Heel Tough Blog: Syracuse Recap
The Tar Heels faced a trap game on Saturday night against a struggling, beat up Syracuse team and fell victim to it. After racing out to a 10-0 lead early and looking like they were in control when they led 20-10 heading into the 4th quarter, a desperate Syracuse Orange team would make enough important plays to tie the game at 23. A missed extra point, though, sent the game to overtime, where the Tar Heels would score first to put the pressure back on the Orange. On 4th & Goal, Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli would find Calvin Russell III for a touchdown and would go back to him for the game-winning 2-point conversion, which may or may not have reached the goal line. Here are our biggest takeaways from a depressing 31-30 loss to Syracuse.
That Final Play Was Damn Close, But the Tar Heels Shouldn’t Have Been in That Situation
There is going to be a lot of conversation about the final play and whether or not the Tar Heels were jobbed by the refs and it might be justified. After watching it countless times, I feel like the ball never crossed the goal line or the pylon. At the same time, I can’t be angry at the refs of replay center for not overturning the original call because there wasn’t a good enough shot to prove that he was short. It may have ultimately been the wrong call, but the game should not have had to come down to that play.
Inability to Put Games Away Proves Costly Again
The Tar Heels got lucky a week ago that their issues putting away opponents didn’t cost them, but it did in this one. This was another game where the Tar Heels started fast, racing out to a 10-0 lead after the first two drives. Having to settle for a field goal on that second drive as well as their final scoring drive of the first half allowed the Orange to keep the game close
at halftime. The Tar Heels would regain control of the game, though, when they stopped Syracuse on the opening drive of the second half and scored on theirs. The defense made two more stops and gave the team the opportunity to extend the lead, but they went three-and-out twice. Those stops breathed some life into this Syracuse offense, who hit an explosive play on the first play of the ensuing drive that cut the lead back to three. The Tar Heels would drive down the field, but were once again forced to settle for a field goal. From that point forward, a worn down defense failed to get off the field on the final two scoring drives and the team ultimately fell in a game they controlled at two different points. Being able to put away opponents when you have control of the game is the next step for this team under Bill Belichick, but it’s hard not to think about the fact that this team would be 6-1 if they did that.
Greg Smith’s Misplay of the Umari Hatcher Was a Massive Play
The offense deserves a lot of blame for what happened, but the play that turned everything came with 11:01 remaining in the fourth quarter. On the first play of the drive for Syracuse, Steve Angeli would take a shot downfield on the left sideline for Umari Hatcher, who had been pretty quiet for most of the night. While Hatcher did a good job creating some separation between him and cornerback Jaiden Patterson, safety Greg Smith took an aggressive angle to the ball and looked to be in position to make a play on the ball. For some reason Smith chose not to make a play on the ball and allowed it to go by him and straight into the hand of a waiting Hatcher who would take it the distance. Bill Belichick wasn’t asked about the play in the postgame, but it would be nice to know what exactly happened because that turned the game in Syracuse’s favor.
Billy Edwards Jr. Misses Some Hugely Important Throws
One of the main reasons that the offense couldn’t find the end zone was because of some missed throws. The inaccuracies were a big issue for him early in the season, but they popped up again in crucial spots again tonight. The two most talked about misses will be the back-to-back inaccurate throws on 2nd & Goal and 3rd & Goal that both would have sealed it. The 2nd down call was a perfect one from offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, but Edwards appeared to short-arm it. The very next play, Edwards had receiver Nyqir Helton in the end zone and missed him, as well, albeit on a tougher throw. Add in the fact that there were some missed reads throughout the night, especially late, and it all culminated in a frustrating showing from the sixth-year senior quarterback. He’ll have to be better moving forward and make those clutch plays if this team wants to accomplish some of their goals this season.
Defense Didn’t Make the Stops They Needed To
This is what we have praised the defense for doing so often this season, but they couldn’t do it in the important moments of this game. While Syracuse only converted eight of their 19 third downs, there were some big plays that set up manageable fourth down situations that simply can’t happen. The defense also had its worst night of the season on fourth down. Despite three stops (one was the Hail Mary attempt at the end of regulation), the team allowed four fourth down conversions, including the overtime touchdown. Even with that, the team still had the chance to win, but couldn’t come up with the stops when needed. The team hasn’t had a good year on third down, but they had been making the plays on fourth down to win games. With how many close games this has played, it feels like this group will be faced with a lot of these situations moving forward and they’ll have to be better if they want to win games.
Defensive Line Was Dominated in a Game Where They Should Have Thrived
Syracuse came into this game with an offensive line that was struggling, but they were dominant on Saturday night. A group that measures as the biggest offensive line in college football simply bullied this Tar Heel defensive front, paving the way for 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 49 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per rush. While the struggles in run defense will be the biggest talking point for the room this week, they didn’t have nearly the success rushing the passer that they should have. The unit did register 17 quarterback pressures, but had just one sack and still couldn’t get much pressure when they didn’t blitz. The defensive line was the bright light of the first few games of the season, but have had some issues since that Notre Dame game. The hope is that the unit can return to that form the further they get from the rash of injuries, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Offense Became Way Too Pass Reliant
This shouldn’t be shocking because it has been a trend all season long, but it didn’t feel necessary in this game. Both Jaylen McGill and Demon June made some nice plays on the ground with the ball in their hands, but they combined to carry the ball just 21 times despite both averaging over five yards per carry. Edwards threw the ball 44 times, which doesn’t feel like a recipe for success with the limitations he has. It feels like this unit needs to find more balance down the stretch of the season if they are going to reach their potential and become more consistent outside of the opening script.
That Loss Takes a Lot of Wind Out of the Sails
After last week, there was a lot of excitement around the program and what the rest of the season could look like, but this loss has dampened a lot of those good feelings. This game should have Tar Heel fans refocused on the goal of getting to a bowl game, which now doesn’t feel as close as it did a week ago. This is just the latest example of Tar Heel football reminding you that any time you get excited, it is inevitable that they will bring you back to earth sooner rather than later.
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