University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
October 3, 2015 | Football
By Adam Lucas
1. That's the biggest win of the Larry Fedora era in Chapel Hill. Carolina's 38-31 win at Georgia Tech bucks two important negative trends: it's the first win at Georgia Tech since 1997, and it's just the second win in the last 15 ACC openers. It also was the biggest deficit overcome for a win in program history. In other words: it's a huge, huge victory.
"It was a lot of guts and determination from the entire team," Fedora told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network after the game. "In all three phases, it was a complete team effort."
.@1MjWilliams2 says it all. pic.twitter.com/UiQQxuPc9j
— Lee Pace (@LeePaceTweet) October 3, 2015
2. But in the longer view, what it means for this season is simple: it preserves hope. After falling behind 21-0, Carolina was staring at the possibility of going into the bye week having lost the two most meaningful games of the year and in a hole in the ACC's Coastal Division. Instead, the Tar Heels have a road win at a perennial Coastal challenger and a manageable upcoming two-game home stretch of Wake Forest and Virginia. For a program that's trying to build momentum and fan interest, still playing meaningful games in October is important.
3. It's a big win on the scoreboard and in the standings and for all those reasons. But it's even bigger from the feeling of possibility it restores to UNC football. How many times over the last few years have we watched opponents roll out to big leads, then continue to steamroll the Tar Heels on the way to a disappointing defeat? That's the way it looked like Saturday was headed, but then somehow, someway, Carolina turned it around--in the process overcoming adversity (there was a bad spot on an important fourth down), an opponent that had dominated this series, and showing a physical nature that changed the game.
4. Sooner or later, the changes Gene Chizik has made in Carolina's defense will stop being noticeable, and everyone will just start taking them for granted. But right now, it's still a little wondrous to watch a physical, attacking UNC defense that knocks ballcarriers backward when they make contact rather than being pushed forward for extra yardage. The biggest play was by Cayson Collins, who stoned Tech on a key late third down, but there were big tackles all over the field by multiple members of a defense that held the Jackets to just ten points after the early outburst.
5. Sometimes the head coach makes calls that work, and sometimes he makes calls that don't work. Fedora did both in the span of a couple hours on Saturday. The gamble to go for an onside kick after pulling within 21-17 early in the second half backfired almost immediately, as Tech quickly turned the short field into a touchdown. But Fedora didn't hesitate from another risky call late in the game. With five minutes left in the game and holding a slim 31-28 lead, the Tar Heels went straight to the line of scrimmage to go for it on fourth and five and only five minutes left, leaving reliable kicker Nick Weiler on the sideline. Marquise Williams quickly made it pay off, dashing 27 yards for a score and a 38-28 lead. "All the calls that work are great calls," Fedora said. "Nobody questions those."
6. That was the capstone of a terrific performance from the senior quarterback, who endured a week of speculation about his job and then took every snap but one in a huge road win. Williams ran the ball effectively, threw the ball well, and even found time to catch a touchdown pass from Quinshad Davis. Fedora said early in the week that Williams was his starter, and the senior proved he deserved that confidence.
Williams finished with 125 passing yards and 125 rushing yards to go with a receiving TD. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he's the only quarterback in the country to hit those stats twice in a single game in the past ten years. "We all believed in him and never had a doubt," Fedora said. "The biggest thing was he took care of the football."
7. A sneakily huge series came early in the fourth quarter, when Shakeel Rashad and the UNC defense picked up a huge goal line stand. Down just 28-24 at that point, keeping Tech off the scoreboard kept the game manageable and eventually proved to be very important.
8. For now, enjoy the bye week. It's October and it's still football season in Chapel Hill. This was a fun view from Tar Heel legend Alge Crumpler, who was in the stands in Atlanta:
Yes sir!!! #GDTBATH pic.twitter.com/CcgA34NoWE
— Alge Crumpler (@Alge_Crumpler) October 3, 2015
