The Four Stages Of Carolina's Uncommon Season

North Carolina has looked at times like a .500 team and for a brief period one that was on the extended CFP radar.

The Tar Heels are 9-4 as they take a break before diving into preparation to face Oregon in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 28. How they got to this point wasn’t void of drama. A lot of drama.

UNC has had eight games that were decided by a touchdown or less. To add even more confusion to its success, the Heels went 6-0 in true road games compared to finishing winless away from home last season.

As Coastal Division champions and with three more wins than a year ago, the season has been a success in spite of teeth-grinding moments such as giving up 61 points to Appalachian State and being knocked out of the College Football Playoff conversation by laying an egg at home against a 4-6 Georgia Tech that had an interim coach at the time and played its third and fourth-string quarterbacks.

Four different periods stick out with unique spectrums. Here is a look at how the Heels got to this point:

*2-0 record, scoring 59.5 ppg, allowing 42.5 ppg, gaining 587.5 ypg, allowing 492 ypg.

-Against Florida A&M was a win but UNC wasn’t as dominant as people expected. FAMU put up 24 points in the first three quarters against mostly starters.

-App State was a pure shootout. UNC's offense without Josh Downs and Antoine Green looked absolutely amazing, putting up 567 yards and scoring 63 points on the road. However, just as good as the offense looked, the defense looked equally bad. giving up 40 fourth-quarter points.

UNC’s mood: The offense put up phenomenal numbers, scoring touchdowns at will, but there was more concern with the defense allowing too much everything to the Rattlers and being scorched by the Mountaineers.

“They’re embarrassed,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said during his weekly Monday press conference two days after winning in Boone. “They’re disappointed.”

*4-1 record, scoring 36 ppg, allowing 27.6, registering 453 ypg, allowing 423 ypg in that three-game span.

-The Georgia State game drew extra concern for the defense. The Heels won on the road in back-to-back games, but GSU ran all over the Heels' defense with three running backs with at least 70 yards each and 4.4 yards per carry.

-The Notre Dame game forced the first reset of the season. UNC got punished on both sides of the ball as the Fighting Irish racked up 567 yards in total offense, mostly lining up and running right at the UNC defense. All-America tight end Michael Mayer crippled UNC’s chances on seemingly every third down, with five of his eight catches for first downs in those situations.

The key moment wasn’t on the field, it came on UNC’s sideline, where the defensive players were in turmoil, noticeably fussing with each other.

-UNC got back on the winning track by taking things out on visiting Virginia Tech the following week beating the Hokies 41-10. The defensive Tar Heels conducted a players-only meeting to discuss their internal issues that were holding them back on the field. They responded by allowing only 174 yards passing and 99 yards rushing.

UNC’s mood: Big game at home against Dame was a measuring stick, but the Irish overpowered Carolina, proving the Heels had more work to do to reach an elite level. The players responded with a convincing win over the Hokies, adding hope to the 4-1 start.

“One of the key things in being a good football team, and it does continue to life, is being able to respond,” Brown said after the game. “How do you respond when things are really good? Can you keep your focus and keep working? How do you respond when things are really bad? Can you pick it up and go right back to work…

“We are growing up. We are maturing. We are learning what to do to win games.”

*9-1, 34.8 ppg, 29 ppg allowed, 476.6 ypg gained , 437 ypg allowed in that five-game span.

-The Miami and Duke games were very similar for the Heels. Both were very close road wins, and in both games, the defense made late fourth-quarter stops that led to wins.

-Pittsburgh’s visit in late October was closer than the scoreboard suggests, with UNC winning 42-24. The Tar Heels entered the fourth quarter trailing 24-21 at home, but exploded for 21 fourth-quarter points while shutting out the Panthers. Quarterback Drake Maye had a Heisman-caliber performance, going 34-for-44 for 388 yards and five touchdowns while rushing 14 times for 72 yards.

-The trips to Charlottesville and Winston-Salem were back-to-back road wins for the Heels. The Wake Forest game was more exciting than Virginia and down to the wire, but two more close wins on the road enabled the Heels to finish 6-0 on the road, plus they clinched the ACC Coastal Division title that night at Wake. Maye combined for 519 yards that night, as well, and jumped head first into the Heisman conversation.

UNC’s mood: UNC improved to 6-0 on the road for the first time since 1997. The Heels were ranked 13th with a record of 9-1, clinching the division and earning a spot in the ACC Championship. Maye had a monster five-game stretch, going 138-for-196 (70%) with 1,818 yards, 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing on 81 carries for 329 yards and two scores.

"I said if he goes to Winston-Salem and plays great on the road in a game that's been a tough game for us, then he deserves all the credit in the world,” Brown said following UNC’s 36-34 win over the Demon Deacons when asked about Maye’s Heisman viability.

“He's one of the best quarterbacks in the country, so I can't imagine him not being in New York."

*9-4, 18 ppg , 30 ppg allowed, 370 ypg gained, 360 ypg allowed in three-game span.

-Falling at home to Georgia Tech started the shocking downfall. UNC jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half but never scored again falling 21-17. Tech beat the Heels with a first-time starting quarterback in Zach Gibson. For the first time this season, Maye failed to score a touchdown passing or rushing. Perhaps the most notable play in the game was when stellar record-setting receiver Josh Downs dropped what likely would have been the winning touchdown very late in the contest.

-The NC State game was a classic rivalry battle that went into two overtimes. The defense made plays to keep the Heels alive, but surprisingly, the offense fell short for the second consecutive week in a row. UNC placekicker Noah Burnette’s second missed field goal of the game came in the second overtime, sealing the victory for the Wolfpack.

-Trying to win the conference championship for the first time since 1980, UNC's offense lookeds much more like its regular self early on. The defense forced a three-and-out; the offense scored on its first drive, but UNC's momentum was halted by a fumble, blocked field goal, and interception. Maye’s 98-yard pick-six in the third quarter came when the Heels were marching toward the end zone and appeared ready to cut the Tigers’ lead to a touchdown 32-10, and UNC couldn’t recover.

UNC’s mood: The Heels went from having a Heisman Trophy front-runner quarterback on the nation's No. 13 team with real chances of making the CFP to a struggling quarterback on an unranked team with a three-game losing streak. And, naturally, every aspect of the team is being called into question. During the skid, Maye is 71-for-121 (58.7 percent) with 703 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, he also ran 39 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

“Good for us to get here; now we've got to learn how to play,” Brown said following the loss to Clemson. “Got to learn how to win. We've got to learn how to win.”

UNC was considered a suspect team after the first two games. After five games, it quietly built back some respect owning a 4-1 mark.

The six-game stretch following the Notre Dame game was where the Heels were as close to complete as they were all season. Now, they weren’t complete, but it was their best overall football for sure.

It also put Carolina on the cusp of being in some interesting and impressive conversations. Yet, as quickly as the hype surfaced, it was dashed in the three-game losing streak.

With numerous Tar Heels already in the transfer portal, and a few more likely headed there, plus Downs likely headed to the NFL, Carolina has one more opportunity to add a final chapter and reverse the current narrative.

UNC plays Oregon in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 28 with a chance at earning a 10th win. The Heels' nine wins this season are their second most since 1997, and it is the most for Mack Brown since his return to UNC.

With Maye returning, the Heels are still on track for an even more successful season next fall. There aren’t many seniors on the roster, and most of the players in the portal weren’t expected to seriously challenge for extended playing time, Carolina should see nine wins as its base goal, ir not more.

Was this season, and the one game left in it, a bridge to a special year in 2023? We will see, but it’s possible.