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Jameel Sewell acknowledges Cavaliers fans after scoring Virginia defensive end Chris Long celebrates the Cavaliers' 28-23 victory over Georgia Tech with the orange-clad fans who lined the field at Scott Stadium yesterday. The victory keeps Virginia undefeated in ACC play. |
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--University of Virginia wide receiver Staton Jobe was having a day to forget.
The redshirt freshman walk-on from Austin, Texas, had dropped the only two passes thrown his way in the Cavaliers' Atlantic Coast Conference home game against Georgia Tech in Scott Stadium.
But after Cavaliers freshman cornerback Trey Womack recovered an Andrew Smith fumble on a Georgia Tech punt return, Jobe was able to erase the memories of his miscues.
He found an opening in the Yellow Jackets defense and hauled in a 26-yard scoring pass from sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell with 8:56 left in the game.
Jobe's lone reception proved to be the game-winning play for the Cavaliers as they held on for their third straight win: a thrilling 28-23 victory in front of 57,681 fans.
"When I heard the play called in the huddle, I knew it was my opportunity to come back and make a play," Jobe said. "The play developed just like we do it in practice, and Jameel made an incredible throw."
Sewell was ecstatic that Cavaliers offensive coordinator Mike Groh decided to be so aggressive after Womack's recovery.
The Cavaliers (3-1, 3-0 ACC) had allowed a 21-7 lead to turn into a 23-21 deficit and were badly in need of a break.
Sewell said that once they got the break, their attitude was: "Try to kill them. Try to put the dagger in their hearts and try to knock them out. Take all their spirit out of them. We pretty much did that."
One way the Cavaliers did that was by pounding the ball with bruising workhorse running back Cedric Peerman.
Peerman rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, meaning he has surpassed the century mark in three straight games.
Sewell went 16-of-25 for 177 yards while playing the majority of the snaps in his quarterback rotation with true freshman Peter Lalich.
Sewell also had a 4-yard touchdown run at the end of a 14-play, 94-yard drive, and Cavaliers sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald scored on a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown to put the Cavaliers ahead 21-7 in the first quarter.
"After three [wins] in a row, I think we can see what type of team we're fashioning," Cavaliers head coach Al Groh said. "As I said last week, there's a lot of character and a lot of tough kids on this team."
Groh was impressed that his Cavaliers were able to take a hit and bounce back. They had to do that after Georgia Tech freshman wide receiver Demaryius Thomas managed to get behind junior cornerback Chris Cook for a 56-yard touchdown reception 1:59 into the game.
The Cavaliers immediately answered with a crisp five-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a Peerman 4-yard touchdown run.
"It certainly raised the whole tone of the place," Groh said of the quick response to adversity. "That demonstrated that we are going to be able to move the ball on this team."
Virginia went ahead 14-7 on Sewell's touchdown sprint to the right side before Fitzgerald gave it its biggest lead of the day with a bizarre play that started when fellow defensive end Chris Long batted Yellow Jackets quarterback Taylor Bennett's pass into the air. Bennett then caught the ball and tried to spike it, but it deflected off Cavaliers linebacker Clint Sintim and into the arms of Fitzgerald, who raced to the end zone for the score.
"I was just in the right place at the right time," Fitzgerald said.
Georgia Tech freshman running back Jonathan Dwyer scored on a 21-yard touchdown run that was set up by a fumbled punt return from Cavaliers sophomore Vic Hall to pull his team within 21-14 in the second quarter.
Yellow Jackets kicker Travis Bell then connected on three field goals, the last of which gave Georgia Tech (2-2, 0-2) a 23-21 lead with 4:22 left in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets had three more possessions to get the go-ahead touchdown after Jobe's score but were thwarted each time.
On their best opportunity to pull closer, head coach Chan Gailey decided to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Cavaliers' 22-yard line with 4:39 left in the game.
Bennett was sacked by Long for an 8-yard loss.
Afterward, Gailey was asked why he didn't choose to kick a field goal at the time.
"I never thought about kicking," he said. "We were going to go for it. If we didn't make it, we could hold them and I thought we would."
The Yellow Jackets' final drive never threatened the Cavaliers. They got the ball back at their own 35-yard line with 1:51 left, but a holding penalty and a dropped pass by Thomas helped end any hopes of the Yellow Jackets' winning in Charlottesville for the first time since 1990.
As for the Cavaliers, they have renewed hope about their season. They host Pittsburgh next Saturday at 7 p.m.
"It keeps us moving along," Groh said of the win. "We've certainly improved from last week. We might be a little bit better than most people gave us credit for."
Notes
Georgia Tech freshman wide receiver Correy Earls left the game on a stretcher with 4:46 remaining after a collision with a Virginia player. He was immediately transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he is under observation for a possible neck injury. He has movement in all of his extremities, but remained in Charlottesville overnight.
Yellow Jackets standout senior running back Tashard Choice started despite a strained hamstring, but lasted just two series. Gailey said Choice took himself out of the game.
Cavaliers junior wide receiver Maurice Covington missed yesterday's game with a hand/wrist injury. Groh said the injury could be long-term. The Cavaliers made up for his absence yesterday with tight end prowess. Tom Santi, Jonathan Stupar and John Phillips had a combined 12 receptions for 152 yards.
Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
