Wahoo Rewind: November 16, 1996

I'm going to skip taking a look back at some of our most outstanding bye weeks of years past, and instead draw this week's Wahoo Rewind from something more interesting: the 1996 UNC game.

Virginia came into this November matchup at 6-3 and ranked 24th, balancing some impressive performances (a win over #13 Texas, blowouts of NC State and Wake, a close loss against #3 FSU) with some duds (a 13-7 loss at Georgia Tech and a tough 24-16 loss at Clemson).

The '96 Cavaliers sported one of the worst passing attacks I can remember, as career third stringer and future radio guy Tim Sherman and Aaron Brooks (getting his first real playing time) threw just five touchdowns and a brutal 18 interceptions on the year despite boasting future NFL talent at wide receiver in Germane Crowell and Terrence Wilkins.

What they lacked as a passing attack they made up for with a stacked lineup at running back, as Tiki Barber ran for 1360 yards in his senior year supported by the ever-steady Anthony Southern and a very green Thomas Jones in his freshman campaign.

The defense - as was typical for a mid-90s Welsh squad - was stacked. James Farrior, Wali Rainer and Jamie Sharper started at linebacker and Anthony Poindexter and Ronde Barber wreaked havoc in the secondary, heading up a defensive unit that allowed just 15.6 points per game on the year.

UNC came into this contest with just one loss (13-0 to Florida State) and were ranked #6 in the country. Led by quarterback Chris Keldorf, running back Leon Johnson and a stingy defense featuring future NFL mainstays Greg Ellis, Brian Simmons and Dre Bly, the Tar Heels came into Charlottesville needing a win to keep their Bowl Alliance hopes alive.

For most of this one, it looked like it was going to happen. As one would expect from a matchup of two defense oriented clubs, it was a 3-3 slugfest at halftime. Keldorf hit Octavius Barnes for a seven yard touchdown midway through the third to open up a 10-3 advantage, and less than two minutes later Dre Bly stepped in front of an errant Tim Sherman pass for a pick six and a seemingly insurmountable 17-3 lead at the end of three.

Things seemingly got worse as the fourth quarter began. With under ten minutes to go, Brian Simmons picked off Sherman and ran it back to the Cavalier ten yard line. All the Heels needed was a field goal to go up by three scores and seemingly slam the door on any potential comeback attempt - but they got nothing. Two rushes yielded just one yard, and on third down Keldorf made a pass that will show up in Cavalier highlight packages forever. Speedy cornerback Antwan Harris stepped in front of the throw and streaked down the field for a 95 yard touchdown. Scott erupted. Shaken, the Tar Heels could only go backward on their next drive, losing two yards and punting. The 'Hoos capitalized by grinding out a 13 play 58 yard drive that included two fourth down conversions, finished off by a seven yard touchdown run by Sherman that tied the game at 17 with three minutes to go. Again stymied by the Virginia defense, Carolina was forced to punt and Virginia took over at their own 35 with two minutes to work with. Tim Sherman wasted no time, providing the highlight of his 10 for 24 day by hitting Crowell with a 41 yard pass to start the drive. Three running plays set up Rafael Garcia with a 32 yard field goal with 39 seconds remaining, and the ever-clutch Garcia nailed it for the win.

I was at this game, but I missed the good part. I had half a season ticket in those years, and rode up with my dad, my grandfather, and a collection of his friends that my parents nicknamed "The Codgers." I had a great time with those guys over the years, but one negative was that they hated getting stuck in postgame traffic and often insisted on leaving early. This definitely happened at this game - especially with the 'Hoos trailing 17-3 and looking lethargic at best on offense. We had to celebrate the comeback on the road with the radio guys - but it was still sweet. I think those early exits play a role in why, even during games like William and Mary, I stick around to the final gun.

(thanks as always to Hoosfootball.com for the abundance of historical, statistical, and all around badass knowledge)