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The South's Oldest Rivalry
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On the surface it appears to be just another ACC game. Rarely in recent years has the Virginia-North Carolina matchup pitted two heavyweights in a game to help decide the conference crown. UNC's rivalry focus is often assumed to be - of course - Duke, and the other Triangle member, NC State; Virginia fans usually reserve most of their hatred for Maryland and Virginia Tech.
But there is history to the UVA-UNC game that can't even be claimed by the usual rivalry heavyweights. Army-Navy? Auburn-Alabama? Michigan-Ohio State? Texas-Oklahoma? None of these have been played as often as the clash between Virginia and North Carolina. This week's game will mark the 114th time the two schools have met on the football field, and the 91st game in a row - the two have played a game every year since 1919. No game in the traditional South has been played more often, hence the moniker, "The South's Oldest Rivalry." As early as 1906, the game was being compared to the already-classic rivarly between Harvard and Yale.
The record between the two schools is fairly even, as North Carolina holds a slight edge at 56-53-4. However, the rivalry has been characterized by long stretches of domination by one school or the other. From 1892, the first meeting, to 1915, Virginia owned the matchup, going 17-4-1 in that stretch. With North Carolina's win in 1916, the pendulum swung the other way, and from 1916 to 1963, North Carolina held the commanding edge at 33-11-2. After a five-year Virginia winning streak, UNC again took command, winning 13 of the next 14.
The present, however, is once again an era of UVA dominance. Hired for the 1982 season, George Welsh lost his first game against the Tar Heels. The next year, however, saw the beginning of a streak well-known to Virginia fans as UVA won 17-14 in Charlottesville. North Carolina hasn't won in Charlottesville since - their last win on the road at UVA coming in 1981 against a 1-10 Virginia team. Last year, North Carolina's losing streak in Charlottesville reached 14 as Marc Verica quarterbacked Virginia to a game-tying touchdown to send the game into overtime, where UVA would eventually win, 16-13. The Cavaliers have done their share of winning in Chapel Hill as well - since 1983, Virginia is 19-6-1 against the Heels, and has won 8 of the last 10.
This decade has produced a number of very memorable games between the Hoos and the Heels:
2002: North Carolina jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead, but the second half kickoff was returned by Virginia's Marquis Weeks from end zone to end zone for a touchdown, and UVA dominated the second half, scoring 37 straight points before UNC answered with a meaningless touchdown with two minutes left in the game. The final score was 37-27, UVA, accounting for the second-largest comeback in UVA history.
2005: UVA was coming off of a thrilling victory over fourth-ranked Florida State, and traveled to Chapel Hill looking to extend that momentum. The offense never got on track, however, and UVA left with a 7-5 loss.
2007: UVA scored just one touchdown, but it was enough, as Chris Gould booted five field goals - one initially ruled no good before being overturned on replay - and UVA's defense knocked down a two-point conversion pass attempt to preserve the 22-20 lead for the victory.
2008: In another defensive battle, UVA could not get the offense working all game, until getting the ball back with 2:22 to play after a UNC field goal that made the score 10-3. Marc Verica completed seven straight passes and needed just 1:35 - and no timeouts - to drive the team to UNC's 1-yard line for Cedric Peerman to punch the ball into the end zone. The extra point was tipped, but fluttered over the crossbar to tie the game at 10. The Cavaliers held the Tar Heel offense to a field goal, and a long Verica pass to John Phillips set up another Cedric Peerman touchdown and a wild celebration in Charlottesville.
Whatever twists and turns are in store for the 2009 matchup, yet another defensive struggle appears in the cards. Virginia has found it difficult to score on offense this season, and North Carolina's offense is also inconsistent; the defenses are the strengths of both teams. UNC is coming off a loss to Georgia Tech, while UVA will be playing desperate, looking to salvage a season that looks lost. The 114th version of the South's Oldest Rivalry promises to be another good one, no matter the records of the teams.
