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UNC
at Virginia
by: VIP.com
There are plenty of reasons
either team can win this encounter, which has
massive significance for both schools. The winner
can gain some much needed momentum and hope for
a resurgence in the second half of the season.
The losers can expect more badgering from the
sports columnists and talk show hosts, who love
to put coaches on the hot seat.
Virginia comes into this
game as six point favorites at home, but they
are anything but a sure thing. Last week, they
somehow managed to blow a 20-0 lead against Maryland,
crumbling to a 28-26 defeat.
That gives the Cavaliers
back-to-back losses coming into their second national
television Thursday night game. Coach Al Groh
is desperate to make amends for a disappointing
24-7 loss at Georgia Tech in their last outing
under the bright lights.
North Carolina’s season
has gotten off to a rough start, with just one
win in six games. Their confidence is also at
rock bottom following three straight losses, with
an average margin of defeat of 27 points.
Granted, two of those games
were at heavyweights, Clemson and Miami, but they
also lost by 17 points at home to South Florida.
In the match-up of the quarterbacks,
Virginia certainly appears to have an edge. Freshman
quarterback, Jameel Sewell played his best game
to date in the narrow loss to Maryland last week,
and almost snatched a tie with 2.37 left on the
clock.
Sewell connected a superb
44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kevin
Ogletree, narrowing the gap to 28-26, but his
passing attempt for the two-point conversion just
missed.
Despite the loss, Sewell
finished with 243 passing yards and two touchdown
passes to his credit, earning plenty of praise
from Coach Groh.
At North Carolina, fellow
freshman Cam Sexton has been struggling, and hit
rock bottom in their 37-20 loss to South Florida
last weekend. After the Tar Heels bolted to a
surprise 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Sexton’s
game fell apart, and at one stage, he missed the
mark with nine straight passes.
Coach John Bunting has pointed
the finger at the offensive line for Sexton’s
problems, declaring they must rise up this week
and offer more protection.
North Carolina’s defense
has been dismal, conceding 20 plus points in every
game they have played, including their lone win
over Furman (45-42). That is Division 1-AA Furman,
and the game was played at home.
The Tar Heels appear to have
lost their way after a reasonable campaign last
year (5-6) in which they switched to a more aggressive
blitz defense that worked well.
As often happens when a team
is struggling, luck has deserted North Carolina.
Their best defensive player, linebacker Larry
Edwards, injured his collarbone in the warm-up
last weekend, and the senior will likely not play
for the school again.
Summing Up. Neither side
can be backed with any great confidence, but at
home, and with Sewell showing promising signs,
the Cavaliers should get at least a touchdown
win.
For all College Football
betting lines, visit VIP.com
Posted by miker at October
19th,2006 8:16 AM
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