Mistakes Pile Up For UNC As Tar Heels Come Up Short Vs. Virginia

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Miles closer on the scoreboard than early in the season, UNC fell literal inches short of victory for the second week in a row.

North Carolina (2-5, 0-3 ACC) did everything necessary to win but finish against No. 16 Virginia (7-1, 4-0 ACC), as the Tar Heels fell 17-16 on Saturday afternoon inside Kenan Stadium. UNC’s defense played well enough to keep its sputtering second-half offense in the game, but failure to execute in the biggest moments proved costly.

“In the end, we just came up a little bit short today,” coach Bill Belichick said. “A good effort by a lot of areas, but in the end, just not quite enough.” 

Defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude said the team had heard all week about Virginia’s statistical success — which includes it’s ACC-best scoring mark of 40 points per game and it’s effort to limit defenses to just five total sacks entering Saturday — and used it as fuel for North Carolina’s defensive mindset. The result was a defense performance that not only kept the Tar Heels in the game but often dictated it.  

The Tar Heels got after Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris all day, sacking him a season-high six times, with Abou-Jaoude tallying a career-high with three of them. The long-yardage situations helped UNC win the field position battle and hold Virginia to its lowest scoring of the season. 

Back-to-back plays from UNC’s defense solidified its performance and even created opportunities on offense. It began with a fourth-down stop from the one-yard line, which held the Cavaliers out of the endzone. Then, after the offense punted, the very next defensive snap for the Tar Heels created an interception near midfield. It was Andrew Simpson who snagged the pick and returned it to UVA’s 34-yard line, but North Carolina’s offense couldn’t convert it into points, resulting in a wasted opportunity. 

“They held them to 10,” wide receiver Jordan Shipp said about UNC’s defense in regulation. “We could have scored, but that’s still complementary football. When we’re not able to score, they’re picking up the slack for us. That’s not easy to do. So I have high praise for that defense.” 

Even amidst success for the Tar Heel offense, with quarterback Gio Lopez starting the game with his best passing half of the season (173 yards), UNC failed to convert positive momentum into tangible points.

On North Carolina’s second drive of the game, Lopez was 4-4 for 63 yards and found wide receiver Kobe Paysour streaking across the red zone. But as a seemingly successful drive progressed, the Tar Heels tripped over the final hurdle as Paysour fumbled the ball reaching for the pylon. 

An opportunity created, but nothing to show for it. 

It happened again in the second half when UNC’s offense stalled from back-to-back three-and-outs but was set up perfectly thanks to Simpson’s interception. Even with the strong field position, the Tar Heels couldn’t take full advantage, as Lopez rifled a pass into traffic near the five-yard line and was picked off. 

The second of two chances in the red zone, spoiled by turnovers. 

“We’ve got to eliminate those, no doubt about it,” Belichick said. “Number one problem, got to eliminate those.”

Other small mistakes piled up for North Carolina, which bled offensive points. Plays like Rece Verhoff’s missed field goal just before halftime or a deep-ball interception by Lopez on UNC’s final offensive play in regulation, instead of looking for a shorter completion to set up a game-winning field goal try, made the difference. 

Then, despite UNC’s failure to capitalize on several other decisive offensive plays, the Tar Heels elected to go for a two-point conversion in overtime. Lopez, a left-handed quarterback, rolled out right and checked it down for Benjamin Hall, but the running back was pursued by two UVA tacklers and held up inches from the goal line.

Victory was a possibility on Saturday, but the team couldn’t quite grasp its first ACC win of the season.

“You put so much into it, to come that close, it was more like sadness,” Shipp explained about his emotions after the game. “We’re just a couple plays away from winning a top-20 game.”