Tar Heels Want Respect, As Well
Gator Bowl
North Carolina set out to raise its stock for future alliance bowl consideration.
Mission accomplished.
The seventh-ranked Tar Heels (11-1) routed Virginia Tech 42-3 Thursday, posting an 11-win season for only the third time in 107 years of football and giving new coach Carl Torbush an impressive debut.
“We felt like we deserved better (with the bowls), but we got dealt a bad hand and we played it like grown men,” said North Carolina linebacker Kivuusama Mays. “We took what we got and played the game. Hey, maybe next year, they’ll give us a little bit more respect.”
Kansas State and Ohio State - both ranked below the Tar Heels - were chosen as the two at-large teams for the major bowls ahead of North Carolina this postseason.
“We know an alliance team when we see one, and this is certainly an alliance team,” said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, whose team played in the Orange and Sugar bowls each of the last two seasons. “They compare with Nebraska. North Carolina wouldn’t take a back seat to any of those guys.”
Torbush took the job three weeks ago after Mack Brown left for Texas. The team’s former defensive coordinator coached from a box above Alltel Stadium, but not much critical communication was needed to the sideline after the Tar Heels took their early lead.
“Mack Brown never put up 42 points in a bowl game, Coach Torbush did,” Mays said.
Torbush was summoned down to the field by All-American defensive end Greg Ellis via headsets with about 1 minute to go. Torbush was then drenched and carried off the field on the shoulders of Mays and Vonnie Holliday.
“It was water. We figured he wasn’t ready for the Gatorade yet. He’s still a rookie,” Ellis said.
North Carolina’s point total was the most in its 22-game bowl history, while Virginia Tech (7-5) lost its final three games and dropped the Big East’s postseason record to 0-4.
“In my opinion, we proved we’re one of the top three or four teams in the country,” said Torbush. “I think we’ve basically done that all year. We’ve had a great year - as fine a year as North Carolina has ever had on both sides of the ball.”
The Hokies were held to a season-low 185 total yards and lost three of six fumbles.
“We wanted to punish everybody on the field and we did that,” said Mays.
It was a great day for quarterback Chris Keldorf, who missed last year’s Gator Bowl win over West Virginia with a broken ankle, and two of North Carolina’s three All-Americans on defense.
Keldorf finished 17 of 28 for 290 yards and three scores to earn the game’s MVP award. Cornerback Dre’ Bly, who intercepted two passes in last year’s bowl, blocked one punt and recovered another one for a score. And Ellis recovered a fumble in the end zone that gave the Tar Heels a 22-0 lead 15:07 into the game.
“This is not to take anything away from North Carolina, but I don’t know when we’ve helped a team beat us as much as was the case today,” Beamer said. “I really think we helped their cause.”
Keldorf threw for 161 yards in the first quarter alone as the Hokies surrendered big plays - a major concern of Beamer coming in - for the third straight game.
The North Carolina quarterback completed passes of 31 and 27 yards in the Tar Heels’ opening series, the latter to tailback Jonathan Linton, who strained a ligament in his right knee Tuesday in practice but played brilliantly.
Josh McGee’s 29-yard field goal gave the Tar Heels the lead and they quickly built on it.
One series later, Keldorf hooked up with Octavus Barnes on a 62-yard scoring pass that stunned the Hokies and continued Barnes’ super play in the postseason. It was the senior’s third TD catch in four bowl games. He added a 14-yard scoring pass 4 seconds into the final quarter. North Carolina then scored twice in a span of 1:10.
Quinton Savage blocked Jimmy Kibble’s punt with 1:03 left in the opening quarter and Bly scooped it up and raced untouched 6 yards.
On the next series, Brian Simmons got to Al Clark as he was about to hand off, forcing a fumble in the end zone that Ellis pounced on 7 seconds into the second quarter.
The Hokies, 15th in the nation in rushing at 215 yards a game, were held to 8 yards on 22 carries in the first half as the Tar Heels sacked Clark three times. Clark underwent knee surgery Dec. 1.
Torbush made his first trick call on North Carolina’s opening drive of the second half. Brian Schmitz faked a punt and hit Simmons for a 28-yard completion that led to Linton’s 1-yard scoring run.
Shayne Graham’s 40-yard field goal late in the third quarter avoided the shutout for the Hokies.
xxxx N. Carolina 42, VaTech 3 Virginia Tech 0 0 3 0 3 North Carolina 16 6 6 14 42 NCFG McGee 29 NCBarnes 62 pass from Keldorf (McGee kick) NCBly 6 blocked punt return (kick failed) NCEllis fumble recovery in end zone (pass failed) NCLinton 1 run (kick failed) VTFG Graham 40 NCBarnes 14 pass from Keldorf (McGee kick) NCCarrick 4 pass from Keldorf (McGee kick) A54,116.
VT NC First downs 14 18 Rushes-yards 40-95 37-109 Passing 90 318 Comp-Att-Int 13-25-0 18-29-0 Return Yards 11 25 Punts-Avg. 6-30.8 3-40.3 Fumbles-Lost 6-3 0-0 Penalties-Yards 4-36 6-61 Time of Possession 30:29 29:31 RUSHING-Virginia Tech, Oxendine 10-39, Scales 1-29, Pegues 7-27, Sorensen 10-19, Parker 4-2, Hawkins 1-1, Clark 7-(minus 22). North Carolina, Linton 20-68, Geter 7-25, D.Williams 5-24, Keldorf 5-(minus 8). PASSING-Virginia Tech, Clark 9-17-0-66, Sorensen 4-8-0-24. North Carolina, Keldorf 17-28-0-290, Schmitz 1-1-0-28. RECEIVING-Virginia Tech, Parker 4-32, Harrison 4-21, Stuewe 2-24, Scales 1-13, Ellison 1-3, Oxendine 1-(minus 3). North Carolina, Linton 6-81, Crumpler 5-77, Barnes 3-89, N. Brown 2-39, Simmons 1-28, Carrick 1-4.