MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) -Chris Gould kicked a 34-yard field
goal with 8 seconds left, redeeming himself for an earlier extra-point
miss, and Virginia beat pesky Middle Tennessee 23-21 on Saturday for
its fifth consecutive victory.
The Cavaliers (5-1) had 151 yards rushing and matched their longest
winning streak since 2004, spoiling the Blue Raiders' (1-5) hopes of
becoming the third Sun Belt team to knock off a school from a Bowl
Championship Series conference this year. Troy had defeated Oklahoma
State, and Florida Atlantic also won over Minnesota to score wins for
the Sun Belt this season.
Bradley Robinson intercepted Jameel Sewell late in the fourth
quarter to set up a short touchdown rush by DeMarco McNair to give
Middle Tennessee a 21-20 lead. Gould missed an extra-point wide right
to allow the Blue Raiders to take the lead.
Robinson returned the interception 22 yards, the 11th pick of his
career. The game marked just the second time Middle Tennessee played a
member of a BCS conference at Floyd Stadium. The Blue Raiders also
hosted Temple in 2003 when the Owls were still a member of the Big East.
Andrew Pearman rushed for two touchdowns for the Cavaliers in relief
of Atlantic Coast Conference leading rusher Cedric Peerman, who left
the game with a leg injury in the second quarter. His status for next
week's game against Connecticut was not announced.
Keith Payne and Pearman accounted for 115 yards rushing for the
Cavaliers, who snapped their three-game road nonconference losing
streak. Pearman had two rushing touchdowns, and John Phillips caught a
20-yard touchdown pass from Sewell.
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Courtesy: Jim Daves/UVa Media Relations
