The North Carolina Tar Heels had Saturday night exactly where they wanted it - until they didn’t.
UNC opened with a clean, seven-play, 83-yard march and grabbed a 7-0 lead when Jordan Shipp found the end zone on the first drive. Shipp, who scored his first touchdown of the season last week against Duke, kept that momentum going right away. Billy Edwards Jr. also came out sharp, hitting his first 11 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown as the Tar Heels built a 10-0 cushion by the end of the first quarter.
Then the game turned into the same frustrating script fans have seen before. North Carolina’s fast start gave way to stalled drives, and by halftime the lead had been trimmed to 13-10. The early efficiency from Edwards Jr. faded, and the offense never fully held onto its rhythm.
“The games we win are in spite of Billy Edwards not because of him. Never seen a guy who’s been in college for 6 years have happy feet every time he drops back to pass. I wonder what this offense could be if we had a difference maker at QB”
“Billy edwards jr is an incredibly average player qb but unc has been alright because belichick knows that”
“Watching Billy Edwards jr throw a football 100 mph every week to guys less than 5 yards away not only high but in the dirt as well is a nightmareDude doesn’t even know where it’s going… has no feel for when you have to throw the needle or throw a ball with touch”
North Carolina did get a big answer after a costly moment. Jordan Washington dropped what looked like a walk-in touchdown, but on the next fourth-and-one, Demon June punched in a 25-yard score untouched to steady things. On that play, June appeared to break a tackle from Syracuse safety Jai Eugene as he finished the run.
“Demon June bails them out after a terrible drop by the TE @UNCFootball #JustSayin”
From there, UNC had chances to put the game away and didn’t do it. Late in the third quarter, with the ball near midfield and a chance to stretch the lead to three possessions, Edwards Jr. was flushed from the pocket, tried to circle back to his right, and ended up taking a 15-yard sack that forced a punt. Syracuse’s Chris D’Appolonia got credit for the big stop as the Tar Heels remained in front 20-10 with 2:06 left in the third.
Soon after UNC pushed its lead to 10, Syracuse answered with a 76-yard touchdown pass from its quarterback to Umari Hatcher. The Tar Heels had another opening to respond with a long, draining drive, and Edwards Jr. again moved the offense quickly with tempo and short passes. But that possession bogged down near the goal line, leaving North Carolina with a field goal and a 23-17 lead with a little over seven minutes left.
“Billy Edwards Jr... you CANNOT miss BOTH of those wide open WR's!”
Syracuse then scored a touchdown but missed the go-ahead extra-point attempt. UNC still had a shot to win it with a field goal, and the Tar Heels methodically advanced before facing fourth down at the Syracuse 39. Edwards Jr. couldn’t locate an open target and was sacked while trying to escape.
“Billy Edwards Jr is NOT the answer. How can the coaching staff not see this?!”
The finish came in overtime, where Syracuse converted a two-point conversion to escape with a 31-30 win.
In Other News...
UNC Landed A Guard Whose Road To Chapel Hill Suddenly Changed
Kevin Thomas path to Chapel Hill took a sharp turn after he first picked LSU, then asked for a release when the Tigers moved on from Matt McMahon and brought in Will Wade. The four-star guard eventually landed at North Carolina, where Michael Malones staff added a prospect whose recruitment changed as fast as the coaching carousel did, and where a familiar face in former high school teammate Matt Able helped make the transition feel a little less new.
Thomas already got his first taste of the college game in an exhibition for UNC, logging four minutes and making his presence felt on the defensive end. It was a small opening night sample, but for a player whose road to campus shifted so suddenly, even a brief debut offered a first glimpse of how he might fit into the Tar Heels backcourt picture. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs NC State Rivalry Just Lost The Coach Heels Fans Hated
Dave Doerens run at NC State is over, ending a 14-year tenure that made him the winningest coach in Wolfpack history and one of the most familiar figures in the Tar Heels biggest in-state rivalry. His teams went 98-74, and for UNC fans the part that will linger most is the 9-4 mark against the Heels, a streak of success that helped define the matchup for more than a decade.
NC State made the move after a loss to Stanford left the Wolfpack at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play, and running backs coach Todd Goebbel will take over as interim head coach. The university now begins a national search for Doerens replacement, resetting a rivalry that has had the same face across the field for so long. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Womens Soccer Just Sent Another Message To The Top 10
Another top-10 test ended the same way for Carolina women's soccer, with the Tar Heels finding just enough to separate themselves from a heavyweight opponent. No. 1 UNC beat No. 7 Stanford 1-0 in a tight, physical match, and Bella Devey's goal in the 70th minute proved to be the difference in a game where chances were hard to come by.
Peyton Trayer did her part to make the lone strike stand up, finishing with a career-high seven saves to preserve the shutout. It was Carolina's second top-10 win of the season and its ninth shutout overall, another reminder that this group keeps answering big challenges with the kind of edge that travels deep into the postseason conversation. [Read more 🡒]