UNC Football: Defense answers the call in second half vs. Virginia

Despite blowing a double-digit lead in the first half, the UNC Football program was able to hold off a feisty 2-0 Virginia team to end a four-game losing streak to the Cavaliers and earn their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the year on Saturday.

The Tar Heels jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the 10:47 mark of the second quarter. But Virginia mounted a comeback due to some sloppy play on defense, questionable coaching decisions and a Sam Howell interception as the Cavaliers led 28-24 at the break.

The Cavaliers had all the momentum in the game as quarterback Brennan Armstrong was red-hot throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. UNC’s defense seemingly had no answer and it appeared as if we were headed for another disappointing loss early in the season for the Tar Heels. But in the second half,  they turned things around and Athey did so with their defense answering the call.

UNC held Virginia to just 11 second-half points including outscoring them 21-3 in that crucial third quarter. The Cavaliers only touchdown in the second half came in the middle of the fourth quarter as they were trying to mount a comeback. For Mack Brown’s team, having Jay Bateman’s unit standup and play a big role in the second half was key.

With Armstrong having the game he had, Brown knew his defense would have to step up and get a turnover to give the advantage back to UNC:

“You knew they were going to score points,” Brown said via Inside Carolina. “We were hoping we would get a turnover, we dropped two interceptions that we’ve got to catch. When a guy’s hot like that, that’s what you’ve got to do. We’ve got to get more sacks. We were back there some but he’s so good at stepping around and I do think that’s two of the best quarterbacks in the country.”

The Tar Heels did get that turnover Ja’qurious Conley was able to pick off Armstrong late in the third quarter with UNC leading 45-31. The interception came at a great time as it allowed the Tar Heels to get an extra possession on offense and stop the Cavaliers from making it a one-score game.

Forcing takeaways is something that has bothered this defense the past few seasons but getting one there in a big moment was clutch for the sophomore defensive back.

But for Brown, the biggest storyline for this team was how they showed off their toughness and responded to adversity by trailing at halftime and coming back to win.

“Some of you asked me about on Wednesday, and what we talked about as a team all week is mental toughness,” Brown said. “It’s really, really hard for young guys in this game to see something flip like that and flip it back. This is a mentally tough football team because they absolutely flipped it back and didn’t blink. As worried as I was about it at halftime, they were not, they fixed it, and I’m very proud of them.”

Next up for the Tar Heels is a trip to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech as they look for their second ACC win of the year.

For more on the UNC Football program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.