University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: What Comes Next
October 9, 2016 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
It was quiet up on the fifth floor of Kenan Football Center after Saturday's game with Virginia Tech; much quieter than it's been in a long, long time after a Tar Heel football game. That's because Saturday's loss was the Tar Heels' first at home since November 29, 2014, and the first regular season ACC loss since then. Justin Fuente's Virginia Tech Hokies came to Chapel Hill, weather conditions and all, and completely shut down the Tar Heel offense, leading to a 34-3 win.
In the two games prior to this weekend, Carolina overcame the odds, overcame improbable deficits and made incredible game-winning drives to beat Pitt and Florida State, respectively. If one of the three fourth-down conversions fails against the Panthers, if Nick Weiler's kick comes up wide in Tallahassee, the Tar Heels lose those games. They begin the season 0-2 in ACC play rather than 2-0. So while the team and its coaches were thrilled to get those wins, they knew they'd been fortunate. Last Monday, Larry Fedora recognized that.
"It's pretty gloom in that staff room, because everybody knows that you can't keep living on the edge like that," the head coach said in his weekly press conference. "The odds are going to go against you at some point."
That notice came due on Saturday. The chickens came home to roost. The luck ran out. Boy, did it ever. Carolina's Mitch Trubisky had attempted 243 straight passes without an interception prior to his fourth attempt against the Hokies. That was picked off, setting up a Virginia Tech possession on the Carolina 17. Khris Francis fumbled the ball on Carolina's next possession. Those were the first two of four Tar Heel turnovers, not to mention a misplayed punt attempt that resulted in Virginia Tech taking over at the Tar Heel four.
The Hokies' longest scoring drive was 41 yards; none of their scoring drives began on their own side of the field and 20 of their 34 points came directly as the result of Tar Heel turnovers. It was that kind of day. Carolina had committed four turnovers through five games entering Saturday; they lost the ball four times in a single game. The Tar Heel offense, the strength of this team, put their defensive counterparts in impossible situations. The result was the result, a 31-point loss.
"You can't put your defense in that kind of position and expect to win football games," Fedora said, correctly. The Tar Heels did well to limit the Hokies to field goals early. They kept their team in the game. But the offense was never able to capitalize, never able to find consistency against Bud Foster's vaunted Hokie defense, never able to find and ride a rhythm.
"I'm not sure we got into any kind of rhythm the entire game, whether it was Mitch or the running game, or anything," Fedora said. "They did exactly what we expected them to do. They played the coverages we thought they were going to play. They played the fronts we thought they were going to play. You just can't turn the ball over four times. You're not going to be able to get anything going."
Speaking of things happening exactly as expected - Hurricane Matthew sat on Chapel Hill and the surrounding area on Saturday. It rained steadily throughout the game. The footballs were slippery, the ground was slick (even with excellent field preparation from Casey Carrick and the turf management staff) and the routes weren't crisp. Virginia Tech had to play on the same field, in the same rain.
One might be tempted to blame the weather for Saturday's outcome, to say that a team that relies so much on the pass didn't have a chance in these conditions. Except, Matthew didn't sneak up on anybody; we all knew the hurricane was coming. The Tar Heels practiced with wet footballs this week, but they simply didn't respond well under the conditions. "I'm not going to blame the weather," Fedora said. "They played in it too. They seemed to handle the weather. We did a poor job all the way around."
But this game is over. Done. Finished. Carolina enters week seven 4-2 and 2-1 in ACC play. For the first time since the beginning of the 2015 season, the Tar Heels do not control their destiny in the Coastal Division. They'll need help, need Virginia Tech to drop a game or two the rest of the way. What they'll have to do is take care of business next week at Miami and beyond. If the Tar Heels are able to win out, if Virginia Tech slips against Miami or Pitt or Duke or Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels can be right back in the conversation.
But they'll do nothing by dwelling too much on Saturday's loss. Watch the tape one time, learn from it, and move on. "We just watch the film, go back to work and grind this week, because we've got another big game coming up," Trubisky said. "We really don't have time to dwell on this one. We've just got to learn from it, bounce back and have a great week of practice for next week."
They'll be better prepared to play in such rainy conditions moving forward, but they ought to be better simply by getting Elijah Hood and Caleb Peterson back. T.J. Logan is more than capable at tailback, but the Tar Heels would love to have Hood available to chew up yards and pass block. And Peterson's leadership is certainly missed up front. But they'll come to practice tomorrow and look toward Miami Gardens. Matthew didn't do them any favors, but the Tar Heels aren't finished dealing with Hurricanes.
