UNC Tar Heels Football Finale Falls Short

by Derrick Clyburn

The Tar Heels football team fought hard through adversity and had a chance to win in this rivalry game against NC State. The future has some promise with a great number of young players getting valuable playing time due to the MASH Unit of injuries this season.

Game Stats

UNC Total Offense – 360 Yards

Rushing 83, Passing 277

UNC Passing: Nathan Elliott 21-45-277yds 3 TD’s 2 Ints

UNC Rushing: Michael Carter 8-29yds

UNC Receiving: Anthony Ratliff-Williams 5-131 yds 1 TD, Michael Carter 4-51yds 1 TD, Jordan Cunningham 2-14 yds 1 TD

NCSU Total Offense – 496 Yards

NCSU Passing: Ryan Finley 20-30-204 yds 1 Int

NCSU Rushing: Nyheim Hines 26-196yds 2 TD’s, Jaylen Samuels 7-53 yds 1 TD, Ryan Finley9-27 yds 2 TD’s

NCSU Receiving: Jakobi Meyers 7-101 yds

Bright Spots

Anthony Ratliff-Williams had 5 rec for 131 yds and 1 TD. He turned into the go-to guy as the Tar Heels lost their whole starting receiving corps.

Needs Work

The offensive and defensive coordinators need to help their players be in better positions to win. On offense, the Tar Heels had too many 3 and outs this season. You can’t play effectively when you are always behind the sticks. The defense has gotten a lot more consistent over the second half of the season. The defensive coordinator has to get them off the field on 3rd and longs. He must stop rushing 3 linemen and dropping  8 into coverage.

Final Observations

The same old record. Injuries, young inexperienced players, and poor play calls on offense and defense. The season has finally come to an end. We are hopeful for more consistency on offense and defense and tremendously fewer injuries next season. Fedora must build momentum with a strong offseason and maybe some staffing changes.