CHARLOTTESVILLE -- If Virginia had been successful in its pursuit of high-school All-America running backs Andre Brown and Toney Baker, maybe Jason Snelling would have been blocking for them Saturday.

No problem. Cavalier fans like him even better with the ball in his hands.

As Brown and Baker watched from the North Carolina State sideline, Snelling reeled off back-to-back runs of 18 and 17 yards, the second resulting in UVa's winning touchdown in a 14-7 victory at Scott Stadium.

"From the first time we saw him, we wanted him on the team," said Cavaliers' coach Al Groh after the game. "He's not the flashiest guy around, but he leaves players in his wake when he's finished."

Snelling scored both of UVa's touchdowns and finished with 19 carries for 99 yards, barely missing his third 100-yard game in the last four.

"Maybe, when we've got some time, we can go back and see if we can find another yard somewhere," said Snelling, a fullback for most of his first four years, including a redshirt season in 2003.

After the Wolfpack (3-5, 2-3 ACC) scored a tying touchdown with 4:48 remaining, the Cavaliers (4-5, 3-2) probably would have been happy with a game-winning field goal.

In fact, the way that Virginia had sputtered over the final three quarters, some fans might have been content to see the Cavaliers hold off the Wolfpack and head to overtime.

"Ball security," said Virginia's redshirt freshman quarterback, Jameel Sewell. "That's the main thing I was thinking about."

Instead, Virginia needed only nine plays to march 80 yards in a drive that required UVa to convert only one third down, a successful sneak by Sewell on third-and-inches from the State 45.

The only thing UVa could have done better was take a little more time off the clock. When Snelling bulled into the end zone for the go-ahead score, there was still 1:31 remaining.

Was it possible that the Cavaliers had scored too soon?

"I don't ever worry about that," Groh said. "You take it at any time."

Before driving 87 yards for the tying TD, State had failed to pick up a first down on four second-half drives. Nor did the Wolfpack score on its last drive.

State's hopes ended when safety Tony Franklin picked off Daniel Evans' final attempt with 1:01 left. Like Snelling, Franklin is a fifth-year senior, one of a handful on the team.

"As we talked about in the locker room, they really embody the tenacity of our team," Groh said.

Franklin's pick, the sixth of his career, was the game's only turnover.

"This game had everything we like," Groh said. "It was a clean game. We had one penalty and no turnovers. We ran the ball proficiently if not prolifically."

Actually, Virginia had three penalties, but Groh's argument was not without merit. Although State outgained UVa 290-256, the Wolfpack drew nine penalties for 53 yards, including a holding call and several false starts against players opposite UVa defensive end Chris Long.

"When you're playing over [No.] 91, who's really a good player, you get a little fidgety," State coach Chuck Amato said.

The Wolfpack, making its first trip to Scott Stadium since 2002, dropped to 0-3 on the road this season.

"We've not been really good -- and why, I don't know -- at the end of a game," Amato said. "They had 170 yards with 4 minutes left in the game. We had stopped them two times and kept them out of field-goal range in the fourth period.

"They made plays. And, we weren't able to make one back. Our defense was on the field pretty much the [entire] last quarter."

More than half of Virginia's 256 yards came on two drives, including an eight-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Snelling with 2:49 left in the first quarter.

A defensive stand and a missed 33-yard field-goal attempt by the Wolfpack's John Deraney enabled Virginia to go into halftime with a 7-0 lead, marking the fourth straight ACC game in which the Cavaliers had held an opponent scoreless in the first half.

A 53-yard kickoff return by Cedric Peerman allowed the Cavaliers to start the second half in Wolfpack territory, but Sewell was sacked for a 7-yard loss on first down in a prelude to the first 25 minutes of the second half.

UVa had the ball in State territory on four of its first five second-half possessions, but never got inside the Wolfpack 29.

"I didn't feel uncomfortable," Groh said, "but I felt, if we had two scores, it would have given us a lot of latitude on defense."

Groh didn't mention overtime in his postgame talk, but Amato did.

"Al Groh said after the game was over, 'This is yours and my type of game,' " said Amato, who shares Groh's defensive background. "I said, 'Yeah, it was yours a little more than mine.'"

Win the turnover battle | B+

The lone turnover of the game came when UVa safety Tony Franklin ended State's last hope with 1:01 remaining. It was the Cavaliers' second straight game without a turnover and third in the last four.

Hold State under 150 yards on the ground | A

One-time UVa recruiting targets Andre Brown and Toney Baker combined for 72 yards on 22 carries. State finished with a season-low 70 yards on the ground.

Get more than 3 sacks | C+

Chris Long and Jon Copper had one apiece for the Cavs, but Daniel Evans' protection held up well enough for him to pass for a career-high 220 yards.