Virginia cuts North Carolina’s Coastal Division Title Hopes
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Huge offensive number filled tonight’s (11/2) game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Cavaliers senior quarterback Bryce Perkins went 30-39 for 378 yards passing and had 112 yards rushing for two touchdowns rushing. North Carolina freshman quarterback Sam Howell threw for 353 yards passing for four touchdowns passing.
Virginia junior wide receiver Terrell Jana had 13 receptions for 146 yards receiving, and Tar Heels sophomore wide receiver Dyami Brown hauled in six catches for 202 yards receiving and three touchdown receptions.
At the end of the day, the only statistic that matters is the final score, and the Cavaliers (6-3, ACC 4-2) ousted North Carolina (4-5, ACC 3-3) 38-31 yesterday to be the sole leaders at the top of the ACC Coastal Division in a de facto elimination game.
“In regards to our team,” said Cavaliers head coach Bronco Mendenhall, “we just made one more play. I was really impressed with UNC’s offense; their first-year quarterback, their dynamic wide receivers, their ability to protect them – we’re normally able to sack the quarterback more frequently.”
The two plays that decided the game came at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. After North Carolina took a 17-10 lead with 2:06 left in the first half, Virginia drove 78 yards down the field to tie the game with just 13 seconds left in first.
The Cavaliers received the ball to start the second half, and within the first 35 seconds of the third quarter, Perkins broke a 65-yard touchdown run down the Cavaliers sideline – but it shouldn’t have happened. The Tar Heels had him bottled up, but no one the Carolina defense cared to finish the play, and it cost them.
“You can’t give up a drive in two minutes and six seconds just before the half, and then you give up a 65-yard run to start the second half,” said Carolina head coach Mack Brown, “so that was a 14-point swing. As much as I’ve talked about the last five minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half, it killed us tonight.”
Carolina played catch up from the point forward, and they could not mount a fourth-quarter comeback as they scored zero points in the final 15 minutes of play.
What’s Next
Virginia hosts the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets next Saturday, Nov. 9, at 12:30 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va.
North Carolina has an open date next week, and they travel to Heinz Field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m.
(Feature Image courtesy of Landon Bost)