University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Great Scott
September 7, 2014 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
It usually doesn't go like this. We've seen this situation before. Carolina –ahead by less than a touchdown and needing a stop, or behind by less than a touchdown and needing a score– in search of a win late in the fourth quarter. Most of the time, at least in recent (and not-so-recent) Carolina football history, the result is predictable: The ball bounces to the turf harmlessly and the opponent celebrates, or the opponent drives down and gets the play it needs. But on the rare occasion, the spectacular happens (see: Giovani Bernard). But to tell the truth, Carolina fans have seen the scenario all too often, have seen the expected result play out way too frequently. It's just the way it's been. And everyone in Kenan Stadium Saturday night knew it.
Up a point, at 3rd and 1 and with the ball deep in San Diego State territory, the Tar Heels elected to try a screen pass to Bug Howard. Elijah Hood had been carrying the ball well, Marquise Williams had been chewing up yards on the ground, but the pass play was called. Howard was stopped for a loss of one. On 4th and 2, the Tar Heels kicked a field goal to put the margin at four. Four minutes remained.
Again, we've seen this scenario before. Last October, Miami got the ball down three with 4:11 on the clock. The Hurricanes used 10 rushes and three passes to drive 90 yards for a score, leaving just 16 seconds on the clock and stealing a win in front of an electric Kenan Stadium crowd.
Saturday, it looked like the Aztecs were poised to do the same. The San Diego State offense did almost everything they wanted to, putting up 509 yards on the evening. So four minutes was plenty of time for Quinn Kaehler to probe the Tar Heel pass defense and for Donnel Pumphrey and Chase Price to find running room. And they did. Kaehler found receivers in passing lanes and Pumphrey rumbled for 20 yards on a 3rd and 10 at midfield. The Aztecs had 1st and goal at the Tar Heel 3. Someone needed to make a play, else another fantastic Kenan crowd would leave disappointed.
When the drive began, linebacker Jeff Schoettmer told his defensive teammates the time and score situation. He flashed them back to training camp, when head coach Larry Fedora would put the players through four-minute drills. “I told the guys, 'We did this all camp. Let's be comfortable with it, and let's go win the game.” Defensive tackle Ethan Farmer reminded the players of the Miami game. “Night game, we just scored, they've got the ball, chance to win the game,” Schoettmer recalled. “We've got to learn from the Miami game.”
“It came down to the last drive, and the defense was on the field,” senior safety Tim Scott recalled. “Last year, we gave it up and we lost. So we knew we had to buckle down and get ready for it, and I felt like the last play showed that we were ready for it.”
Ah, the last play. Kaehler tossed off his back foot looking for Lloyd Mills in the corner of the end zone. But Scott jumped the route, snagged the ball and kept his feet. “I decided to look back at the quarterback and he threw a back-shoulder,” Scott said. The play was reviewed and upheld, and the win was sealed. This crowd would go home happy.
They key to the stop, indeed the key to the victory, was the Tar Heels' ability to stay calm. This win will not go down as particularly clean. Carolina made costly mistakes in all three phases; mistakes that either extended San Diego State drives or short-circuited their own. But players make plays: Brian Walker had two picks, including one end the end zone returned more than 100 yards for a score. Mack Hollins showed up again with his second touchdown in as many weeks. The first half was imperfect, but the Tar Heels made enough plays to keep themselves in the game. And then one more to win it.
Sometimes a great ending can redeem an imperfect narrative. So it was tonight. “We succeeded here,” Schoettmer said. “It was fun to overcome that. A win's a win, and we're happy for the win.”
