Stats

Sept. 19, 1998

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Joe Borchard was ready.

Even as Stanford starting quarterback Todd Husak was lying in the ground in pain, Borchard was looking for his helmet.

On his first play of the game, Borchard scrambled 41 yards to set up Kevin Miller's winning 20-yard field goal with no time left on the clock that gave Stanford a 37-34 victory over North Carolina on Saturday.

"As a backup quarterback, your job is to be ready when your number is called," Borchard said. "I ran to get my helmet and the next thing I know I'm on the field with a play."

It was the most points allowed by North Carolina (0-2) since a 41-40 victory over Duke in 1994.

"The turnovers really hurt us," North Carolina quarterback Ronald Curry said. "We gave Stanford some good field position and made it hard on our defense."

Curry, a freshman starting for injured Oscar Davenport, was 19-of-34 for 304 yards and two touchdowns, 69 yards to Na Brown and 19 yards to Kory Bailey. He also rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Husak had a career day for the Cardinal (1-2), completing 23-of-38 passes for 313 yards.

The Tar Heels had the ball back with 59 seconds left. On a first down play from his 24, Curry took off running. Stanford linebacker Sharcus Steen knocked the ball loose, and it was recovered by teammate Willie Howard.

Husak was hurt on the next play while compleoing a pass to halfback Coy Wire, setting the winning plays in motion.

The play originally designed for Borchard was a pass to the outside to "whoever was open," according to Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham. "We needed a building block, somethim a yard out. The touchdown was set up by a 31-yard pass play from Husak to David Davis.

Frank Primus recovered a fumbled punt to give Stanford the ball on North Carolina's 33.

"We made four turnovers and Stanford scored on all four," North Carolina coach Carl Torbush said. "We didn't consistently do the things we needed to win."

Following a fumble recovery by Stanford's Riall Johnson on the North Carolina 26, the Cardinal used a halfback option pass that saw Wire throw to a wide open DeRonnie Pitts for a 26-yard touchdown play.

North Carolina struck quickly, however, as Tyrell Godwin returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the longest kickoff return in Tar Heels history. The longest previous return was 98 yards by Delbert Powell against Wake Forest on Oct. 30, 1976.

Stanford took a 13-3 lead when Husak hooked up with senior flanker Jeff Allen, making his first appearance of the year, on two long pass plays that set up Maxwell Stevenson's 1-yard run early in the second quarter.

"Jeff Allen stepped up huge for this football team," Willingham said. "He made some big plays in the first half."

Allen, who had two career receptions entering the game, caught passes of 32 and 37 yards, the latter putting the ball on the North Carolina 1. It was Stanford's first rushing touchdown of the season.

This time, it took the Tar Heels all of 43 seconds to respond, as Curry completed two passes for 90 yards, including the 69-yarder to Brown.

For Brown, North Carolina's No. 4 career receiver with 117 receptions, it was the longest pass play of his career.