ACC ROUNDUP : Stanicek Leads North Carolina in 49-0 Victory

It was a rare show of emotion from an unlikely source, but it was just the spark to light 16th-ranked North Carolina after a week away from the field.

Jason Stanicek became North Carolina’s all-time passing leader on Saturday and also ran for two touchdowns in a 49-0 victory over Tulane at Chapel Hill, N.C. He said the team might not have produced that many points had it not been for some emotional pleas.

“Coach (Mack) Brown gave a very different approach before this game. He was more emotional, more intense than he usually is,” Stanicek said. “It wasn’t what he was saying. It was the way he was saying it.

“He’s usually very calm, but today he was very much more intense, louder, and just screaming and stuff like that. It really got us motivated.”

Stanicek completed seven of 15 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns. His career passing yardage reached 3,852, surpassing the mark of 3,840 by Matt Kupec from 1976-79. Stanicek also ran for touchdowns of 11 and seven yards, the first time he has run for two touchdowns in a game.

“I talked to him before the year started and he told me he wanted me to break his records,” Stanicek said. “I feel great about doing it, but now I’m glad it’s behind me and I can look forward to the rest of the season.”

North Carolina (2-0) also got a little more production from its tailbacks after they struggled in the opener against Texas Christian. Curtis Johnson ran for 65 yards and a touchdown, and Leon Johnson added 72 yards and a fourth-quarter score. Last year, the Johnsons each rushed for more than 1,000 yards, but Stanicek led the running attack against TCU.

Tulane (1-2) had problems on both offense and defense. The Green Wave committed five turnovers, and the defense gave up several key third-down plays.

Maryland 24, West Virginia 13--Allen Williams rushed for 163 yards--almost 100 more than Maryland had managed in its two previous games--and Kevin Foley passed for 287 to lead the Terrapins at Morgantown, W.Va.

Maryland (1-2) entered the game averaging only 33.5 yards rushing.

West Virginia (1-3) lost for the first time in 11 home games. The Mountaineers, 11-1 last season, are averaging only 10.25 points per game after managing only two field goals and a touchdown against Maryland, which ranked 105th in points given up.

West Virginia’s first drive ended after tight end Lovett Purnell ran out of bounds a yard too soon on a third-and-15 reception. The Mountaineers’ second drive ended when Jimmy Gary lost four yards on a third-and-1, and the third stalled at Maryland’s 4 when Jim Freeman fumbled.

Virginia 9, Clemson 6--Freshman Ronde Barber’s interception with 1:49 to play made up for a slew of Cavalier miscues and set up the winning score at Charlottesville, Va.

Barber picked off a pass by Louis Solomon and returned it 35 yards to the Clemson five. Four plays later, Rafael Garcia kicked a 19-yard field goal with 26 seconds left to give Virginia, 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, only its second victory over the Tigers.

Clemson (1-2) is 0-2 in the ACC for the second time in three years.

The Tigers still have a 31-2-1 edge in the series, but Virginia is 2-2-1 in the last five meetings.

In Saturday’s game, the Cavaliers were penalized nine times and lost three of their four fumbles, including one at the Clemson goal line. Virginia’s alternating quarterbacks had four passes intercepted, one at the goal line and another in the end zone.

But Clemson had problems of its own. The Tigers, after being held to 21 yards rushing a week ago in a 29-12 loss to North Carolina State, once again stumbled on offense. They had only seven first downs and were held to 60 yards rushing.

Virginia’s third fumble, the second by fullback Charles Way, was recovered by Clemson linebacker Chris Franklin at the Cavalier 13 with 7:17 remaining. A three-yard rushing loss and two incomplete passes set the stage for a 33-yard field goal by Nelson Welch that tied it with 6:29 remaining.