CHAPEL HILL - The last time North Carolina played inside Kenan Stadium, there was a range of emotions surrounding the program. A 68-yard rushing touchdown by Georgia Tech in the final minute cemented the Tar Heels’ fourth consecutive loss, and just moments after leaving the field, both the coaching staff and the team learned of the passing of Tylee Craft.

That was October 12.

As grief enveloped the program, which was mourning the loss of not only a teammate, but a friend, in conjunction with the ups and downs of a season drifting away, the Tar Heels were in the midst of a storm.

Five weeks later, and UNC finds itself winners of two straight games and back over .500, just one win away from becoming bowl eligible, and feeling a whole lot better about everything.

“This is a tough team. They’ve had a bunch of stuff thrown at them,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said during his weekend press conference Monday at the Kenan Football Center. “They’ve had negative talk, they’ve had people that have thrown them out, they’ve lost a player, they’ve had players sick and hurt. They’re on their third quarterback.”

The Tar Heels dominated Virginia, 41-14, in Charlottesville, and a week later took care of business against a reeling Florida State team, 35-11, leading to a shift in the mood in Chapel Hill.

“I would say the vibe is a lot different. There were a lot of things going on, outside distractions,” safety Will Hardy said Tuesday. “A lot of that was because of our play and how we weren’t performing like we wanted to, but I think just since the Virginia [and] Florida State games, we sort of got back on track to who we were.”

Brown is not surprised his team is playing its best football of the season because it’s not the first time he’s seen it.

“The team that we saw the last two weeks is the team that I saw in the spring, the one I see in practice, and the one I thought we would have all year,” said Brown.

The UNC defense has allowed just three touchdowns over the last two games, while notching 17 sacks, forcing five turnovers, and recording a pick six. Both the Cavaliers and Seminoles were held to under 300 yards of total offense, marking the first time UNC has held back-to-back opponents to fewer than 300 yards on the road since 2007.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Tar Heels have continued to take strides with Jacolby Criswell under center. Criswell has gone four consecutive games without throwing an interception, while tallying 200 or more yards and a touchdown in six straight contests.

On the ground, running back Omarion Hampton has continued to showcase why he’s one of the best backs in the country, amassing 407 total yards and seven touchdowns over UNC’s two-game winning streak.

“We’re where we want to be at right now from a point of knowing who we are, knowing what we want to accomplish, and not letting anything get in our way,” said Criswell.

Getting closer to its identity is in some ways a testament to the resolve of the Tar Heels, who, even with an injury to tight end Bryson Nesbit, now find themselves the healthiest they’ve been all season.

Two bye weeks within the course of a month allowed UNC to manage injuries and enabled starters like Hampton to minimize the beating taken at the running back position.

Finishing strong has been a focal point for the Tar Heels, who hoped to use the blowout victory at Virginia as a springboard to bowl season.

“Sometimes it takes things a little longer to understand and figure out. For us, it’s happening at the right time,” said Criswell. “I feel like everyone’s locked into their job, locked into finishing this thing out the way we want to finish it out.”

North Carolina will play two of its final three games of the season inside Kenan Stadium, beginning on Saturday night against Wake Forest. And while the Tar Heels have won three straight and five out of the last seven games against the Demon Deacons, they have been less than stellar at home.

Even so, UNC is embracing the opportunity to erase its losing tendencies.

“We’re excited to be back home. We haven’t played well at home, honestly,” said Criswell. We’re excited to get a home win since we haven’t had one in awhile and I feel like the guys are fired up.”

The vibes in Chapel Hill are different, and what once started as a storm has turned into opportunity for the Tar Heels.