Sports can be cruel at times, especially in situations where you desperately want something to actually go your way.
That's what happened on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium, as the UNC football program came up a yard short of upsetting No. 16-ranked Virginia in overtime.
In arguably the Tar Heels best overall performance of the season (especially on the defensive side of the football), missed opportunities hurt them in their pursuit of their first Power 5 victory of the Bill Belichick era.
Similar to last week's game, one where a goal line fumble proved costly, ANOTHER goal line fumble rolled in favor of the UNC football program's opponent. This time, Kobe Paysour lunged toward the pylon, but didn't control the football enough as he made contact. The ball was deemed a fumble into the end zone, giving Virginia the ball back.
While a touchdown in that situation (heck, even a field goal) would've been the deciding factor, a crucial call by Virginia head coach Tony Elliot kept another three points off the board just prior to halftime.
Rece Verhoff booted a 50-yard field goal through the uprights, but Elliot strategically called a timeout just before the snap to "ice the kicker." This strategy paid off, as Verhoff's second attempt missed wide left, leaving the game tied at 10 heading to the locker room.
Fast forward to overtime, a situation where the UNC football program found itself trailing by seven after Virginia's opening possession. The Tar Heels found their way into the end zone, as Bill Belichick and company elected to go for two (and the win). Gio Lopez connected with Benjamin Hall on a play action pass, as the Michigan transfer was brought down about a yard short of the goal line.
You know the old saying, "so close, yet so far." That accurately depicts what North Carolina experienced on Saturday afternoon.
Give credit to this group: they battled the entire game against one of the country's top 25 teams. They made life difficult for quarterback Chandler Morris, sacking him six times while also forcing him to throw an interception.
To put it into perspective, Morris was sacked just five times all year prior to this game.
While the offense didn't put enough points on the board, they did do some things very well. The run game combined for 145 yards while Lopez threw for 200+ yards for the first time as a Tar Heel, as guys like Jordan Shipp (7 catches, 67 yards), Kobe Paysour (3 catches, 53 yards) and freshman Madrid Tucker (8 catches, 41 yards) all made steady impacts.
There's no moral victories or asterisks that go next to losses, but there has to be some feeling of encouragement from what we watched on Saturday afternoon. It's definitely a step in the right direction, as Belichick has preached how this group has been working to improve on a daily basis.
Based on Saturday afternoon, progress is definitely being made in Chapel Hill.