Peerman matches Papit’s mark

By Bart Isley

Published: October 11, 2008

Cedric Peerman put together a monster outing for the Cavaliers with 173 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries, good for an average of 10.8 yards per handoff. But it was the two long touchdown runs of 60 and 79 yards that will add several mentions of Peerman’s name in Virginia’s media guide next season.

Peerman is only the second player in Virginia history to rip off two runs of 60 or more yards. John Papit also completed the feat in a 1948 contest against Washington and Lee. Papit had touchdown runs of 63 and 60 yards against the Generals en route to setting Virginia’s single game rushing record of 224 yards. That record still stands.

The 79-yard run tied for seventh in UVa history, fifth for longest touchdown rush and third for longest run at Scott Stadium.

Peerman also set a personal best with eight catches that added 26 receiving yards to his total against the Pirates.

Third-quarter woes

Virginia struggled mightily in the third quarter. Again.

Virginia didn’t muster any points in the 15 minutes after the break, while East Carolina scored a touchdown to make it 28-13. It was almost worse too — the Pirates’ Patrick Pinkney completed a touchdown pass with 13:58 in the fourth on a drive where ECU was inside the red zone late in the third. Offensively, the Cavaliers mustered just 15 yards in the third quarter — a stark contrast to the 328 yards Virginia rolled up in the first half.

Virginia has now been outscored 49-13 in the third this season, repeating the dismal performances of 2006 and 2007. In 2006, opponents outscored Virginia 53-20, and in 2007 opponents carried a huge advantage again, winning the third 57-19.

Back to all square

Al Groh’s career college coaching record is now back at .500. Including his stint at Wake Forest, Groh is now 80-80 over 13 years as a collegiate head coach. He’s 54-40 at Virginia midway through his eighth season.

Harris leads Pirates

Dwayne Harris, East Carolina’s leading receiver, had a nice day against the Cavaliers, hauling in six catches for 128 yards, including a 52-yard catch. Unfortunately for the Pirates, he was the only receiver who had an exceptional day — he accounted for half of ECU’s completions.

“We need guys to get on the same page, get guys clicking and move the ball downfield,” Harris said.

Extra points

Heath Miller, who is currently enjoying the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week, stopped by Scott Stadium to raise the Power of Orange flag during Virginia’s pregame ceremonies. …Miller has 16 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown in five games for the Steelers so far in 2008…. Colorado Rockies first baseman and Virginia alum Joe Koshansky also was in attendance. Koshansky hit three home runs and collected eight RBI for the Rockies in just 38 at-bats during his September call-up when MLB teams’ rosters were expanded to 40.