UNC Tar Heels Football Team Sleepwalk and Lose Against the Yellow Jackets

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

One week after clinching the ACC Coastal division title, the North Carolina football team faced off against Georgia Tech on Saturday night as they looked to get their seventh straight win and remain unbeaten in conference play. The Tar Heels got off to a hot start forcing a punt on their first defensive possession and following it up with an 80-yard touchdown run by Elijah Green on their opening drive.

UNC scored 17 unanswered points to start the game and was in complete control of the game. The North Carolina defense played some of their best football in the first half holding Georgia scoreless for the first 29 minutes of the game before the Yellow Jackets finally got a score right before halftime.

In the second half, the UNC offense was completely underwhelming. Drake Maye and the offense were not sharp and were completely out of rhythm. The Heels’ offense possessions in the second half resulted in 3 punts, an interception, and a turnover on downs. The Tar Heel’s performance offensively in the second half was by far the worst of their season and it cost them the game.

Meanwhile, the North Carolina defense could not quite pick up for the offense’s struggles. Georgia Tech’s running game found success in the second half and ran the ball up and down the field on the Tar Heels. The Yellow Jackets scored 21 unanswered points and took a 21-17 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Tar Heels had their chances to retake the lead but failed to convert once they got in the red zone late in the game. This is by far Drake Maye’s worst game of the season and it resulted in North Carolina’s first conference loss of the season.

UNC Game Stats

UNC Total Offense- 365 yards

Rushing 163 Passing 202

UNC Passing: Drake Maye 16-30-202 yards 1 INT

UNC Rushing: Elijah Green 10-92 yards 2TDs

UNC Receiving: Bryson Nesbit 4-85 yards, Gavin Blackwell 2-54 yards

Georgia Tech Total Offense- 373 yards

Georgia Tech Passing: Zach Gibson 13-18-174 yards

Georgia Tech Rushing: Hassan Hall 14-47 yards 1TD, Taisun Phommachanh 10-44 yards 1TD, Dontae Smith 12-18 yards 1TD

Georgia Tech Receiving: Malik Rutherford 6-67 yards, Hassan Hall 4-57 yards

UNC Bright Spots

Elijah Green had 10 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Bryson Nesbit had 4 receptions for 85 yards.

Cedric Gray led the team in tackles with 14.

Storm Duck had one interception.

Needs Work

Defensively, the Heels need to figure out how to play well in two halves and not just show up in one.

The defensive line needs to do a better job of getting penetration in the backfield and getting more pressure on the quarterback which results in sacks. They are giving the opposing quarterback entirely too much time in the pocket

The rushing defense has to be much better. They need to do a better job of tackling in space and being in their gaps to stop huge running plays.

Drake Maye needs to learn how to get the ball out quicker. He holds the ball entirely too long at times, resulting in sacks and putting the team behind the sticks.

When the Tar Heels have a lead, they need to learn how to put teams away. The offensive play-calling needs to be much better in these situations.

Final Observations

North Carolina moves to 8-2 on the season and 5-1 in ACC play. They suffered their first loss in conference play but are still the ACC coastal division champs. However, The Tar Heels must learn how to finish games and put teams away. Every game should not be a close one. The team as a whole needs to learn how to handle prosperity. Just because they won the division doesn’t mean that they can sleepwalk through games and still win. The Heels will get everyone’s best shot going forward because they now have a target on their back with their recent success.

Drake Maye and the offense must get back to work and make sure they are focused and determined to get back to being explosive offensively. This team is not good enough to win without the offense putting up points. The defense is getting better but has not shown they are good enough to win a game with the offense playing poorly. If the offense is back to themselves and the defense can put together two halves where they play, this team will be hard to beat. This will be pivotal for the Tar Heels if they want to win the ACC championship in two weeks against Clemson. For now, the Tar Heels must focus on their next opponent, which is NC State on November 25 at 3:30.