Fourth-quarter trickery pays off big time as UVa ices game

By Whitey Reid

Published: October 11, 2008

The players on the East Carolina field goal block team weren’t the only ones completely fooled by Virginia’s game-clinching fake midway through the fourth quarter.

Former UVa tight end Heath Miller, who scored on a similar play in 2003 in a win over Virginia Tech, was equally stunned.

“They faked me out,” Miller said.

Miller, who was on the Virginia sidelines to lend his support — his Pittsburgh Steelers have a bye this weekend — caught a 10-yard pass from former quarterback/holder Matt Schaub that led to a touchdown run by Wali Lundy in propelling the Cavaliers to a 35-21 win over the Hokies.

On Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium, it was a fake involving Virginia backup quarterback/holder Scott Deke and tight end John Phillips that put the Pirates away.

Deke hit a wide-open Phillips in the left corner of the end zone on a 12-yard pass that put UVa up by 15 points with just over seven minutes remaining.

“All the credit goes to Bob Diaco and Scott Deke and John Phillips for the execution,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “The touchdown there was a lot more valuable to us than having to kick the field goal.

“It was great execution and great work by the staff.”

The main gist of the fake involved Phillips pretending to jog off the field after the previous play, only to run back on the field at the last second and line up off the line of scrimmage. Virginia planned to run the play against Maryland last Saturday, but the Terrapins didn’t bite and UVa wound up kicking the field goal.

“We get lined up and [Phillips] goes out there,” Deke explained. If no one is covering him, then it’s my job to throw it to him.

“We don’t line up that way for every field goal, and it’s a game-time decision that can only be run in certain situations.”

Deke said it was exciting to see Phillips all by himself.

“You hope everyone gets set soon because you see him out there open and you just want to get it to him,” he said. “It was very exciting and meant a lot to me — just to get the chance to help the team win and feeling like I helped put points up on the board and extend our lead.

“I just wanted them to snap the ball and throw it to me as fast as possible,” added Phillips.

An interesting side note to the play was that Yannick Reyering, the team’s regular place-kicker, was not on the field. Reyering, who had missed a 38-yard field goal just before the half, had been replaced by walk-on freshman Robert Randolph.

Reyering has been bothered by tendonitis in his left knee.

“Last weekend it was really hurting after the game,” Reyering said. “During the week, I got a little rest and talked to the doctor and he said it was really bad [tendonitis]. It was still feeling a little sore. We’ll see how it develops in the next couple of weeks.”

Reyering said his injury was not to blame for the miss.

“I think I just misplanted,” he said.

Reyering, the former soccer star who is in his first year of playing football, said he was not surprised that he was replaced by Randolph.

“That’s how the business works,” Reyering said. “You miss a field goal, and [you] didn’t really practice that much during the week. Rob has always done a good job, so it was fair to give him a chance.”