UNC Football: Tar Heels complete improbable comeback victory over Wake

After trailing by 18 points midway through the third quarter, the UNC football program knocked off undefeated Wake Forest.

The Tar Heels appeared as if they were down for the count midway through the third quarter, having sacrificed 45 points to the Demon Deacons and facing an 18-point deficit. But then they went on one of the most improbable runs we’ve seen since, well, the last time they played against Wake Forest when they trailed big heading into the fourth quarter and eventually won 59-53.

Clearly when these two teams take the field against each other, history says to take the over. After 112 combined points in last year’s meeting, the two teams tallied 113 on Saturday, as the Tar Heels came back and beat the ninth-ranked Deacons by a final score of 58-55.

Sam Howell was nearly unstoppable on the ground against Wake Forest, rushing the ball 21 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Pair that with his 16-for-26 passing performance that yielded 216 yards and a touchdown, and Howell was every bit the Heisman Trophy candidate he looked to be when the season began.

Ty Chandler had a career performance against Wake, tallying 213 yards and four touchdowns on just 22 carries — that’s good for a 9.7 yard-per-carry average. That followed what appeared to be a bad call on the Tar Heels’ opening drive that was ruled a Chandler fumble, but he didn’t let it affect him much. He consistently ran all over the Wake Forest defense, gashing them for big gains and helping the Tar Heels come back in a game that they looked to be well out of with just over a quarter remaining.

Yes, the UNC defense was bad. Again. There’s not much we can say to refute that, and to touch on it too much just seems redundant at this point. What can be said about the Tar Heels’ defensive unit, though, is that when stops were needed late in the game, they made them. A Cam’Ron Kelly interception in the fourth quarter — his second of the game — as well as some much-needed third and fourth down stops kept the Demon Deacons at bay.

There’s no way to reasonably expect the North Carolina offense to score nearly 60 points every game, and there are no doubt changes that need to be made on the defensive side of the ball, but the Tar Heels do come away Saturday with their biggest victory of the season. They are now just one game away from a bowl invitation, and they ended any College Football Playoff hopes — though they were incredibly slim — of their ACC counterpart.

The Tar Heels will take the field again on Thursday night when they take on the No. 25 Pittsburg Panthers at Heinz Field.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of that game, and all the latest on the UNC football program.