UNC Football: Tar Heels find no luck against Fighting Irish

North Carolina and Notre Dame faced off in Chapel Hill. The end result was a familiar one for the Tar Heels.

For the second straight week, the Tar Heels’ defense came in and did their best against a better opponent.

And for a second straight, week the UNC offense could not move the football.

Offense

The poor offensive play from last week carried into this week. After one quarter, UNC had seven yards on nine plays. Things did get better from there, but the Tar Heels had just 265 total yards on 70 plays. That’s just 3.8 yards per play.

More from UNC Football

North Carolina only had 13 first downs, three turnovers, and continued to struggle on third down going just 6-for-18. Sadly, that’s an improvement on the season average. Additionally, they finished with 10 drives that lasted three plays or less.

They also struggled to run the ball once again, finishing with 86 yards.

Chazz Surratt threw an interception for a third consecutive week, though it wasn’t totally his fault. Surratt does not look comfortable out there with a line that is constantly getting beat and allowing pressure on the young signal caller.

The only positive from the UNC offense was the connection between Surratt and Anthony Ratliff-Williams. They connected on five completions, including one for the Tar Heels’ only touchdown on the game.

Defense

Again, the defense did their best. In fact, they were pretty solid. In the first half, they held Notre Dame to just 14 points and forced a punt, interception, or defensive stop on six of the Irish’s eight first half drives.

Of course, just like last week, the defense could only hold up so long for an inept offense that couldn’t sustain drives. Notre Dame stayed patient with the running game and finished with 341 yards on 57 carries.

Myles Dorn had a big game for the Tar Heels, finishing with two interceptions.

On a negative note, the Tar Heels did lose senior safety Donnie Miles to what appeared to be a serious arm injury. Just add Miles to the long list of injuries that the team has already suffered.

Special Teams

The biggest news on special teams was a story that has defined UNC this season. Punter Tom Sheldon left early with an injury. Sheldon has been one of the few bright spots for the Tar Heels this season.

His backup, Hunter Lent, did do an admirable job. Lent punted the ball six times for an average of 46.2 yards, including one that was stopped on the one-yard-line.

Coaching

There were a couple of questionable coaching calls in this game.

The biggest one came at the end of the first half. The Tar Heels had just gotten the ball back after scoring for the first time. Notre Dame had punted the ball down to the North Carolina one. UNC was down only a touchdown and was set to get the ball back to start the second half.

CHAPEL HILL, NC – SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Larry Fedora of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches during their game against the California Golden Bears at Kenan Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Cal won 35-30. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

With just 38 seconds left in the half and Notre Dame down to two timeouts, the Tar Heels should have entered the intermission unscathed. Three quarterback sneaks and the half would be over. The coaching staff, however, had a different idea.

Instead of running the ball, they threw a deep ball that fell incomplete. Then they ran an inside cut that was met in the end zone for a safety. The Tar Heels were forced to punt kick back to the Irish. It didn’t cost the Tar Heels the game, but it changed the game for sure.

The other questionable play came on 4th-and-4 for UNC inside the redzone. The Tar Heels trailed by 19. Instead of kicking the field goal, UNC went for it. Chazz Surratt hit Ratcliff-Williams for an apparent touchdown, that was wiped out by penalty.

Though the play worked, the field goal kick, which they attempted next, was probably a better call.

UNC also finished the game with 10 penalties for 104 yards. A lot of those penalties cost the Tar Heels points or first downs.

The Tar Heels don’t get much of a break this week either, as they welcome the 4-1 Virginia Cavaliers to town.

Home/UNC Football