Virginia’s Lundy Sets Himself Apart

Wali Lundy spent most of his life chasing Avon Cobourne. In their first head-to-head meeting, he finally passed him.

Lundy scored four touchdowns and gained 239 all-purpose yards as Virginia ended a four-game bowl losing streak Saturday with a 48-22 victory over No. 15 West Virginia in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl.

Cobourne, who graduated from Holy Cross High in southern New Jersey four years before Lundy, ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns for West Virginia.

“Growing up, a lot of people always tried to measure me against him,” Lundy said. “I never did. I always tried to be my own player.”

Before he could finish talking about his days following Cobourne, Virginia Coach Al Groh interrupted his star freshman.

“I don’t think this guy needs to measure himself against anybody,” Groh said. “He’s going to be a big-time player.”

Lundy, who came in averaging 53.8 yards rushing and 27.6 receiving, ran for 127 and caught five passes for 76 yards. He scored touchdowns on runs of four and 31 yards. He caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Marques Hagans and a 48-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub.

He said Cobourne had little to say to him after the game.

“He just said, ‘Good game,’ ” Lundy said. “You don’t really want to talk to another player after a game like that.”

Cobourne, who said he barely knows Lundy, praised his performance.

“He played well. I mean, he represented,” Cobourne said. “He’s got the talent, he started as a freshman, so I knew he had it in him. I was hoping he wouldn’t unleash it today.”

Schaub, the ACC player of the year, passed for 182 yards and a touchdown, and Hagans returned a punt 69 yards for his second touchdown as the Cavaliers (9-5) won their first postseason game since the 1995 Peach Bowl.

Virginia did an excellent job slowing Cobourne, the Big East’s all-time leading rusher, who was averaging 141 yards before the game.

He ran for 54 in the first quarter and scored on a six-yard run but didn’t gain a single yard in the second quarter. He finished with 117 yards -- the 28th 100-yard game of his career.

Cobourne added a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Cobourne ended his career with 5,039 yards, ninth-best in NCAA Division I-A history.

West Virginia is 9-4.