By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A UVA offense missing its top three wide receivers gained 418 yards, totaled 25 first downs and scored 28 points Saturday afternoon. Against No. 17 North Carolina, that wasn’t quite enough before a crowd of 44,156 at Scott Stadium.
UNC, led by quarterback Drake Maye and wideout Josh Downs, features one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. The Tar Heels, who lead the ACC’s Coastal Division, came in averaging 41.8 points per game, and Virginia’s defense held them well under that. But after the Cavaliers scored a touchdown with 3:24 left, they were forced, with no timeouts left, to try an onside kick.
It was unsuccessful. UNC recovered and then ran out the clock to escape with a 31-28 victory.
“I’m really proud of the guys and the way they fought,” said Tony Elliott, UVA’s first-year head coach, “but, man, this one hurts a lot, because they were so close. Just gotta encourage the guys to continue to persevere through the adversity, because the joy’s on the other side.”
The Wahoos fell to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in ACC play. Of their losses, three have been by three or fewer points.
“These kids, they fight,” offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said. “They’re doing everything we ask, eliminating all the outside noise, working every day. And they will see the fruits of their labor. It’s slow and it’s painful, and I get it. But today, they should be able to believe [in] what we can do offensively. Yes, we had a turnover, but we were able to run the ball, we threw it when we wanted to, took our shots, and if we didn’t get a shot, we were able to convert third downs in the first half and second half to stay on schedule. So, just keep believing, just keep working at it, and it’s going to come.”
The Cavaliers learned during the week that wideouts Dontayvion Wicks, Lavel Davis Jr. and Keytaon Thompson—“The Big Three,” as Elliott called them—would miss the game for medical reasons. Those three have combined for 99 catches this season. Also out with an injury was starting tailback Perris Jones, but in their absence numerous players turned in memorable performances for Virginia against UNC (8-1, 5-0).
His team, Elliott said, showed the “mentality of next man up.”
Not since its 34-17 win over Richmond in the season opener had Virginia scored so many points in a game.
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong rushed for 64 yards and two…