Tar Heels Outlast Cavaliers in a Shootout

CHAPEL HILL, NC -The 21st-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels made sure to put on a show in front of the home crowd by defeating the Virginia Cavaliers 59-39 on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.

Junior quarterback Sam Howell tallied up (Sun Valley, NC) 443 passing yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Josh Downs (Suwanee, Georgia) had 203 yards and two touchdowns. North Carolina was able to pull off a win in a vital shootout against the Cavaliers.

Josh Downs, put the first points on the scoreboard when he caught a 59-yard pass from Howell, with 10:45 in the 1st quarter. Downs later followed it up with a 37-yard reception from Howell, almost four minutes later, to put the Tar Heels ahead quickly 14-0.

The Virginia Cavaliers struck with 2:27 left in the 1st quarter when senior running back Wayne Taulapapa (Honolulu, Hawaii) took a one-yard run to the house to put them on the board. But, they were trailing, 14-7 to the Tar Heels. 11 seconds later, the Heels struck back, thanks to sophomore wide receiver Khafre Brown (Charlotte, NC) catching a 75-yard pass to Sam Howell, which helped Carolina take the lead, 21-7.

The second quarter was where Virginia dominated. First, junior quarterback Brennan Armstrong (Shelby, Ohio) hit sophomore wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (Plaquemine, LA) for a 40-yard touchdown pass with 9:13 left. Then, the big 6″7 graduate student tight end from Ellenwood, Georgia named Jelani Woods, added points on the board, thanks to a one-yard pass from Armstrong. Finally, senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV (Highland Springs, VA) received a 21-yard pass from Armstrong, which helped Virginia pull ahead 28-24 to close out the 2nd quarter.

During the 3rd quarter, the Tar Heels roared back. With 12:50 left in the quarter, graduate tight end Garrett Walston (Wilmington, NC) caught a 5-yard pass from Sam Howell to put the Tar Heels ahead, 31-28. Then, freshman running back from Rockingham, NC Caleb Hood recorded a 5-yard run with 7:26 to make it 38-28. However, Virginia proved they were still in the game. Sophomore kicker Justin Duenkel booted a 34-yard field goal, bringing the score to 38-31. Finally, graduate transfer from Tennessee Ty Chandler (Nashville, TN) closed the 3rd quarter with a five-yard run, where the Tar Heels led 45-31.

The 4th quarter was a bit dry. With 12:13 left in the 4th quarter, sophomore tight end Kamari Morales (Buck Lake, Florida) caught a 3-yard pass from Sam Howell, inflating the Tar Heels lead by 21 points. Billy Kemp responded with a 9-yard reception from Armstrong more than three minutes later, showing that the Cavaliers weren’t finished.

Ty Chandler would seal the deal with a 5-yard touchdown run, which helped the Tar Heels pull away with a 59-39 victory.

“What a great game it was” Tar Heels Coach Mack Brown stated. He added, “It was a lot of fun. You have two of the best quarterbacks in the country, and I told people they were going to put on a show tonight, and they did”.

He also added, “I’m proud of our guys. We were balanced on the running game and our offense.”

Next Saturday, the Tar Heels travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who dropped a 14-8 decision to sixth-ranked Clemson. The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – home of the Atlanta Falcons, at 7:30 PM. Meanwhile, Virginia will host Wake Forest on a Friday night showdown at 7:00 PM in Charlottesville, Virginia.