MIAMI GARDENS, FL – North Carolina will find plenty of things to clean up when it watches film of its 20-13 win at No. 16 Miami on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Tar Heels moved the ball 461 yards on the afternoon and had possession for 32:59 of the clock, but managed just 20 points. But at least that was enough.
Here is a look at some concerns from UNC’s 5th win in 7 games, improving them to 3-1 in the ACC:
Missed Opportunities: So exactly how many points did the Tar Heels leave on the field? They had a field goal blocked, and failed to convert after a 1st-and-goal at the Miami 1-yard-line. Overall, the Heels moved into Miami territory five times without scoring.
“Definitely. The feeling is that we just left points on the field,” UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky said. “I can’t tell you any specifics right now. We’ve got to go back and look at the film. Obviously, when you get on the goal line, we’ve got our big package down there. We’ve got to be able to punch the ball in the end zone or spread them out and find some holes. Definitely felt like we left some things on the field — we need to convert some more third downs.
“Our defense played a spectacular game. We were able to stay on the field in crucial times like that last drive just moving the chains. But yeah, it did feel like we left a lot of plays out there.”
Short Pass Coverage – The Hurricanes routinely had guys wide open for much of the first half. Perfect example was on a 4th-and-2 at the UNC 30, they hit on a 12-yard completion, there was no defender anywhere near the receiver. But Carolina stiffened and didn’t let the gains beat them.
False Starts – The Heels were flagged for 7 false starts, two on junior and regular starter Bentley Spain and two on redshirt freshman William Sweet, who went into the game in the first half when senior OT Jon Heck went down with an injury. Heck didn’t return.
Blocked Field Goal – Nick Weiler lined up to kick a 39-yard field goal on UNC’s opening possession of the 2nd half and it was blocked, keeping the score 20-3 with 11:21 left in the 3rd quarter. The Heels had an extra point blocked two weeks ago in a win at Florida State, so they need to fix whatever is going wrong here.
4th-And-Goal – The Tar Heels ha the ball 1st-and-goal at the Miami 1 and failed to get it into the end zone. They used a shotgun the on 1st and 2nd downs, the second with Trubisky rolling to his right. Then they finally had Trubisky go under center but Hood couldn’t get in and then Trubisky couldn’t get it. They should have gone power all four snaps.
Andre Smith, Targeting – The sophomore linebacker was flagged for targeting with 9:30 left in the game and was disqualified. It was a big mistake because he’s the team’s best linebacker and that left a void in the middle the rest of the way. Smith must sit out the first half next week at Virginia.
Injuries – The Tar Heels lost two more starters Saturday, with senior OT Jon Heck going down in the first half and senior Mack Hollins breaking his collar bone as well. Nether player returned.
