SOUTH ROUNDUP : Virginia Moves in Line for No. 1; Two Moores Are Too Much, 31-0

Moore and Moore, Virginia is looking like a serious contender for the national championship.

Shawn Moore threw for three touchdowns, including two to Herman Moore, and ran for another as second-ranked Virginia routed North Carolina State, 31-0, Saturday at Charlottesville, Va.

With No. 1 Michigan losing to Michigan State, 28-27, Virginia is expected to move up to the top spot.

Virginia, the nation’s scoring leader at 51 points a game, took a 24-0 halftime lead and then coasted to its fifth consecutive win over N.C. State and 12th consecutive victory at Scott Stadium.

The Cavaliers, off to their best start in 41 years, improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina State is 4-3 and 2-3.

“There wasn’t much I didn’t like today,” Virginia Coach George Welsh said.

Shawn Moore completed 11 of 18 passes for 194 yards, including six to Herman Moore for 162 yards. Virginia’s final score came on an 83-yard Moore-to-Moore connection in the fourth quarter.

Shawn Moore threw touchdown passes of 15 yards to Gary Steele and 23 yards to Herman Moore in the first half and also scored on a one-yard sneak.

On the final scoring pass, Herman Moore caught the ball on his own 35, eluded cornerback Sebastian Savage and ran into the end zone for an 83-yard play with 8:08 left in the game.

The two touchdown catches boosted Moore’s career total to 23, the most in school history. The 83-yarder was the longest of his career and the longest for Virginia since John Ford caught a 89-yarder against VMI in 1984.

Virginia also was effective on the ground, rushing for 228 yards against the nation’s No. 4 defense. Terry Kirby, running behind a veteran offensive line that opened big holes up the middle, led the way with 112 yards in 15 carries.

Maryland 41, Wake Forest 13--Troy Jackson carried 27 times for 152 yards--the most yards by a Maryland player since November 1985--and the Terrapins pounded out 280 yards against the Demon Deacons at College Park, Md.

Coming into the game, Maryland averaged 46 passes per game and a paltry 1.8 yards per rushing attempt.

The Terrapins (4-3, 2-2) scored on their first four possessions. Jackson rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown to help Maryland take a 28-6 halftime lead.

Down 31-13 late in the third quarter, the Deacons (2-4, 0-3) had a chance to get back into the game when Anthony Williams returned a kickoff 98 yards to the Maryland one. But quarterback Phil Barnhill fumbled and Michael Hollis recovered.

Hollis also had two interceptions and forced another fumble.

South Carolina 37, East Carolina 7--Rob DeBoer rushed for 165 yards to set a freshman school record and the Gamecocks limited the Pirates to 115 yards at Columbia, S.C.

DeBoer, who had gained just 75 yards this season, scored on runs of 19 and 25 yards in the first half. DeBoer, who came to South Carolina on a baseball scholarship, broke the freshman record of 155 yards set in 1982 by Thomas Dendy.

South Carolina (4-1) has never lost to the Pirates (2-5) in eight games.

Duke 49, Western Carolina 18--Billy Ray threw three touchdown passes and Dave Brown added two more for the Blue Devils at Durham, N.C.

The Blue Devils lost three fumbles and had two passes intercepted, but climbed back to .500 at 3-3 with the victory over the Division I-AA Catamounts.

Louisville 19, Memphis State 17--Ray Buchanan blocked a 30-yard field-goal attempt with 1:31 left to stop a fourth-quarter surge by Memphis State and preserve a victory for the Cardinals (5-1-1) at Louisville.

The Tigers (3-2-1) threatened to take their first lead of the game when the Tigers’ Glenn Rogers picked off a Browning Nagle pass at the Louisville 45-yard line with 2:02 left in the game. But the Tigers’ drive stalled at the 13, and Joe Allison’s field-goal attempt was batted down by Buchanan.

Southern Mississippi 20, Tulane 14--Tony Smith returned a punt 63 yards for one touchdown and Brett Favre threw a 23-yard pass to Greg Reed for another as the Golden Eagles (5-2) scored 17 points in a 5:33 span of the second half and went on to beat the Green Wave (2-5) at New Orleans.