Tar Heels Football: Takeaways from UNC vs. Pittsburgh

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Sep 24, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels linebacker Cayson Collins (23) runs onto the field after defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Carolina defeated Pitt 37-36. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

North Carolina showed a great deal of resolve against Pittsburgh

Remember, I said that I would share no negatives regarding takeaways from this game. I meant that.

However, let’s be honest. North Carolina should have lost to Pittsburgh. The Panthers controlled the game. Pittsburgh’s time of possession was 41:09 compared to UNC’s 18:51.

The Panthers were beating North Carolina 36-23 with 11 minutes left in the game and probably should have wrapped it up.

But that didn’t happen.

On UNC’s final drive, Trubisky completed three passes on three fourth downs to win the game.

North Carolina’s rushing game was nonexistent against Pittsburgh. North Carolina’s running backs T.J. Logan and Elijah Hood accounted for a total of 31 yards on Saturday, which was negated by Trubisky’s -13 yards rushing.

Moreover, UNC’s run defense gave up nearly 300 yards to Pittsburgh’s running backs.

All of these things worked in Pittsburgh’s favor; hence, they should have won the game. Despite Pittsburgh having an advantage, they did not win the game on Saturday. The Tar Heels refused to give up. North Carolina showed their grit against Pittsburgh.

UNC’s defense showed up when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter. They forced stops to get the ball back to the offense. Despite having the ball on offense for a small amount of time, North Carolina moved down the field like a well-oiled machine when the game was on the line.

The Coastal Division of the ACC runs through Chapel Hill once again.

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