UNC Football: Nathan Elliott places blame on himself

UNC Football quarterback Nathan Elliott took full responsibility for the struggles on offense in the season opener against Cal

That’s not how you wanted to start the 2018 college football season.

After a disappointing year in 2017, head coach Larry Fedora is hoping to turn things around this season and get back to a bowl game. Or at the very last, get this program in the right direction.

But on Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels opened up the 2018 campaign on the road and it wasn’t pretty for the offense.

UNC’s offense struggled right out of the gate, going three-and-out on the first drive. Perhaps it was an omen as to what was to come at least in the first half.

The Tar Heels offense finished the first half with just 38 yards of total offense compared to 52 yards worth of penalties.

Quarterback Nathan Elliott was just 5-of-14 for 12 yards and threw 3 interceptions, one going back for a pick-six. Another interception of Elliott led to a Cal touchdown as the Golden Bears took the lead and never really looked back.

Elliott did play better in the second half and finished the game 15-of-35 for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Tar Heels managed to make things close by scoring late and then appearing to recover the onside kick before officials ruled their was an illegal block and Cal held on to win 24-17.

It’s not the ideal performance you want from your starting quarterback, especially in the season opener.

Following the game, Elliott spoke to reporters and put the blame on himself for the loss, not making any excuses along the way.

Here’s what Elliott told Inside Carolina following the game:

"“We never really got anything rolling, offensively… I’ve got to be better,” Elliott said. “We’ve got to get that thing rolling. We weren’t really moving the ball that well at all in the beginning. Towards the end of the second half we started picking it up and it was a lot better. That is something we can build off of. We’ve got to come out of the gate faster.”"

Elliott entered the offseason battling for the starting quarterback job with Chazz Surratt after both started games last season for the Tar Heels.

But as August hit and the Tar Heels were in training camp, Elliott was named the starter after Surratt was suspended four games for selling team-issued shoes. Fedora went with the redshirt junior in hopes of getting this offense going.

Against Cal, UNC’s offense struggled for the most part and it didn’t help that they were missing impact player Michael Carter. Still, it wasn’t a promising performance overall and leaves some concerns for what the future may hold.

UNC returns to the field Saturday with another road game in Greenville as they take on East Carolina. It’s a chance for Elliott to play better in a game that the Tar Heels are favored in, so any progress would be a good thing.

For more on the Tar Heels and the football program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.