CHAPEL HILL – In an afternoon in which 112 points were scored, 1,348 yards amassed and a collective 60 first downs gained, North Carolina’s 59-53 victory over Wake Forest could be defined by what its defense did in the second half.
More specifically, an 18-play stretch spanning five Demon Deacons possessions were the difference in the game. Without that sudden surge by the Tar Heels on defense, they wouldn’t have overcome Wake’s 21-point lead late in the third quarter to notch a seemingly improbable victory.
“I thought the biggest difference for us in the second half defensively for us was third down,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said afterward. “We could not get off the field on third downs in the first half, in the second half I think we had four or five three-and-outs and did a tremendous job.”
Wake Forest took a 45-24 lead past the mid-point of the third quarter scoring 24 unanswered points mainly because it was shredding UNC’s defense. Football and basketball coaches always say the only way to generate a run begins with getting stops on defense.
You can’t have a run if the other team keeps scoring, you can have one if they don’t. So Carolina made some adjustments and it worked.
True freshman Ja’Quirious Conley went in to play nickel as Trey Morrison moved to safety and fellow newbie Tony Grimes, who should be a senior in high school right now, went in to play one of the cornerback spots. In addition, defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and his coaches played some other pups, including up front. Myles Murphy and redshirt freshman Kevin Hester, a former basketball player who played one eyar of football in high school, got into the act on the defensive line. The other players weren’t getting it down so the staff had to try something, and it worked.
As Brown said, the Tar Heels got off the field. In that five-possession span, Wake was 0-for-5 on third downs and 0-for-1 on fourth down, a play in which Chazz Surratt sacking Wake quarterback Sam Hartman. Otherwise, the Deacs were 9-for-13 on third downs on the afternoon. And on the field during those stops were a multitude of newcomers.
“I caught myself when I looked out there and the game’s on the line and I see five (or) six freshmen out there, and I’m about to get on the phone and say, ‘Take them out, man. This is a critical time in the game, get those young ones off the field,'" Brown said.
“And I didn’t, and then I’d look and Kevin Hester gets a tackle for a loss and Ja’Quarious Conley gets a sack or Kaimon Rucker’s made a tackle for a loss.”
The stops:
*4:43 left in third quarter (45-31)
Incomplete pass, 6-yard screen, no gain run play, Wake punt.
*1:35 left in third quarter (45-31)
3-yard run, sack for 4-yard loss (intentional grounding as well), offsides UNC, incomplete pass, Wake punt.
*14:51 left fourth quarter (45-38)
Offsides UNC, 1-yard run, 5-yard run (1st down), 7-yard pass, minus-1 run, incomplete pass, Wake punt.
*8:19 left in fourth quarter (45-45)
PI UNC, Incomplete pass, 2-yard run, incomplete pass, Wake punt.
*4:11 left in fourth quarter (45-52)
Incomplete pass, 1-yard run, incomplete pass, sacks loss of 11 yards, UNC takes over on downs at the Wake 15.
UNC scored two plays later to take a two-touchdown lead and complete a 35-0 eruption. Overall, Wake ran 18 plays gaining nine offensive yards, plus UNC was flagged three times for 25 yards. Bottom line, the Heels got the stops they needed.
“I think it came down to one-on-one matchups, really,” senior linebacker Chazz Surratt said. “We put our corners out there on an island a lot of times, so they were able to make some plays in coverage and in turn we were able to get the offense off the field.”
Quarterback Sam Howell set records, wide receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome were sensational, and running back Javonte Williams went past the century mark again, but it was an 18-snap stretch by Carolina’s defense, which included some players previously wet behind the ears, that was the difference in the game’s outcome.
