No. 17 North Carolina trailed at halftime for the third straight game, and for the third straight game the Tar Heels dominated the second half, winning 31-28 over Virginia here Saturday afternoon.
It was Mack Brown’s first-ever win in Charlottesville in seven visits to Scott Stadium. The win moves the Tar Heels to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play.
Trailing 14-10 at the half, UNC scored on their first three possessions in the third quarter to take what looked like control of the game, leading 31-21 late in the fourth quarter.
Virginia then scored on a 59-second drive to slice the lead to 31-28 with just over three minutes left. Left with no timeouts, head coach Tony Elliott opted to try an onside kick. UNC gained control of the ball after a Virginia penalty and successfully ran out the clock.
The culprit for UVA having no timeouts? Virginia wasted two timeouts earlier in the second half on punting plays.
The win moves UNC to within one win over clinching the Coastal Division crown and a probable showdown with Clemson for the ACC title.
Today, UNC followed script for the 2022 season – the defense tightened up as the offense opened loosened up.
Freshman quarterback Drake Maye, who was held to 109 passing yards in the first half, turned to veteran receiver Josh Downs on practically every critical pass attempt in the second half. It was Maye’s 32-yard pass completion to Downs that set up the Tar Heels first third-quarter score.
Carolina was extremely effective in third-down situations, converting several back-breaking conversions against the Virginia defense. It was a Maye to Downs third-down conversion on a 19-yard scoring strike that put UNC ahead for good.
Leading 31-21, UNC appeared ready to put the game away. Virginia’s defense had other ideas, holding North Carolina on its next two drives. When UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong scored on a punishing run to pull the ‘Hoos within three, Brown and the UNC fateful were undoubtedly having some serious flashbacks of previous trips to Scott Stadium.
However, Storm Duck recovered the onside kick, and instead of taking it to the endzone, he downed it, and Carolina was able to drain the clock.
Downs was the difference for the UNC offense today, coming up just one catch short of tying the UNC record of 16 receptions in one game. Saturday afternoon Downs had 15 grabs for 166 yards, including some clutch third-down catches.
Downs had seven receptions for 99 yards in the second half alone.
UNC still has some work to do before nailing down a berth in the ACC Championship Game in Uptown Charlotte. The Tar Heels travel to Winston-Salem next week for a battle with Wake Forest, before closing out the regular season at home against Georgia Tech and NC State.
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