North Carolina Tar Heels: Fall to Turnovers, Mud, and Hokies

Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; A North Carolina Tar Heels helmet on the field prior to the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; A North Carolina Tar Heels helmet on the field prior to the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The North Carolina Tar Heels’ road to the Coastal title hit a muddy road bump against Virginia Tech.

There were three games played on rainy Tobacco Road and the North Carolina Tar Heels were the only team not to win theirs. NC State edged Notre Dame. Wake Forest probably felt at home in the mud where the weapons of Syracuse could be restricted. It was the Tar Heels who got hammered on the scoreboard at an inopportune time.

The Tar Heels are a speed offense based on precision passing and virtually none of that could happen in the mud. Add to that problem the absence of Elijah Hood. Hood is a weapon who would have been more at home in the power running conditions, but injury kept him from seeing the field.

Then there were the turnovers. While statistically the Heels lost just as many fumbles as the Hokies, it was where those balls were lost that proved to the problem. Field position is crucial in bad weather and the Tar Heels lost that battle. Add to that two Mitch Trubisky interceptions and ultimately you get the final outcome of 34-3.

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No one had a great game on offense. The Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans got praise for throwing two touchdown passes, but had only seven completions overall. He was arguably more effective as a runner and he had twenty-one carries for fifty yards and a score in the game. In a game with few stats, he managed to get a large share.

The Hokies should be commended for good hustle. They lost the ball seven times and reclaimed all but two of them. The Hokie defense was it old tenacious self, with its normal eight man front formations fitting perfectly with the conditions.

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The Tar Heels fall to a 4-2 record on the season and a 2-1 record in conference play. Within the Coastal they now sit in a logjam at second place. Pitt won and Miami lost in order to round the one loss teams in the division. The Hokies are now in first. Technically they are tied with Virginia, but the Cavaliers have only one conference game under their belt.

North Carolina will probably fall from the polls when those are announced, but this game was highly unusual for them and should not be taken too harshly by observers. The team will get to redeem itself next week against Miami on the road.