u J
Yellow Jackets Run Rampant, Sting Tar Heels by 2
BYROBBIPICKERAL
SPORTS EDITOR
ATLANTA lt was an all-too-famil
iar picture for North Carolina Saturday.
With less than two minutes remaining
in the game and the Tar Heels driving for a
would-be score and win at Bobby Dodd
Stadium, quarterback Mike Thomas
stepped back in the pocket and slung a pass
to a cutting Octavus Barnes.
But the ball didn’t get there. Waiting
between the passer and receiver was Yel
low Jacket linebacker Keith Brooking, who
tipped the leather up and over the falling
Bames and into the arms of Tech line
backer Ron Rogers.
It was interception number three on the
day for Thomas, and loss number three for
the Tar Heels, as Georgia Tech literally ran
the time off the clock for the 27-25 win in
front of a crowd 0f40,201.
“The last part was the best part,” Geor
8* ***
O'UarysL UNO 25
“There’s noth- Geor 9 ,a Te ch 27
ing better than getting an interception with
no time, and you can just run the time
down.”
Arguably, it wasn’t Thomas’ fault
the ball was tipped. But it was also another
turnover for the Tar Heels the 20th of
the year, and the 10th INT for Thomas.
He started the day well, leading the Tar
Heels on an eight play, 75-yard drive on
UNC’s first possession of the game. He
completed two long passes to Octavus
Bames, who ended up with 111 yards on
the day, which set a UNC record with four
consecutive 100-yard games.
At the end of the first, Thomas led
another drive that culminated in a 26-yard
Scott Caparelli field goal and a 10-6 lead.
But then the interceptions began to flow.
The first pick occurred on UNO’s fourth
possession of the second quarter. Thomas’
pass to freshman Na’ Brown was inter
cepted by free safety Mike Dee when Brown
tripped on a long pass.
“What Georgia Tech did on defense is
they’d put a lot of men on the line of
scrimmage and said throw ’em to the deep
men, ” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “And
if you complete ‘em y ou’ve got a chance, if
you don't complete ‘em, or you drop ‘em,
and you’re stuck back there.”
Tech turned the ball back over on the
next play when Vonnie Holliday forced
the ball out of C.J. Williams’ hands, but
UNC couldn’t convert because of an
other throwing sputter.
With 4:04 left in the half, the Tar Heels
drove 11 yards, all on passes to or runs by
tailback Leon Johnson. With a first down
on the Georgia Tech 32, Thomas looked to
the end zone for senior Marcus Wall. But
the high ball was underthrown to the 5-
foot-10 wideout, and Tech safety Nathan
Field Hockey Edg es Maryland, Thumps UVa.
Kk
~ DTH/KATHLEENOEHLER
UNC s Ashley Hanson outraces UVa.'s Allison West to the ball Friday. The Tar
Heels beat Virginia 5-2 then defeated Maryland 2-1 Saturday in overtime.
SWIMMING Page 7
Swimming Begins
Co-Captain Christy Garth helped lead the UNC
swimmers past Maryland and Clemson in the
defending ACC champions' season opener at
Koury Natatorium on Saturday.
y • If W
'M Me. . igMj
UNC s Terry Billups (25) and Brian Simmons (41) wrestle Georgia Tech TB Charles Wiley to the ground Saturday. Wiley rushed for 101 yards on IB^aTer"
Perryman dove in front ofthe UNC wideout
for the steal. Turnover and touchback.
“I think it was more of a mental mistake
for both of us, because (Thomas) had over
thrown me a couple times before that,”
Wall said. “And this time, I guess it was
one of those things where he felt like he
wanted to make sure it was in bounds, you
know."
That miscue halted any momentum
UNC might have boasted going into half
time, as Tech drove 80 yards in less than
two minutes for seven. Yellow Jacket QB
Donnie Davis rushed for 35 yards and
passed for 25 on that drive, putting Tech
ahead 13-10 going into the locker room.
SPORTS'
MONDAY
After that, UNC’s momentum was shot.
Brown benched Thomas for the first two
plays of the second half, but backup QB
Oscar Davenport was ineffective, and Tho
mas returned to the field to throw a third
down incompletion. UNC punted, and
Tech marched the ball 70 yards the other
way to make it 20-10.
The Jackets won the third-quarter field
position battle, eventually scoring on a
C.J. Williams TD that made it 27-10 with
over 18 minutes to play. And that made for
a disheartened Tar Heel team.
And then the sun came out over Bobby
Dodd stadium literally.
Just about the time that the storm clouds
BYREUBENSACK
STAFF WRITER
Saturday’s field hockey game against
Maryland had a Hollywood finish, and
Kimberly Schroll wrote the script.
