 season and had six tackles in the opener against Tulsa.

Curry Curry Sets Records in Georgia Tech Loss
* Ronald Curry established several school records in the Tar Heels' 42-28 loss to Georgia Tech on Oct. 2. The Hampton, Va., native completed 17 of 31 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 10 carries for 12 yards and finished the game with 400 total yards of offense. In the process he set the following school records:
* Most passing yards (388) by a UNC player at Kenan Stadium
* Most total yards (400) by a UNC player at Kenan Stadium
* Most passing yards in two consecutive games (680)
* Most total yards (712) in two consecutive games
* Most passing yards per attempt (12.5 yards per 31 attempts) in a single-game
* His 78-yard touchdown pass to Kory Bailey was the longest by a Tar Heel in Kenan Stadium. It also equaled the longest touchdown pass by any player in Kenan Stadium (accomplished three times).

Looking at those numbers further, Curry's game was even more impressive when you consider the following.

* Curry's 388 yards passing are the third-highest single-game total in UNC history behind Chris Keldorf (415 vs. TCU, 1997) and Mark Maye (406 vs. Georgia Tech, 1987) and the third most by anyone at Kenan Stadium behind Duke's Dave Brown in 1989 and Maryland's Scott Milanovich in 1993.
* Curry's 400 total yards of offense were the third most ever at Carolina behind Mark Maye (Georgia Tech, 1987) and Gayle Bomar (Wake Forest, 1968). Curry completed his third consecutive game with at least 200 yards passing. He had 235 yards at FSU, 292 yards vs. Marshall and 388 vs. Georgia Tech. Prior to the Marshall game Curry had never thrown for more than 200 yards in two consecutive games.
* Curry completed four passes of 50-or-more yards against Georgia Tech, each to a different receiver. He completed a 50-yarder to Jamal Jones, a 54-yarder to Bosley Allen, a 59-yarder to Alge Crumpler for a touchdown and a 78-yarder to Kory Bailey for a touchdown.

Curry On Pace For More Records
* Curry is on pace to shatter the Carolina single-season record for total yards per game. Currently, Curry is averaging 259.6 yards per game. Former quarterback Mike Thomas holds the UNC record with 226.3 yards per game in 1995. That season, Thomas had 2,489 total yards in 11 games. Curry is currently on pace to finish with 2,855 total yards.
* Curry is averaging 239.7 yards passing per game. He is on pace for 2,637 yards passing which would break the single-season passing record of 2,436 yards set by Mike Thomas in 1995.
* Curry's pass efficiency rating of 134.53 would be the seventh-highest single-season mark in UNC history if the season ended today. In 1974 Chris Kupec set the pass efficiency school record with a 174.3 rating. Jason Stanicek is second with a rating of 145.8 in 1993 and Mark Maye is third at 141.3 in 1986.

Bailey Bailey Has Career Day vs. Clemson
* Kory Bailey, a junior wideout from Durham, N.C., had a career-high 129 yards receiving in the Tar Heels' 38-24 loss to Clemson. Bailey caught several big passes in the game, including 31 and 41-yard receptions that each set up Carolina touchdowns.
* Bailey caught the longest touchdown pass by a Tar Heel in Kenan Stadium history with a 78-yard grab against Georgia Tech on Sept. 30. After catching the ball around the 10-yard line, Bailey pulled his right hamstring, but still was able to make it to the end zone for the score. He did not play the rest of the game and was thought to be sidelined for the NC State game. However, Bailey's recovery was quicker than expected. Although he did not start against the Wolfpack, Bailey came off the bench to lead the Tar Heels with three catches for 47 yards, including a 21-yard catch on fourth down which kept alive a touchdown drive.
* Against Marshall, Bailey made six receptions for a then-career-high 101 yards. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Bailey had a 16-yard gain in the first quarter, a 30-yard catch-and-run to open the third quarter, a 25-yarder to start a drive later in the third quarter, a 4-yarder, a 10-yarder on 3rd-and-3 to keep a scoring drive alive, and the 16-yard touchdown catch. That reception came on a 3rd-and-10 play and gave UNC a 13-9 advantage.
* The Tar Heels leading receiver with 28 catches, Bailey has 492 yards receiving, is averaging 17.6 yards per catch and has scored two touchdowns.

