Tar Heels Are Coastal Division Champions
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WINSTON-SALEM – For the first time in seven years, North Carolina has won the ACC Coastal Division, as the Tar Heels outright clinched a spot in the league’s title game with a 36-34 victory at Wake Forest on Saturday night at Truist Field.
The No. 15 Tar Heels took leads of 14-0 and 21-7 before the Demon Deacons roared past them for a 28-27 lead midway through the third quarter. And, the Deacs led again, 34-33, and had the ball at the Carolina 10-yard-line at the mid-point of the fourth quarter, but UNC got a stop when Kaimon Rucker forced a fumble on fourth down.
Several minutes later, a Cam Kelly interception led to a 33-yard Noah Burnette field goal for the game’s final points. And as the finals seconds ticked off the clock, a wild celebration erupted on the Carolina bench and onto the field: North Carolina had clinched the division title.
“I’ve talked to them for a couple of weeks about not talking about the Coastal,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said. “I didn’t want to back in. I didn’t want someone to lose. I didn't want them to be looking for someone to lose. I wanted us to win, and the guys did that… That’s a happy bunch of young people right now.”
Carolina certainly didn’t back into any of its six wins in six league contests. The Heels were pushed to the final minute of each road win: Three points at Miami; three points at Duke; three points at Virginia; and two points at Wake.
Their two home ACC wins have been more convincing victories over Virginia Tech (41-10) and Pittsburgh (42-24).
UNC improved to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the ACC with games remaining at home versus Georgia Tech and NC State. The Heels finish the regular season 6-0 on the road for the first time in program history, and they have won six consecutive games since a home loss to Notre Dame in late September.
“It feels great,” said Kelly, a senior safety. “A lot of people counted us out of this game. We were the underdogs, and we ended up pulling it through. We had the most confidence in ourselves.
“But also, being the Coastal champion hasn’t happened in a long time. Just doing that and giving Mack that in Chapel Hill is just a great feeling.”
The last and only time Carolina outright won the division was in 2015, when the team opened the season with a loss before taking 11 consecutive games. UNC was in a three-way tie for the Coastal title in 2012, but wasn’t eligible for the championship because it was serving a one-year NCAA probation.
Drake Maye passed for 448 yards and three touchdowns, and Josh Downs caught 11 passes for 154 yards and three scores to lead the Tar Heels, who now have the second most wins of any Carolina team since Brown left Chapel Hill for Texas in 1997.
“It was a good time in the locker room,” junior linebacker Cedric Gray said. “We got presented the Coastal trophy in the locker room. Guys were happy, it was a proud moment to get it presented to us because it was definitely one of our goals this year for the team.
“It was definitely good vibes in the locker room.”
Carolina will face Clemson in the ACC championshi game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on December 3. UNC will be seeking its first ACC championship since 1980.
The Tar Heels host Georgia Tech at Kenan Stadium next Saturday at 5:30 PM.
*Deana King and Trey Scott contributed to this report.
