Heel Tough Blog: Pittsburgh Recap
The Tar Heels came into Saturday looking for the first ranked win under Bill Belichick and the first ranked win on the road since 2020. While it may have been ugly, the team was able to do enough to pick up a win that makes the hopes of making a bowl game very realistic. Here is a look at our biggest takeaways from the Tar Heels’ 21-17 victory of No. 25 Pittsburgh.
Defense Played a Very Similar Game to TCU
Saturday’s performance from the Tar Heel defense felt very similar to the TCU game to open the season and it paid off with the same result. Pittsburgh opened the game running the ball straight at the banged up Tar Heel defensive front and taking what the soft coverage gave them in the passing game. In the first half alone, the Panthers had 213 yards of total offense, including 114 yards on the ground. What was important in that first half, though, was the fact that the defense was able to hold the Panthers to just ten points on their four first half drives despite them moving the ball well. In the second half, the defense cranked up the defensive intensity similar to the way they did in Ireland and was the main reason the team won the game. After getting pushed around for most of the first half, the undermanned defensive line began to fight back and was a big part of the reason that the team allowed just 36 yards on 15 carries (2.4 yards per carry) in the final two quarters. In the passing game, Geriner had some success when he was on target, but some heightened pressure threw him off at times and caused some inaccurate throws throughout the second half, including back-to-back interceptions in the third quarter. In the end, the biggest stops came in the fourth quarter when the unit was able to make three consecutive 4th down stops to close out the game, including a 4th & 2 stop on the Panthers penultimate drive where the Tar Heel tackle Pittsburgh running back La’Vell Wright inches short of the first down.
Billy Edwards Rollercoaster Continues
Coming into the game, we told you on the podcast that this needed to be the most complete performance from Edwards if the team was going to win this one and we are glad to be wrong. Saturday was what we have been accustomed to so far, another inconsistent game from the fifth-year senior. He completed 69% of his passes on Saturday for 249 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. For a second straight week, Edwards threw two interceptions and had a few other throws that were risky to say the least. In the end, though, both of his touchdowns were massive in terms of their impact on the game and it feels like he still gives Carolina the best chance to win. It might not be the most fun rollercoaster to ride, but it’s the one that we have to ride each weekend for now.
Jordan Shipp and Jelani Thurman Shine Once Again
It’s hard to think that teams aren’t game planning for Shipp and Thurman, but each week they find ways to make plays. While Thurman’s six catches may have only resulted in 29 yards, he was an important safety valve for Edwards to find throughout the day and his touchdown was a huge one that finally got the offense rolling after a slow start. As for Shipp, he caught six of his nine targets for 93 yards, including four catches that resulted in first downs. It’s clear that those are the guys that Edwards trust the most and that get this passing game firing and until someone stops them, there is no reason not to look their way early and often.
Shamar Easter Shows Why He Should Be Trusted
Heading into fall camp, the outside perception was that Easter would not have much of a role in the offense this season with the team bringing in Thurman, Jordan Washington and Jaxxon Warren out of the portal. However, injuries to Washington and Warren opened the door for Easter to play significant snaps as the team’s TE2. Last week, he had his most impactful game as a Tar Heel and built on that by making the biggest play of the day on Saturday. After Pittsburgh scored to retake the lead at 17-14, the Tar Heels came out throwing on first down. Easter would run a route down the seam and find some separation, allowing Edwards to drive one in to him. After that, Easter would turn on the jets and run away from the Pittsburgh secondary to hand the Tar Heels the lead back, one they would never relinquish. It took some time, but the second-year Tar Heel is starting to show why the Tar Heels brought him in last year out of the portal and is becoming a third option that Edwards trusts.
Lack of a Running Game Nearly Costs Tar Heels a Victory
There were a lot of areas that the Tar Heels will want to be better than they were on Saturday, but the lack of a run game was what nearly lost this team the game. The offense had multiple opportunities in the fourth quarter to put the game away and simply couldn’t do it because the run game was shut down. The Tar Heels ran the ball 25 times for just 20 yards, including just 17 yards on the ten carries that they had in the fourth quarter. According to David Hale of ESPN, the Tar Heels are the first team since Washington in 2023 to win a Power 4 game with 20 or less rushing yards. The Tar Heel defense and passing game were able to do enough to get them across the finish line in this one, but the team simply needs more from this run game if they are going to win moving forward. That all starts with the offensive line, which needs to shoulder most of the blame for the lack of success they had today.
An Ugly Win is a Win
To say this was an ugly win is an understatement. To go along with the rushing stat that we told you above, there were two more stats that were even crazier. The Tar Heels became just the second FBS team in the playoff era to win a game where they ran for 20 or fewer rushing yards, finished with 300 or fewer yards of total offense, had three or fewer third down conversions and didn’t win the turnover margin. They also became the first team since Rutgers in 2011 to win a game in which they didn’t win the turnover battle, was out-gained by 100 yards, rushed for 20 or fewer yards and converted three or fewer third downs. It may not be the sexiest win the Tar Heels have ever had, but it is a very important one that makes the hopes of returning to a bowl game feel realistic again.
Comments