Bailey Moves Up The Charts
* Wide Receiver Kory Bailey is tied with Randy Marriott for 11th all-time at Carolina with 91 receptions. Jimmy Jerome (1972-74) is 10th with 93, Charlie Carr (1965-67) is ninth with 94 and Bob Lacey (1961-63) is eighth with 102. Bailey is averaging 17.6 yards per reception this season. He came into the year with an average of 12.4 yards over his first two seasons.

Boz is Back
* All summer quarterback Ronald Curry raved about the progress receiver Bosley Allen was making returning from a serious knee injury he suffered in 1998. The Bradenton, Fla., native has in fact proven to be one of the top big-play threats in the ACC. Allen leads the Tar Heels in all-purpose yards with 694, an average of 99.1 per game.
* Allen has been the target of three of Carolina's longest pass plays this season. He caught a 60-yard touchdown pass at Wake Forest, a 54-yard pass vs. Georgia Tech and a 51-yard pass at Wake Forest. He has made six catches of at least 24-yards this season, including a 49-yard touchdown catch that proved to be the winning margin in Carolina's 20-15 win over Marshall.
* He is second on the team with 21 catches and is averaging 18.0 yards per catch.

Allen's Big Night at Wake Forest
* Bosley Allen had two catches for 111 yards and one touchdown in Carolina's win at Wake Forest on Sept. 9. He also returned seven punts for 153 yards. That is 68 yards more than the Tar Heels had on punt returns in all 11 games last season. What makes Allen's performance even more remarkable is the fact he missed the entire 1999 season while rehabilitating a devastating knee injury. He tore all the anterior, posterior and lateral ligaments plus blood vessels and nerves in his left knee on a kickoff return against NC State on November 28, 1998. Doctors were not sure Allen would ever play football again, let alone return to action as a game-breaking speedster.
* Allen leads the ACC in punt returns averaging 16.5 yards per return. He is also eighth in the league in all-purpose yardage with 113.8.

Tar Heels Finally Get Interceptions
* Carolina did not intercept a pass this year until the fifth game of the season against Georgia Tech when Errol Hood picked off George Godsey in the third quarter. It was the opponents' 158th pass attempt of the season. Cornerback Michael Waddell picked up UNC's second interception of the season two possessions later and had a 16-yard return. Dexter Reid made his first career interception vs. NC State.

Spoon Still Making Tackles
* Brandon Spoon, a fifth-year senior, elected to return to school after missing most of the 1999 campaign with a torn biceps muscle. He entered the 2000 season as the No. 3 rated inside linebacker by National Football Scouting, Inc. and is considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick.
* Earlier this season, Brandon Spoon was named to the 2000 Butkus Award Watch List for the fourth consecutive season, a feat never before accomplished in the 16-year history of the award.
* A second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in 1998, Spoon has 325.5 career tackles, including 24.5 for losses and 9.5 quarterback sacks. He leads the Tar Heels with 84 tackles this year and is third in the ACC.

Crumpler Makes Career Catch vs. Georgia Tech
* Senior tight end Alge Crumpler, a preseason All-America by the Sporting News, caught a career-long 59-yard touchdown pass against Georgia Tech. Crumpler's previous career-long catch was a 36-yarder vs. TCU in 1997. A native of Wilmington, N.C.,
* Crumpler earned first-team All-ACC honors in his first year back after missing the 1998 season with a knee injury. Last season, he had 20 receptions for 191 yards.
* Crumpler is rated the No. 1 tight end in America by National Football Scouting, Inc.
* Entering the Clemson game, Crumpler has 55 career receptions and five touchdowns. Arnold Franklin, who played for UNC from 1982-85, is the all-time leading receiver for tight ends at Carolina with 78 catches.
* Crumpler had one catch in the first three games, but made five receptions for 38 yards in the win over Marshall. That was one grab shy of his career high for one game.