University of North Carolina Athletics
#TarHeel25: No. 3
July 18, 2016 | Football
Once again this July, GoHeels.com will count down the top 25 wins of the school year. Check back around noon EDT each weekday for the latest update before No. 1 is revealed on July 20. To catch up on previous entries, click here.
No. 3: No. 12 Carolina 30, Virginia Tech 27 (OT) - Football, Nov. 21, 2015
When the ACC expanded to 12 football schools over the course of the 2004 and 2005 seasons, it was assumed that Miami would become the annual favorite in the newly created Coastal Division. Eleven years later, the Hurricanes are still looking for their first trip to the ACC Championship Game. It was Virginia Tech, not Miami, that became the standard of excellence in the division, winning five Coastal titles and three league crowns in a four-year stretch from 2007-10.
So it was fitting that the Hokies stood in the way of Carolina's first trip to the ACC Championship Game when the Tar Heels visited Blacksburg on November 21. UNC had dismantled Miami 59-21 one week earlier, while VT was coming off back-to-back road wins at Boston College and Georgia Tech. And while the Hokies were no longer in the running for the division title, it was Senior Day and the final home game for legendary head coach Frank Beamer.
This was not a typical 2015 Carolina football game. After Marquise Williams scored from 18 yards out early in the first quarter, neither team found the end zone again until late in the third. With the game tied at 10, Nazair Jones made what seemed like a game-winning play, stripping Sam Rogers near midfield and coming up with the ball to give the Tar Heels possession heading to the fourth quarter.
Carolina struck quickly, scoring five plays later on an Elijah Hood touchdown run. Des Lawrence then picked off Michael Brewer and Hood again converted the takeaway into six points. With less than eight minutes to play, the Tar Heels were up 24-10 and cruising. When M.J. Stewart picked off Brewer at the UNC 16 two minutes later, fans headed for the exits.
But the Hokies would not go down without a fight in Beamer's final game at Lane Stadium. After a Williams fumble, Brewer marched his team down for a quick score, hitting Bucky Hodges for a touchdown to cut the Carolina lead to 24-17 with 2:54 left. Two plays later, Williams fumbled again. Again, Brewer found pay dirt, this time connecting with Isaiah Ford for the tying score. The Tar Heels punted on their final possession of regulation and a Tech knee sent the game to overtime.
Carolina won the toss and elected to play defense, a key decision that paid off thanks in large part to a tackle for loss from Shakeel Rashad on the second play of the VT possession. Brewer then missed the mark on third down, forcing the Hokies to settle for a field goal.
Williams and the Tar Heels immediately went to work on offense, the senior QB hitting Ryan Switzer for an 18-yard pickup on the first play of the possession. Hood carried the ball to the Tech 3 before a penalty and a Williams keeper set up third and goal at the 5. What happened next will be one of the lasting memories of both Williams and fellow record-setting senior Quinshad Davis.
With the season on the line, Carolina went to one of the greatest receivers in the history of the program. Davis, who finished his career with more touchdown catches than any other Tar Heel, beat Terrell Edmunds one-on-one and Williams fit the ball into the only spot where his teammate could catch it.
After the game, Beamer was carried off the field by his players, a fitting tribute to a man who built Virginia Tech into a league and national power. But across Lane Stadium in the visitors' locker room, it was Larry Fedora and the Tar Heels who were presented with the Coastal Division Championship trophy and a trip to Charlotte for the program's first appearance in the ACC title game.
No. 4: No. 16 Carolina 17, No. 1 Notre Dame 15 - Men's Lacrosse, April 23, 2016
No. 5: No. 8 Carolina 76, No. 17 Duke 72 - Men's Basketball, March 5, 2016
No. 6: No. 11 Carolina 45, North Carolina State 34 - Football, Nov. 29, 2015
No. 7: Carolina 15, Syracuse 14 (OT) - Women's Lacrosse, May 1, 2016
No. 8: Carolina 2, Syracuse 1 (OT) - Field Hockey, Nov. 8, 2015
No. 9: No. 1 Carolina 4, No. 3 Virginia 3 - Men's Tennis, April 1, 2016
No. 10: Carolina 4, Miami 2 (ACC Championship) - Women's Tennis, April 24, 2016
No. 11: Carolina 2, Duke 0 (NCAA Semifinals) - Field Hockey, Nov. 20, 2015
No. 12: Carolina 13, Notre Dame 9 (NCAA Quarterfinals) - Men's Lacrosse, May 22, 2016
No. 13: Carolina 83, Syracuse 66 (NCAA Semifinals) - Men's Basketball, April 2, 2016
No. 14: Carolina 12, Penn State 11 (NCAA Semifinals) - Women's Lacrosse, May 27, 2016
No. 15: Carolina 6, Longwood 4 (NCAA Harrisonburg Regional) - Softball, May 20, 2016
No. 16: Carolina 3, No. 3 Stanford 0 - Volleyball, Sept. 10, 2015
No. 17: No. 13 Carolina 15, No. 2 South Carolina 0 - Baseball, April 13, 2016
No. 18: No. 2 Carolina 4, No. 16 Georgia Tech 3 - Women's Tennis, April 17, 2016
No. 19: No. 9 Carolina 2, No. 15 Notre Dame 1 - Women's Soccer, Oct. 22, 2015
No. 20: No. 3 Carolina 4, No. 2 Notre Dame 2 - Men's Soccer, Sept. 18, 2015
No. 21: Selmon, Ward Earn All-America Honors - Wrestling, March 18, 2016; Track and Field, June 10, 2016
No. 22: Carolina 2, No. 10 Georgia 1 (8 innings) - Softball, April 6, 2016
No. 23: Carolina 77, Syracuse 73 - Women's Basketball, Jan. 7, 2016
No. 24: Carolina Qualifies For The NCAA Championships - Women's Golf, May 7, 2016
No. 25: Tar Heels Sweep Hoosiers, Vols & Wildcats - Swimming and Diving, Oct. 30, 2015
Players Mentioned
