UNC Football: Tar Heels just can’t stop Lamar Jackson

North Carolina faced off against Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals in Chapel Hill in Saturday’s early game

North Carolina led the game at moments, but just couldn’t do enough to pull the upset against Louisville. What happened at each phase of the game for the Tar Heels?

Offense

A week after splitting time with Brandon Harris, Surratt was the clear starter in Saturday’s game. In the first half, Surratt finished 10-of-12 for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

He wasn’t perfect, particularly on a fumble that cost the Tar Heels 24 rushing yards, but seemed to pick up from last week. However, an injury late in the first half cost Surratt the second half and opened the door for Brandon Harris.

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Harris, a week after throwing two interceptions, looked alright. He finished 17-of-23 for 216 yards and a touchdown. He also ran it five times for 10 yards. However, he still made some questionable throws, two of which could’ve been costly turnovers.

Both quarterbacks found receiver Austin Proehl, who made acrobatic catch after acrobatic catch. Proehl finished the game with eight receptions for 120 yards.

Additionally, Dazz Newsome did the most with his first collegiate touch. On the first offensive play of the game, Surratt shovel passed the ball to Newsome, who ran it 54 yards, setting up the Tar Heels’ first score of the game.

The offense also had three personal foul calls. These are plays that just can’t happen for the Tar Heels, especially from seniors like Proehl and Cam Dillard.

Defense

The defense’s intent with Jackson and the Cardinals was clearly stated before the game when Andre Smith said:

"“We definitely don’t want it to be the Lamar Jackson show. So if he’s able to beat us with his arm, then – well, he’s not going to beat us at all. I take that back. He’s not going to beat us. We’re just going to stop anything that he tries to do.”"

After that quote, it was just a matter of whether or not Smith could back up his words. Smith did his best, but in the end it wasn’t enough and time of possession became a big factor in the game. UNC often looked tired and against Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, that is a problem.

Jackson was like grease, constantly avoiding sacks and finishing what looked like dead plays into giant gains. Jackson finished the game with 525 total yards and six touchdowns.

The Tar Heels also had difficulty stopping the big play, as the Cardinals finished with 706 total yards of offense, including nine plays of 20-plus yards. Louisville also finished with 35 first downs, going 9-of-15 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down.

Special Teams

Tom Sheldon continues to keep his name in consideration for the Ray Guy award. Sheldon had four punts for 214 yards. He also had three punts inside the 20.

In the return game, Anthony Ratliff-Williams did his best T.J. Logan impression. Ratliff-Williams finished with 199 return yards, including a 94-yarder for a touchdown. This could be a weapon for UNC this season.

Ratliff-Williams also had one of the best special teams plays in the early season. Sheldon punted the ball 66 yards down the field and as it was about to go in the end zone, Ratliff-Williams corralled it inside the one-yard-line to create a difficult start for the Cardinals.

On the negative side, the kicking game still needs work. After missing a field goal last week, Freeman Jones opened the game by kicking the ball out-of-bounds. Though he nailed all five extra points, the coaching staff still doesn’t trust him on field goals.

Coaching

The best move the coaching staff made was naming a single starting quarterback for the game. I honestly believe that the only reason Harris played is because Surratt got injured, and it was a great move Larry Fedora.

The coaching staff also had a great play call on fourth-and-one where Surratt found a wide open Carl Tucker for a first down. Two plays later, Surratt found Brandon Fritts for a touchdown in the corner.

The biggest issue for the coaching staff was on defense. Louisville, time and time again, hit receivers over the middle for huge plays. That’s just missed assignments and that falls on the coaching staff.

The coaching staff also called a play on fourth-and-two while trailing by five that was tipped and almost led to a pick-six for Harris. It was a questionable play call late in the game.

Additionally, the Tar Heels went away from the run, finishing the game with a measly 17 yards on just 23 carries. For an offense that has concerns at quarterback, this definitely raises some troubling questions.

Next up for the Tar Heels is a road game at Old Dominion. The Monarchs won their season opener and will be looking for a program changing win, while the Tar Heels will look to avoid going 0-3 for the first time since 2003 when they finished 2-10.