UNC Football: Three major keys from the win against Minnesota

These three major keys played a huge role in the UNC football program’s 18-point victory over Big Ten foe Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.

The UNC football program won its third consecutive contest, as they defeated Big Ten foe Minnesota by an 18-point margin on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Although this game had the makings of being an even bigger blowout, Mack Brown’s team was able to get the job done en route to a rather comfortable victory.

Three major keys played a huge role in the UNC football program picking up this victory:

Time of Possession

P.J. Fleck-led teams like to do two things: run the football and control the time of possession.

Although the Golden Gophers were successful on the ground, they weren’t able to control the time of possession, as they spent essentially the entire game in catch-up mode.

Once Drake Maye and the Tar Heels offense scored on the opening drive of the game, it forced Minnesota to have to throw the ball more in an effort to keep up. This forced the Golden Gophers out of their comfort zone, which led to some quick (unsuccessful) drives and a few turnovers as well.

North Carolina’s offense held the football for 33:10 minutes of game action. What is considered to be the Tar Heels’ biggest strength was on the field six minutes more than the Golden Gophers’ offense was, which was not only beneficial in wearing down the Minnesota defense but also helped keep the Tar Heels’ defense off the field.

Essentially, the UNC football program successfully took one of Minnesota’s biggest strengths away by controlling the time of possession.

Third Down Conversion Rate

Coming into this contest, the UNC football program ranked at the top of the ACC in third-down conversion rate (62%). This was also good for fifth-best in the entire country, as the Tar Heels offense has done a great job of extending drives.

Once again, success on third down was a huge factor, as the Tar Heels also won drastically in this area.

Minnesota’s defense could not get North Carolina’s offense off the field, as the Tar Heels converted on 12 of their 17 third-down opportunities. On the other side, the Golden Gophers converted on just three of their 12 attempts, as the Tar Heels’ defense did a tremendous job of getting the ball back into their offense’s hands.

Turnovers didn’t prove to be costly

Drake Maye had back-to-back possessions where he made questionable throws that led to interceptions.

Fortunately, the Tar Heels defense had his back.

On those two ensuing Minnesota drives, the North Carolina defense allowed a combined three points, which was a huge boost in turning the momentum back in the Tar Heels’ favor.

In the past, it would be tough to trust the Tar Heels defense to make stops like that. This season, they continue to prove that they are up for the challenge, which certainly takes some of the pressure off their star quarterback when he does make a mistake (yes, he is human!)

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