University of Virginia Library

23-3 Defeat

Fumbling Carolina Tops Wahoos

By DOUGLAS DOUGHTY

Dave Sullivan Grabbed Seven Passes Against UNC Yesterday

"I wasn't injured, my legs
were just tired, that's all," was
forlorn Dave Sullivan's reply to
a question as to whether he
had been injured.

Sullivan's statement pretty
well summed up Virginia's
effort against North Carolina
Saturday. Although the Tar
Heels fumbled eight times and
handed the ball over to the
Cavaliers five of those
instances, the lethargic Wahoos
were unable to do a thing all
day and ended up way behind
the 'Heels, 23-3.

The day started out fairly
well for Virginia. Except for a
58-yard drive for a touchdown
midway through the first
quarter, on which UNC
quarterback Nick Vidnovic
found seldom-used tight end
Charles Waddell for the score
(Ellis Alexander missed the
PAt), North Carolina did little
in the first quarter and, when
the Cavs scored at the
beginning of the second
quarter, the score was a
respectable 6-3.

Although the 'Heels stable
of big backs (Ike Oglesby,
Sammy Johnson, Dick Oliver,
Tom Bradley and Tim
Kirkpatrick) was eating up the
Virginia line, fumbles and
penalties erased most of the
Tar Heels' best efforts, and
North Carolina had to resort to
gimmickry for its scoring.

That gimmickry consisted
mostly in the uncharacteristic
use of the long pass. Vidnovic
had the path to a field goal
paved by a 37-yard strike to
Jimmy Jerome, who proved
that three Cav defenders wasn't
enough to prevent him from
making an over-the-shoulder
grab.

After that score and an
aborted Virginia drive, the
Carolinians struck back with a
picture option pass from
Johnson to Earle Bethea. The
play went 43 yards, to inside
the Cavalier ten, from where
Vidnovic rolled out to a nine-yard
score. The halftime score
was 16-6.

Just prior to the half, center
Dan Ryczek recovered a
fumbled punt on the 'Heel 18.
Four plays later, the pickup
had gone for naught as Coach
Don Lawrence disdained the
field goal and quarterback
Scott Gardner threw an
interception at the goal line to
end the threat.

Mr. Lawrence later
explained the situation, "If
we'd gone for the field goal, we
would have still been ten
points behind; a touchdown
would have made the game a
lot closer".

Very similar to the first
half, the second half was
characterized by strong yet
unrewarded North Carolina
running, long unexpected Tar
Heel passes and Cavalier
mistakes.

Scoring in the third quarter
on a 71-yarder from Vidnovic
to Jerome, the Carolinians
were content to play out the
game with second stringers and
watch the Virginians blow the
game even further. Action was
not exactly fast and furious, as
the announcement of the Wake
Forest win over Duke evoked
the greatest crowd reaction of
the half.

Gardner was complimented
by Mr. Lawrence after the
game for his fearlessness under
pressure.