ATLANTA – Georgia Tech simply has North Carolina’s number, and perhaps no Tar Heels loss to the Yellow Jackets will sting as much as this one, as Tech came from behind for a 46-42 victory on Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
UNC led 14-0, 21-7 and 35-24 early in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t close the deal. Tech scored all of its points in the second and fourth quarters, and also combined to gain 537 yards in the two periods.
Omarion Hampton ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns and Drake Maye passed for 310 yards and two scores.
The Tar Heels lost for the second consecutive week and dropped to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets improved to 4-4 and 3-2.
Here are some noteworthy tidbits from UNC’s loss to Georgia Tech:
*UNC had its third punt of the season blocked after going three-and-out to start the second half. Also, UNC place kicker Noah Burnette missed a 39-yard yard field goal in the fourth quarter with the Heels leading 42-39.
*Omarion Hampton’s 153 yards make this the third consecutive game he has gone over the century mark. He had 197 in a win over Miami two weeks ago, 112 in a loss to Virginia last week, and 153 tonight. He has totaled 462 yards on 72 attempts for an average of 6.4 yards per carry in that span.
*UNC led 17-0 last year to GT and lost 21-17, it led 14-0, 21-7, 35-24, and 42-32 today.
*Drake Maye was sacked two times tonight versus zero registered sacks by the Tar Heels. After a 9-0 edge in that department in the opener, the Tar Heels have eight sacks in the last seven games while allowing 20.
*Penalties were again an issue for the Tar Heels. They were huge two weeks ago in a win over Miami, but they managed to escape. Tonight, they were killer. A 31-yard pass play to Bryson Nesbit. UNC punted on that possession instead of first down inside Tech’s 35. Overall, UNC was flagged eight times for 65 yards. Tech was flagged three times for 18 yards.
*GT had a first down on 12 of its 13 possessions. The lone one without a first down came when Chapman intercepted Haynes King’s pass on the first play after Tech blocked a UNC punt.
*Georgia Tech did not score any points in the first and third quarters, but had a combined for 46 points 537 yards, and 23 first downs in the second and fourth quarters.
*Drake Maye quietly had a really nice games completing 17 of 25 passes for 310 yards and two scores. It was his fourth 300-plus game and second in a row. Maye was just 41-for-81 over the previous two games.
*In addition to not getting any sacks on the night, UNC had 3 TFLs, no QB hurries, and just one PBU.
*Georgia Tech has scored 45 and 46 points against UNC in the Tar Heels’ last two meetings versus it in Atlanta.
*Don Chapman interception on a pass deflected by Gio Biggers on Tech’s first possession of the second half, and it came a few plays after UNC had a punt blocked. UNC started at its own 15, and 13 plays and 85 yards later, the Tar Heels scored on a 14-yard run by Maye for a 35-24 lead.
*Chapmans were wild here at The Flats, as Doc Chapman made his presence felt after Tech cut the margin to 35-32 in the fourth quarter. He returned a kickoff 52 yards to the GT 38-yard-line. Then two plays later, he caught a pass cutting over the middle from Maye for a 35-yard touchdown and a 42-32 UNC lead. In less than a minute, he significantly impacted the game.
