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North Carolina struggled getting the ball into the end zone in its 35-25 loss to Florida State on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
The Tar Heels dropped to 3-3 on the season, including 2-3 in the ACC, while the Seminoles improved to 2-4 and 2-2.
As we do every week, THI takes a look inside UNC’s offensive output versus FSU:
Note: Many of these numbers and all grades are courtesy of PFF.
*The Tar Heels finished with a respectable 432 total yards on offense and were 7-for-13 on third downs. But an interception in the end zone by FSU and being stopped on fourth down in the redzone were crucial in the game’s outcome.
*In addition, UNC was penalized 12 times for 110 yards, with three 15-yard infractions coming on offense along with three false starts.
*The Tar Heels ran 68 offensive plays averaging 6.4 yards per snap and had a TOP advantage of 30:12 to 29:48. FSU registered one sack among its four TFLs.
*Grades (only those who played 10 or more snaps and graded out at 60.0 or higher are noted): Sam Howell 84.2; Ty Chandler 69.8; D.J. Jones 69.0; Josh Downs 69.0; Joshua Ezeudu 60.7; Kamari Morales 60.3.
Rushing Offense
*Carolina had a quality day running the football, as it showed progress between the tackles, plus Howell had his team-leading third 100-yard game on the season with 108 yards on 11 attempts. Overall, UNC ran for 228 yards on 36 attempts, which is an average of 6.4 yards a carry.
*UNC had 10 runs that went for 10 or more yards, two of which went for 15 or more. Fifteen of the Heels’ 27 first downs came on the ground.
*Of Carolina’s 228 rushing yards, 165 came after contact: Howell 99 of 111; Chandler 35 of 61; and Jones 31of 60.
Rushing Direction
*Left end: 1 attempt for 4 yards.
*Left tackle: None.
*Left guard: 5 attempts for 37 yards (7.4 ave), 3 first downs, two 10-plus runs, a long of 13 yards.
*Between LG & C: 1 attempt for 2 yards, 1 TD, 1 first down.
*Between C & RG: 3 attempts for 23 yards (7.7 ave), 1 first down, one 10-plus run, long of 13 yards.
*Right guard: 7 attempts for 64 yards (9.1 ave), 5 first downs, three 10-plus runs, long of 16 yards.
*Right tackle: 5 attempts for 3 yards (.6 ave), 1 first down, long of 4 yards.
*Right end: 7 attempts for 25 yards (3.6 ave), 2 first downs, long of 6 yards.
*QB scramble: 6 attempts for 74 yards (12.3 ave), 2 first downs, four 10-plus runs, long of 31 yards.
THI’s Take:
The ground was good enough, especially given recent valid criticism. It had enough success between the tackles, the Heels moved the chains on the ground, and did more than enough to complement the passing attack.
Passing Offense
*Sam Howell was 17-for-32 for 203 yards, two TDs, and an interception. He was sacked once, had two passes batted down, three passes dropped, and two throwaways. That’s seven passes that malfunctioned right there. Howell’s NFL rating was 80.6.
*Howell dropped back 29 times under no pressure and was 14-for-27 with 151 yards, a TD, and an INT. Those attempts included three drops, a Throwaway, and two scrambles.
*Howell dropped back 10 times under pressure and was 3-for-5 with 52 yards, a thruway, and he scrambled four times.
*Howell was in play-action 11 times, no play-action 28 times, and screen three times.
Passing Direction
*Howell was 3-for-3 with 29 yards on passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage.
*Howell was 10-for-13 with 81 yards on passes thrown between 0-9 yards downfield.
*Howell was 1-for-6 with 11 yards on passes thrown between 10-19 yards downfield.
*Howell was 3-for-8 with 82 yards, a TD, and an INT on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield.
THI’s Take
Howell is now 6-for-31 on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield in five ACC games, so there was not only an improvement there, but more attempts than in recent games. But overall, the numbers just aren’t what they should be, though it’s not only on Howell. The receivers aren’t getting open, and Howell appears understandably gun shy at times. These aren’t numbers people expected from Howell, and they still don’t tell the full story of Carolina’s issues in its passing game.
Receiving
*Josh Downs was targeted 15 times with 9 receptions for 121 yards, a TD, 6 first downs, 52 yards after the catch, 2 drops, 2 contested targets, and a long of 33 yards.
*Emery Simmons was targeted 4 times with one reception for 7 yards, four of which came after the catch. One target was contested.
*D.J. Jones was targeted 3 times with 3 receptions for 15 yards, 14 of which came after the catch.
*Khafre Brown was targeted 2 times with 0 receptions and a drop.
*Bryson Nesbit was targeted 2 times with 1 reception for 28 yards, a first down, and three yards after the catch.
*Garrett Walston was targeted 1 time with 1 reception for 4 yards, two of which came after the catch, and a first down.
*Antoine Green was targeted 1 time with 1 reception for 7 yards, two of which came after the catch, and a first down.
*Kamari Morales was targeted 1 time with 1 reception for 21 yards, a TD and a first down.
*Justin Olson was targeted 1 time with no reception.
Overall THI's Take
The offense wasn’t bad, as the numbers suggest, but it wasn’t all that productive, as the Heels had only 17 points through the third quarter. And that’s a theme of late, they move the ball some but aren’t scoring at a clip consistent with the yards. In fact, through the first three quarters of the last three games, UNC has scored 14, 24, and 17 offensive points.
A big problem is the receivers aren’t producing much outside of Downs. He has 49 receptions and seven TDs on the season, while the rest of the WRs on the roster have a combined 24 catches and three scores. Green and Simmons each have just one reception for seven yards in each of the last two games, of which they combined to play 221 snaps.
The Tar Heels aren’t explosive on offense like last year, but still must find ways to be more productive.
