Extra Points: Charity Case

By Lee Pace

Imagine Phil and Tiger teeing it up in a stroke play competition for $10 million at Thanksgiving and Tiger in a magnanimous gesture saying to his opponent on the first tee, "Phil, you play 15 holes, I'll play 18 and we'll match scores."

Imagine the Dodgers and Astros taking the field for the World Series and Dodger skipper Dave Roberts nodding toward his old pal A.J. Hinch of the Astros and saying, "Yo, two strikes and we're out when we're at-bat."

So what if you just gave Usain Bolt ninety meters to run instead of 100 or Michael Phelps a five second head start over 200 meters?

Insanity, no?

Nonsense, yes.

College football games average each squad getting a dozen or so possessions, each a competition to move the ball via run or pass, through brute force or sleight of hand, toward the promised land of six points or at least a kick for three.

Six times Thursday night against the University of Miami, the Carolina football teamed ceded its right to the football. Six times the Tar Heels said to the snarling and fierce Miami defense, "Be my guest." And six times the Hurricanes snared passes or fumbles and took off in the opposite direction, an obscene three of those times taking the ball all the way to the house.

The No. 16-ranked Hurricanes clobbered the Tar Heels 47-10 in front of a rowdy Hard Rock Stadium crowd of just over 60,000 and a national television audience and hardly broke a sweat in the process, despite the muggy conditions in south Florida. Indeed, the Hurricanes expended more energy dancing to the crowd and passing around their trademark and touchstone "Turnover Chain," a three-foot long trinket dreamed up by defensive coordinator Manny Diaz last year to represent the Hurricanes' mindset of forcing turnovers.

Miami had a plus-13 turnover advantage in 2017 as it won its first 10 games before finishing 10-3, and the chain gained national acclaim. "It's kind of big and gaudy," head coach Mark Richt said. "Well, we're in Miami, so that's all right, that's no problem."

The 2018 iteration of the chain features a likeness of Hurricane mascot Sebastian the Ibis—made of some 4,000 stones and weighing seven pounds. After defenders Jonathan Garvin on a scoop-and-score fumble and Joe Jackson and Romeo Finley on pick-sixes found the end zone, they draped the chain around their necks and woofed and yukked toward the fans and the video and TV cameras.

"It was a sight to see,'' Diaz said. "We always say turnovers, they seem to come in bunches. Once the first one came out, guys were pouncing and making plays. The fact that we could turn defense into offense on those was quite a sight."

"The turnover chain was out a bunch,'' Richt added. "It's always fun to score points on defense. The fans love it. I felt the first half the entire team played like we should play. If we put two halves like that offensively, we'll be in good shape."

The Tar Heels hoped to ride a modest crest of momentum generated with their first win of the season against Pittsburgh last Saturday and were buoyed with the fact that several key players would return to action after suspensions of various lengths—among them defensive end Malik Carney, quarterback Chazz Surratt and receiver Beau Corrales. Coach Larry Fedora and his staff deemed that Surratt would play and decided before the game he would be inserted on the third Tar Heel possession.

That just so happened to follow starting QB Nathan Elliott being stripped of the ball on a furious pass rush by linebacker Shaq Quarterman and Garvin gathering it in and cruising to the end zone for a touchdown. Surratt entered the game on cue after the ensuing kickoff and actually showed considerable promise running the ball, hitting for gains of 11, 17 and 20 yards over two possessions and leading Carolina to its lone touchdown.

But an ill-fated pass by Surratt on third-and-16 was stolen by Jackson and returned 42 yards for six points.

"I don't know where he came from, he hit me as I was going down and hit the ball," Elliott said of the first turnover. "It happened really fast. I've got to be better at tucking the ball when I get hit like that."

"I was just trying to get rid of the ball, I was about to get sacked," Surratt said of his first miscue. "I was going to throw it at the ground. That's on me. I've gotta be better."

Elliott and Surratt were commiserating with one another and with reserves Cade Fortin and Manny Miles in a huddle on the bench moments later when Fedora came over and addressed the group.

"I told them all you gotta do is do what we teach and do what the defense is giving you, all right?" Fedora said. "Three of our turnovers were on third-and-long. I made the point that it's okay to punt."

Fedora and the Tar Heels knew how lethal this Hurricane defense was—ranked No. 2 nationally overall in total defense and No. 1 in most tackles for loss and in allowing only 17 percent of third-down conversions. They hoped that a three-pronged running attack of Antonio Williams, Michael Carter and Jordon Brown that had proven competent and consistent in the Pitt victory, good decisions by Elliott and a mix of perimeter screens and quick-hitting throws would be enough to generate some first-down efficiency and not allow the Hurricanes to ratchet up the furnace on second- and third-and-long downs.

And they actually did generate some ground production, picking up 264 yards (not counting sacks) with Carter hitting for nearly 11 yards on seven carries. That he had to sit the second half with an injury as Miami was rolling the score up was a fitting microcosm of the game.
But those turnovers ...

"We gave up 24 points on turnovers," Fedora said. "And most of those were on third-and-long. They did exactly what we thought they were going to do. They got us in some long-yardage situations and then brought a lot of heat on third-and-long, and we didn't handle it very well at all."

"One of our goals was we had to be efficient on first down, 50 percent or more of the time we have to be efficient," Elliott added of the team's threshold of a four-yard gain on first down. "Miami is really good at that, they get their opponents in third-and-long, and the percentages of converting that are not in the offense's favor."

This was the 15th game in the Carolina-Miami series since the Hurricanes entered the ACC in 2004, and despite the Hurricanes' imposing pedigree, the two institutions entered Thursday's game flush at seven wins each. The Tar Heels delighted with Connor Barth's kick in 2004, coach Butch Davis' three straight wins from 2007-09 and the skills of Gio Bernard in 2012 and Elijah Hood in 2016. And then there was that total Tar Heel annihilation of Miami in Kenan Stadium three years ago en route to the ACC Coastal Division title.

Sadly, the tables have turned since 2015, with the Tar Heels hounded by a spirit of giving that led to this particular night of infamy.

Carolina graduate Lee Pace (1979) has written "Extra Points" since 1990 and reported from the sidelines for the Tar Heel radio network since 2004. Reach him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him @LeePaceTweet.

Players Mentioned

Jordon Brown

Malik Carney

Michael Carter

Beau Corrales

Nathan Elliott

Manny Miles

Chazz Surratt

Antonio Williams

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