The North Carolina defense that once looked like a strength is turning into a major problem as November arrives.
That issue was on full display in two straight games. Syracuse, a 2-win team, rolled up 455 yards against UNC on October 24 in a 31-30 Tar Heels loss. Then on Halloween night, top-ranked Miami (FL) put up 416 yards and escaped Kenan Stadium with a 38-35 win, keeping its unbeaten season alive.
After UNC’s near-upset bid, starting linebacker Peyton Seelmann broke down what the Tar Heels thought they had going in and where it slipped away.
“I mean, I feel like we had a pretty good gameplan going in," Seelmann said. "I thought we executed pretty well but, their players made plays and we didn’t.”
Seelmann was one of the few bright spots on a defense that spent most of the night chasing the game. He finished with nine tackles, including two solo stops, a sack and two tackles for loss. He was the only North Carolina defender to post a sack and two TFLs in the game, and he was also the only UNC player to record a sack against Syracuse.
Miami’s offense made the Tar Heels pay almost every time they had the ball. The Hurricanes punted just once, and that came on the Tar Heels’ lone stop late in the first quarter. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney kept their Heisman Trophy campaigns moving, hooking up for 75 yards and two touchdowns, while Mark Fletcher Jr. added 86 yards and three scores on the ground.
If North Carolina gets even one second-half stop, the conversation changes completely. Instead, the Tar Heels are left with another painful loss.
UNC now heads to UConn on November 7, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. in East Hartford. The Huskies are 4-4 and average 437.6 yards per game, leaving North Carolina with another test for a defense that needs answers fast.
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Belichicks Tar Heels Just Showed They Can Hang With The Best
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It is still too early to talk about North Carolina as a true championship threat, and this loss did not change that. But under Bill Belichick, the Tar Heels are clearly moving in a better direction, and this was the kind of performance that matters because it suggests the gap is shrinking. For a program trying to climb back into relevance, hanging with the nations top team is a meaningful step, even if the final result still came up short. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Went Toe To Toe With No. 1 Miami Until One Brutal Mistake
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North Carolina even managed to briefly grab the lead in the fourth quarter, a striking turn against the top-ranked team in the country. Then came the play that changed everything, as Edwards Jr. coughed up the ball late and Miami came away with the recovery, leaving the Tar Heels to wonder how a game they had pushed so hard could slip away in one brutal moment. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs 2027 Future Just Got Real With One Big Question
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The bigger question now is how all of those pieces eventually sort themselves out, because the conversation around this class is no longer just about landing talent, it is about building a roster. Henrys commitment puts North Carolina in position to keep stacking options, but the real challenge will come in figuring out how the development of these prospects lines up with the teams future needs and who ultimately becomes part of the core. [Read more 🡒]