As the Tar Heels’ lone senior and team
captain, it seemed appropriate that Schroll
would score the winning goal in sudden
death overtime. The Tar Heels 2-1 victory
sent second-ranked Maryland home de
spite an excellent Terrapin effort. And when
you tag Friday’s victory over No. 5 UVa. 5-
1, this weekend took on the feel ofthe ACC
tournament,
and UNC
should be very
pleased with
the outcome.
“It was a
tournament-
Field Hockey
Maryland 1
UNC 2
Virginia 2
UNC 5
type weekend,” UNC coach Karen Shelton
said. “We were able to play two very strong
teams back-to-back and win both games.”
With the two
victories UNC
remained unde
feated, improv
ing its record to
Barber, Pelligreen
Key Pair of Wins
See Page 8
14-0,6-0 in the ACC. The Tar Heels have
had only two games close enough to go
into overtime this season both against
Maryland. It wasn’t until the second over
time that Nancy Pelligreen scored to win
the first Maryland game.
“Everyone played awesome,” Schroll
said about Saturday’s contest. “It was the
best game I’ve seen us play... It was fun to
play (Nos.) 1 against 2 it feels like a
national championship in a sense, and
obviously that is our ultimate goal, to win
a national championship.”
The pace of the game was quick and
competitive. Defense dictated the match,
as neither team gave the other any slack
with which to work. The game was score
less at the end ofthe first 35-minute period.
“We played solid defensively," Shelton
said “We werecomposed with the ball. We
moved it around, we weren't panicky. We
worked it out and back and around, we got
®ljr laxly sar Heel
broke open, so did Wall. On the next Tech
kickoff, Wall broke it open and scampered
96 yards the other way. Thomas com
pleted the two-point conversion to Johnson,
and the momentum did an about-face.
“When Marcus Wall brought that ball
back, it really gave us hope,” Jones said.
“No one on the team was willing to give
up.”
O’Leary said: “They did a hell of a job
on that kickoff return. That changed the
momentum of the game.”
Indeed, the Tar Heels looked rejuve
nated as they marched 78 yards via a 45-
yard Wall reception for a touchdown on
the first play ofthe fourth quarter.
ourselves out of trouble by playing with a
little bit of composure.”
The gridlock was broken when fresh
man phenom Nancy Pelligreen scored to
take the lead for UNC.
But the Tar Heel celebration did not last
long. With four minutes left in the game,
the Terrapins’ Nadine Bennett took ad
vantage of one of UNC’s rare defensive
holes. North Carolina’s Christy Utter fell,
leaving no one to cover Bennett.
The horn sounded at the end of regula
tion with the score still one-up. Als-minute
sudden death overtime ensued. Each team
played seven a side, fielding only seven of
the 11 players that would normally take the
field, quickening the pace of the game.
After a shot off the post by Kate Barber
andanear miss by Joy Driscoll, Schroll got
a pass from Bather with 9:42 left in the
period and whacked it into the net for her
fourth goal of the season and the win.
Maryland has proved to be the UNC’s
toughest opponent. The two teams will
meet at least one more time this season—
in the ACC tournament.
“We know we are going to face them
again, and we respect them,” Shelton said.
“They are a very good team, and they can
beat us. I don’t think that we have a group
out there that is invincible. ”
After the first half of Friday’s game
against Virginia, the score washed 1-1 and
the level of competition was virtually even
in every possible category. It looked like
the Tar Heels were going to have a tough
game on their hands.
But to the Wahoos’ dismay, North Caro
lina woke up in the second half, scoring
four goals in under seven minutes. When
the horn sounded the final score was 5-2.
Pelligreen and Kate Barber netted two
goals each in the victory, with the other
goal, the Tar Heels’ second of the game,
going to Meredith Lawrence.
"They came out really strong, we know
they are a quick team,” Barber said. “Sec
ond half we came out and we put a lot of
pressure on them. I think we were beating
them to the ball, and everybody was hus
tling out there.”
Washington ...20
Arizona 24
Chicago 30
Jacksonville... 27
New England 26
Kansas City 31
Minnesota 17
Tampa Bay ..20
N.Y. Jets 15
Carolina 26
Miami 30
New Orleans 33
San Francisco 17
Indianapolis 18
Dallas 23
San Diego 9
UNC’s ‘D’ gave the Tar Heels hope on
Tech’s next series, as Vonnie Holliday
stripped Charles Wiley, atUNC’s4s.That
stopped Tech’s last real chance on offense.
UNC went three-and-out on the next
possession but got the ball back three min
utes later as the UNC ‘D’ held the Jackets
to 14 yards.
That’s when UNC started thinking win.
“We felt like a field goal was going to
win this thing,” Brown said. “We really
felt good with two minutes and ... 12
seconds left to go with the ball. We felt like
we were in great shape and we had the ball
where we needed it.”
Until the deciding INT.
