University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
October 1, 2016 | Football
By Adam Lucas
1. What a time to be a Carolina football fan. Seriously, can you believe this? Can this possibly be Carolina football? Somehow, it is. The Tar Heels have now won completely improbable games in back-to-back weeks, doing it this time with an amazing 54-yard field goal from Nick Weiler that provided a 37-35 victory. There's a building generation of Tar Heel football fans who think this is normal. Trust us, folks. It isn't. Enjoy every second of it.
"The term we use is grit," Larry Fedora told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network after the game. "This team has it. No matter what's going on, they keep playing hard and never give up. No matter what the circumstances, they keep playing. They believe in each other and love each other."
2. Nick Weiler made a 54-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. That really happened. "There was no wind, so I didn't have to worry about the wind at all," Weiler told Lee Pace on the THSN. "I knew if I struck it true I would have the distance for it."
Weiler had missed a 51-yarder earlier in the game. "Right after the miss he was frustrated and I said, 'You have to be ready,'" Fedora said.
3. It's a joy to watch Mitch Trubisky run Larry Fedora's offense. The quarterback is such a unique combination of poise and physical ability. Trubisky made all the throws against the Seminoles, continuing his absurd streak of passes without an interception to 241. He's especially effective on third down, where that poise allows him to survey the defense and pick it apart.
A couple late desperation throws hurt his completion percentage, but Trubisky still finished a remarkable 31-for-38 for 405 yards. "Mitch is what we thought he was," Fedora said. "He's leading this football team and you're never out of it with him behind center."
4. Trubisky seems even more effective when the Tar Heels are pushing the tempo. At one juncture in the first half, it felt like the Tar Heels were rope-a-dopeing FSU, with the Seminoles constantly backpedaling and Carolina rushing to the line and executing. Tempo can be a huge weapon and Trubisky controls it well.
5. It's somehow fitting that with Carolina's vast array of offensive weapons, a key score went to a former walk-on receiver wearing jersey number 48, Thomas Jackson. And it was Jackson himself who turned it into a big play, making a couple of 'Noles miss on the way to the end zone.
6. Even though the defense has clearly improved, there were too many miscues to make Gene Chizik happy. The Tar Heels lost track of do-everything Dalvin Cook on a 41-yard gain with 90 seconds left, leaving him with ten yards of green space on every side of him. The defense also missed too many tackles.
7. Other than the finish, there's not much doubt about the key sequence of the game. The Tar Heels appeared to have earned a safety that would've made it 30-14 in favor of Carolina. But after review, the safety was reversed and the Seminoles were given the ball on the two-yard line. The defense eventually held...but then a roughing the punter penalty gave FSU another first down, and they eventually turned it into a touchdown. So instead of a 16-point lead with the ball and the momentum, it was a seven-point game.
8. This seems like a long time ago, but don't forget that Florida State did Carolina a huge favor by missing three field goals in the first 14:30 of the game.
9. What a luxury to have TJ Logan in the backfield when Elijah Hood is unavailable. Logan carried it 10 times for 77 yards and also had a 22-yard reception.
10. Want some video game numbers? Switzer has 30 receptions for 366 yards in the last two weeks. As recently as 1999, Kory Bailey led Carolina with 25 catches for the entire season.
11. The Tar Heels have now won their last four games decided by a field goal or less, and it's a doozy of a quartet--wins over FSU and Pitt the last two weeks, an overtime win at Virginia Tech last season, and a 28-27 win over Virginia in 2014.
12. That win sets up a huge Coastal Division game against Virginia Tech next Saturday. The game time for that contest is still to be determined, but even if they play it at 6:30 in the morning, Kenan Stadium should be packed. Look for the conference to announce the game time by noon on Sunday.
13. Did this look a lot like the scene at your house? Here's the Carolina basketball team watching the game-winning field goal:
#GDTBATH 😈 pic.twitter.com/qFjTqJn72P
— Brandon Robinson (@BRob_4) October 1, 2016
