The Tar Heels Late Comeback not enough as Seminoles get Upset Win

CHAPEL HILL, NC – The Tar Heels crawled back in the second half, but the effort wasn’t enough as the Seminoles knocked off the Tar Heels in upset fashion, 35-25 in ACC play Saturday.

Junior Quarterback Sam Howell led the way for the Tar Heels accumulating 203 yards through the air and two touchdowns while also picking up 108 yards on the ground in the losing effort.

The Tar Heels struck the first touchdown of the day after Howell connected with sophomore Wide Receiver Josh Downs, who led the Tar Heels receiving core on the day, tallying nine catches for 121 yards, for a 33-yard score extending the Heels lead to 10-0 early in the first quarter.

However, in the second quarter, the Seminoles came alive. They responded with three touchdowns, two by redshirt sophomore quarterback Jordan Travis (West Palm Beach, FL), who racked up 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground for the Seminoles.

The Seminoles led 21-10 at the half, forcing the Tar Heels to respond in the second half. The Tar Heels did just that five minutes and 18 seconds into the second half when Howell connected with tight end Kamari Morales for a 21-yard scoring strike cutting the lead to 21-17.

The lead wasn’t slim for long, though, after the Seminoles answered with two touchdowns of their own to extend the lead to 35-17 going into the fourth quarter.

Desperately needing a miraculous comeback to extend the game, the Tar Heels were able to get one touchdown late in the 4th when senior running back Ty Chandler plunged in a two-yard score in the last three minutes, but it wasn’t enough.

Totaling 12 penalties for 110 yards as a team on the day desperately hurt the Tar Heels chances of a comeback all game as they continued to commit penalties that hurt their chances that were too much to come back from.

The Tar Heels look to clean up those mistakes this week as they prepare to host ACC rival Miami next Saturday at 3:30 PM.