Lessons Learned from UNC football program's impotent performance at Boston College

Time of possession killed UNC's defense

The North Carolina football program only had the ball for 3:06 in the first quarter. Boston College received first and ran 13 plays for 8:45 and kicked a field goal. UNC got one first down on a J.J. Jones reception, and punted after just 3:06 and did not get the ball back until the second quarter when BC went up 10-0.

This is a problem for two reasons. North Carolina's defense has been hot and cold this season. When they're sack-happy, UNC is quite formidable. When they aren't, teams get on schedule and just slowly pound the Tar Heels into the ground. Boston College was only sacked once, so you get an idea of what kind of afternoon it was in Chestnut Hill. When the defense stays on the field and can't stop their opponents, they get tired and don't get late game improvement.

The other reason is that when you're behind suddenly, you can't use your best offensive weapon. Omarion Hampton only had 11 rushes for 53 yards. This reads like a decent first half for the all-ACC running back, but not a full game total. But when you're behind by a lot, you need to score points without taking too much time off the clock. Falling behind is Hampton's biggest liability, because you can't use him as liberally as you'd like.