by Derrick Clyburn

The Tar Heels gave a valiant effort on homecoming attempting to upset the 8th ranked Hurricanes. The defense showed up again. Three catastrophic plays pretty much determined the football game. The defense has improved steadily after the first two weeks of the season. The offense was ignited by an unexpected player. Reserve quarterback Nathan Elliott came in for injured Chazz Surratt. He ran and threw the ball moving the ball down the field better than any quarterback has done in a few weeks. UNC outgained Miami in total yards 428 to 415. The Tar Heels actually outplayed Miami. The 3 interceptions and 1 fumble were miscues that Carolina could not overcome.

Game Stats

UNC Total Offense – 428 Yards

Rushing 176, Passing 252

UNC Passing: Nathan Elliott 16-39-173yds 1 TD,  3 Ints

UNC Rushing: Jordon Brown 19-88yds, Nathan Elliott 21-79yds

UNC Receiving: Beau Corrales 4-64 yds 2 TD’s, Jordon Brown 4-51yds

Miami Total Offense – 415 Yards

UM Passing: Malik Rosier 16-38-356yds 3 TD’s, 1 Int

UM Rushing: Travis Homer 16-40yds

UM Receiving: Jeff Thomas 3-101yds 1TD, Braxton Berrios 7-78yds 1TD

Bright Spots

Nathan Elliott 16-39-173yds 1 TD,  3 Ints. He moved the ball more effectively than either of the other quarterbacks.

The Defense has been more reliable keeping the Tar Heels in games for most of the season after week two.

Needs Work

The defense needs to wrap up consistently on every tackle. The catastrophic plays were off of poor tackling for the most part. The wide receivers are young and inexperienced. They need to run all the way through their routes and stay on their feet. That has led to many of the interceptions this season. The offensive coordinator needs to be more creative on first down so that the offense is not always behind the sticks with 2nd and long.

Final Observations

The Tar Heels continue to fight and play hard. That’s a good sign for such a young team. The coaches have to keep putting the players in position to win. Help them play to their strengths and hopefully they can get a few breaks in the turnover department.