North Carolina Tar Heels escape Yellow Jackets, 48-43

Georgia Tech is the worst matchup that a struggling 4-2-5 defense could face. Indeed it was that way for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who managed only three stops on the game of the Georgia Tech offense. Yet, the Tar Heels managed to make sure that they had the ball last. They drove down the field and secured the winning touchdown against a Yellow Jacket defense that seemed equally unable to stop the Fedora spread.

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For the second straight game there was a commitment to running the football by the Tar Heels. With Elijah Hood down with a knee injury, the ball found its way to TJ Logan for 75 yards rushing. Romar Morris and Khris Francis also got into the mix. There was still a heavy dose of Marquise Williams and the Heels needed every bit of it.

For the second straight game, Williams showed how poor the platoon decision from early in the season was. Williams threw for 80% completion and 390 yards with four touchdowns. He did throw an interception early, but that seemed to get the mistakes out of his system. If Williams can play like this for the rest of the year, then the Tar Heels are right back in the contest for the ACC Coastal Division.

Oct 18, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver DeAndre Smelter (15) scores on a 75 yard run with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter as North Carolina Tar Heels cornerback Desmond Lawrence (2) defends. The Tar Heels defeated the Yellow Jackets 48-43 at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Play of the Game:

Getting the ball back with around five minutes to go in the game, it looked like Georgia Tech was in for a long leisurely drive down the field for the winning score. The Yellow Jackets were called for clipping which created a 1st and 25, so Paul Johnson decided to use some misdirection. Setting up the triple option to one side, Justin Thomas pitched it back to DJ Smelter going the complete other way. The Tar Heel defense was either thoroughly fooled or blocked out to allow Smelter to reach the end zone and a Tech lead. However it gave the ball back to Marquise Williams with about three minutes to play and win the game.

Were You There When…

Williams found Mack Hollins for a 36 yard score and the tall receiver brought it in to extend the lead to two scores. Hollins continues to be a find.

Final Thoughts

This was a game that North Carolina needed. The road was muddy if they had continued their losing streak. Now the Coastal Division is almost a complete mess, and where North Carolina fits in that mess is anyone’s guess. They go to Virginia next week. The formula to move forward seems set. It looks like they are going to ride Marquise till he drops.