Madness Sweeps Smith Center
As Basketball Season Tips Off
BY JONATHAN HART
ASSISTANT SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR
As he was introduced for the first time in
a Tar Heel uniform, North Carolina guard
Vince Carter decided he was going to do
something different.
He took a bow.
The freshman’s performance was ap
preciated by the 10,000 fans who, despite
the cold, driving rain, made their way to
the Smith Center for the team’s first basket
ball practice.
SPORTS SCHEDULE
-
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Women's Soccer vs. Florida, Fetzer
Field, 5 p.m.
Men's Soccer vs. UNC-Asheville,
Fetzer Field, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct 18
Held Hockey at Wake Forest
Winston-Salem, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct 19
Women's Soccer at Duke, Durham,
7 p.m.
Men's Tennis at Volvo All-American •:
Tournament, Austin, Texas, 7 p.m. S
Friday, Oct 20
Women's QoH at Lady Paladin
Invitational, Greenville, S.C. (Furman),
TBA
Women's Soccer vs. Florida State,
Fetzer Field, 7 p.m.
Men'a Tennis at Volvo All-American
Tournament Austin, Texas, all day
Women's Soccer vs. Florida, Fetzer
Field, 5 pm.
Men'a Soccer vs. UNCAshevßle.
Fetzer Field, 7 p.m
NFL Scores
Monday’s game:
Oakland at
Denver
Detroit 21
Green Bay ...30
Seattle 21
Buffalo 27
Philadelphia 17
N.Y. Giants 14
Atlanta 19
St. Louis 21
Monday, October 16,1995
Ramblin’ Wreck
Tramples Defense
With Steady Run
BYTODD GRAFF
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDTOR
The UNC football team has been de
fined by its speed and quickness this sea
son, especially on defense.
The Tar Heels have barreled into
backfields and relentlessly pursued run
ners while becoming the nation’s No. 2
defense, limiting the opposition to only
206 yards per game.
But its greatest asset was barely visible
against the Yellow Jackets, as C.J. Will-
iams and his run
ning mates torched
the Tar Heels for
281 yards in Geor
gia Tech’s 27-25
win.
“I think their run
ners got a little con
fidence and got go
ing,” UNC strong
safety Omar Brown
said. “They broke a
few tackles, and we
could have tackled
better, but I really
don’t know why
C.J. WILLIAMS had
30 carries for 108
yards and a TD.
they got going, or what triggered it or
anything like that.”
The trigger was pulled by Tech’s offen
sive line. It continually opened gaping holes
for Williams, quarterback Donnie Davis
and fullback Charles Wiley. Tech’s run
ners often gained three or four yards before
being touched by a UNC defender.
And the line capitalized on the Tar
Heels’ speed by allowing them to run into
the backfield, but sending Williams and
Wiley directly into holes, so defenders could
not pursue them down the line of scrim
mage.
“You just try to get them going one
way,” Davis said, “and then comebackthe
other.”
O’Leary said: “I thought (the backs) did
a good job holding onto the ball and hitting
the cuts. Obviously the credit goes to the
offensive line. They did a good job of
blocking people.”
But it wasn’t an explosion of Tech’s
running game that hurt the Tar Heels. The
Jackets simply wore down the Tar Heel
defense, putting up four and five yards
consistently on fust down. The Jackets
rarely were forced to convert third-and
long situations, so UNC could not unleash
See DEFENSE, Page 11
And while coach Dean Smith and his
staff tried to conduct as normal a workout
as possible, most Tar Heel practices don’t
feature the pep band, cheerleaders, prize
giveaways or cheering fans.
Welcome to Midnight Madness TV.
“I didn’t give them a talk about how to
get introduced, ” Smith said. “We’ll have a
talk on that. But maybe it was nice to see
that spontaneity, and I think (Carter) was
appreciative (of the crowd), and I guess
See BASKETBALL, Page 11
Saturday, Oct. 21
Football vs. Wake Forest, Kenan
Stadium, noon
Men's Basketball Blue-White game.
Dean Smith Center, 5 p.m.
field Hockey vs. James Madison,
Navy Field. 4 p.m.
Men's Tennis at Volvo All-American
Tournament Austin, Texas, all day
Volleyball at Texas, Austin, Texas,
7 p.m.
Women's Golf at Lady Paladin
Invitational, at Greenville, S.C.
(Furman), TBA
Sunday, Oct. 22
Women's Soccer at Virginia,
Charlottesville, Va.. 2 p.m.
Men's Tennis at Volvo All-American
Tournament Austin, Texas, all day
Men's Soccer at N.C. State. Raleigh,
Ip.m.
Men’s Golf at Jerry Pate/National
Intercollegiate, Birmingham. Ala., all
day
Women's Golf at Lady Paladin
Invitational. Greenville, S.C.
(Furman). TBA
Volleyball at Houston. Houston,
Texas, 5 p.m.
14