University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
October 14, 2017 | Football, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the game against Virginia.
By Adam Lucas
1. Another tough day at Kenan Stadium, as Virginia snapped a seven-game Tar Heel winning streak in the series with a 20-14 victory.Â
2. Never a dull moment with the Tar Heel injury/absence situation. After Chazz Surratt was sick during the week, Brandon Harris got the start against the Cavaliers and took every offensive snap. He wasn't especially sharp, completing seven of 18 passes for 46 yards and throwing three interceptions. "Brandon had a good week of practice," Larry Fedora told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "We had a couple balls that were up there in the air, but there was a lot of pressure on him today. I don't know how much help he got around him."Â
3. Carolina's struggles on third down continued, as the Tar Heels converted just three of 11 third down opportunities. The root of those problems might be found on third and short, where Carolina was just one for four on third downs of four yards or fewer. Other than "hand it to Carter," the Tar Heels just don't have a guaranteed play they can turn to in those short yardage situations; and when they do hand it to Carter, opponents often aren't concerned about other options hurting them, so they can focus on the tailback.
4. One of the most controversial plays of the day involving the quarterback came with 1:10 left, when Harris appeared to be dragged down by the facemask on a crucial fourth down play in UVA territory. But the ACC crew did not throw a flag and Virginia simply ran out the clock. Certainly, after a fairly meager offensive performance, one penalty doesn't decide the game. But it would have been nice to sustain the drive and see what would happen in the final 70 seconds. "They saw it how they saw it, and they said it wasn't (a facemask penalty)," Fedora said.
5. Quite a start to the second half from Michael Carter. The tailback rushed for 114 yards in the first 5:08 of the third quarter. For the sake of comparison, Carter and Jordon Brown had combined for 110 yards in Carolina's previous two games prior to Saturday. Carter scored two touchdowns and finished with a career-high 157 yards on the ground, which meant he individually accounted for almost two-thirds of the UNC offense. The Tar Heels accumulated just 257 total yards during the afternoon.
6. The defense again made enough big plays to keep Carolina in the game. Redshirt freshman Tomon Fox had a huge sack midway through the third quarter that took the Cavs out of field goal range, and a sack and strip late in the game by Malik Carney allowed Cayson Collins (who now has 39 tackles in the last three games) to scoop up a Virginia fumble--their first of the year--to set up the Tar Heels' final offensive drive. UNC also had a big stop on third and one inside the five yard line on the first play of the second quarter that forced Virginia to kick a field goal rather than scoring a touchdown. The defense again was on the field for huge stretches of the game, as Virginia held the ball for 39:58 as compared to just 20:02 for Carolina.
7. Despite the overall solid play, the defense was again victimized by a big play. This time it was an 81-yard scoring pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, who broke a couple of Carolina tackles on his way to the end zone. "Those aren't explosive plays, those are catastrophic plays," Fedora said. "We had opportunities to get the guy on the ground even after he made a play. When one of those plays breaks, we have to get him on the ground."
8. A subtle problem with the offense, which of course is already sputtering. Carolina started five drives inside its own 10-yard line, creating a long field for a group that has struggled to move the ball. A couple of those instances were due to penalties on a kick return. "We can't keep having the penalties," Fedora said. "Especially on the special teams. That's a lack of discipline and concentration."
9. With several of the Tar Heels wearing pink arm sleeves or other pink gear, nice to see the Kenan Stadium PA send a message of support for Rhonda Brewer, the wife of wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer. Mrs. Brewer is battling cancer and has received tons of support from Brewer's current and former players, both at Carolina and his other coaching stops.
1. Another tough day at Kenan Stadium, as Virginia snapped a seven-game Tar Heel winning streak in the series with a 20-14 victory.Â
2. Never a dull moment with the Tar Heel injury/absence situation. After Chazz Surratt was sick during the week, Brandon Harris got the start against the Cavaliers and took every offensive snap. He wasn't especially sharp, completing seven of 18 passes for 46 yards and throwing three interceptions. "Brandon had a good week of practice," Larry Fedora told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "We had a couple balls that were up there in the air, but there was a lot of pressure on him today. I don't know how much help he got around him."Â
3. Carolina's struggles on third down continued, as the Tar Heels converted just three of 11 third down opportunities. The root of those problems might be found on third and short, where Carolina was just one for four on third downs of four yards or fewer. Other than "hand it to Carter," the Tar Heels just don't have a guaranteed play they can turn to in those short yardage situations; and when they do hand it to Carter, opponents often aren't concerned about other options hurting them, so they can focus on the tailback.
4. One of the most controversial plays of the day involving the quarterback came with 1:10 left, when Harris appeared to be dragged down by the facemask on a crucial fourth down play in UVA territory. But the ACC crew did not throw a flag and Virginia simply ran out the clock. Certainly, after a fairly meager offensive performance, one penalty doesn't decide the game. But it would have been nice to sustain the drive and see what would happen in the final 70 seconds. "They saw it how they saw it, and they said it wasn't (a facemask penalty)," Fedora said.
5. Quite a start to the second half from Michael Carter. The tailback rushed for 114 yards in the first 5:08 of the third quarter. For the sake of comparison, Carter and Jordon Brown had combined for 110 yards in Carolina's previous two games prior to Saturday. Carter scored two touchdowns and finished with a career-high 157 yards on the ground, which meant he individually accounted for almost two-thirds of the UNC offense. The Tar Heels accumulated just 257 total yards during the afternoon.
6. The defense again made enough big plays to keep Carolina in the game. Redshirt freshman Tomon Fox had a huge sack midway through the third quarter that took the Cavs out of field goal range, and a sack and strip late in the game by Malik Carney allowed Cayson Collins (who now has 39 tackles in the last three games) to scoop up a Virginia fumble--their first of the year--to set up the Tar Heels' final offensive drive. UNC also had a big stop on third and one inside the five yard line on the first play of the second quarter that forced Virginia to kick a field goal rather than scoring a touchdown. The defense again was on the field for huge stretches of the game, as Virginia held the ball for 39:58 as compared to just 20:02 for Carolina.
7. Despite the overall solid play, the defense was again victimized by a big play. This time it was an 81-yard scoring pass to Olamide Zaccheaus, who broke a couple of Carolina tackles on his way to the end zone. "Those aren't explosive plays, those are catastrophic plays," Fedora said. "We had opportunities to get the guy on the ground even after he made a play. When one of those plays breaks, we have to get him on the ground."
8. A subtle problem with the offense, which of course is already sputtering. Carolina started five drives inside its own 10-yard line, creating a long field for a group that has struggled to move the ball. A couple of those instances were due to penalties on a kick return. "We can't keep having the penalties," Fedora said. "Especially on the special teams. That's a lack of discipline and concentration."
9. With several of the Tar Heels wearing pink arm sleeves or other pink gear, nice to see the Kenan Stadium PA send a message of support for Rhonda Brewer, the wife of wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer. Mrs. Brewer is battling cancer and has received tons of support from Brewer's current and former players, both at Carolina and his other coaching stops.
Players Mentioned
Tailback
/ Football
Defensive End
/ Football
Tailback
/ Football
Linebacker
/ Football
Defensive End
/ Football
Quarterback
/ Football
Quarterback
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