CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina's players swore they were better than how they played in a 69-14 loss at Louisville two weeks ago.
They proved it Saturday.
Ronnie McGill ran for 118 yards and Cedrick Holt had a key interception late to help the Tar Heels hold off No.23 Virginia 7-5.
Matt Baker threw to Rikki Cook for the only touchdown in the first quarter, which proved to be all UNC needed to bounce back from the loss to the Cardinals heading into a bye week.
"We just had to forget about it, just forget the game ever happened and move on," safety Trimane Goddard said. "Just go back and show people the real defense that we have."
The Tar Heels held the Cavaliers to 199 yards and a field goal - a surprising result for a team that upset then-unbeaten Florida State last weekend.
Virginia's longest offensive gain was 13 yards, and it was the first time UNC had held a team to less than 200 in five years. It was also the fewest points by the Tar Heels in a win since beating Wake Forest 7-3 in 1971.
UNC bottled up Marques Hagans, who threw for a career-best 306 yards and two touchdowns in the 26-21 win over the Seminoles. The Tar Heels sacked Hagans twice and kept him in the pocket. He threw for 109 and ran for 26 before throwing the interception.
CLEMSON 37, TEMPLE 7: Charlie Whitehurst threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and Reggie Merriweather ran for 108 and another score to lead the host Tigers. Clemson gained 514 total yards, its biggest output since 542 in a 63-17 win over South Carolina in 2003. The Tigers nearly had their first shutout since 2000, but Mike McGann's 4-yard pass to DeMerio Hamilton with 6:08 left put the Owls on the board. Temple is 0-3 against the ACC in its first season as an independent after being kicked out of the Big East.
WAKE FOREST 27, N.C. STATE 19: Josh Gattis and Alphonso Smith returned interceptions for touchdowns to lead the host Demon Deacons. In the past two weeks, the defense has forced eight turnovers. Marcus Stone replaced Jay Davis in the second quarter and threw two touchdowns as the Wolfpack scored on three straight possessions. But Stone also threw the interception that Smith returned 23 yards for a score with 2:36 left in the third.
