Heel Tough Blog: Virginia Recap

Ben McKewon- AP Photo

Inches. That’s how close the Tar Heels came to an upset of No. 16 Virginia on Saturday afternoon in Kenan Stadium. Instead, the Tar Heels have to settle for silver linings for a second straight week thanks to a 17-16 overtime loss. Here is a look at our takeaways from another heartbreaking loss for the Tar Heels.

Two-Point Conversion Call Was the Right One

Many are questioning whether it was the right decision to go for two in the first overtime and personally I agreed with the decision. With how limited this offense is, it’s hard to be confident that the team would have been able to find the endzone, so it felt like this was the best opportunity that the team had to win the game. The play-calling on that play was a different story. The rollout to the right made no sense, especially with just two routes on the play going the same direction. Benjamin Hall was the right throw for Gio Lopez on the play, he just couldn’t find a way to get into the endzone after the catch.

Missed Opportunities Cost Them the Win

The Tar Heels had plenty of opportunities to score in this game, but just could make the plays when they needed to. It started with Kobe Paysour’s early fumble on a drive that could have given the Tar Heels their first lead against a power conference opponent since the first quarter of the game against TCU. Rece Verhoff had a chance to do the same but missed a 50-yard field goal to the left. Andrew Simpson picked off Chandler Morris late in the third quarter and gave the Tar Heels great field position with a chance to take the lead, but Gio Lopez threw an interception back to Virginia after the team moved the ball into field goal range. The ultimate missed opportunity, though, came on that two-point conversion at the end. If the Tar Heels capitalize on one of those, we’re talking about the first power conference win of the season.

Red Zone Issues a Big Reason for the Loss, Too

The Tar Heels were able to move the ball better in between the 20s on Saturday, but really struggled once they got to the red zone. In the five trips that the team took there, they came away with points just three times and only found the endzone twice. For an offense that has the limitations that this one does, you have to be able to capitalize once you get to the red zone, especially if you are going to pull an upset like you were looking to do in this one.

Gio Lopez’s Issues Continue

One of the main reasons the Tar Heels couldn’t consistently move the football on Saturday was the continued struggles from Lopez. While he may have thrown for the most yards that he has in a game this season, he still had trouble throwing the ball downfield and battled issues with timing and accuracy that have plagued him for most of the season. Those problems directly led to the two interceptions that he threw on the day, both of which came at important spots in the game where the Tar Heels could have taken the lead. The offense still isn’t being tailored to the strengths of Lopez, but it is just time to admit that this experiment is a failure and the team needs to be looking elsewhere for the future of the position.

Offensive Play Calling and Personnel Decisions a Part of the Issues

The coaching offensively was another part of the problem on Saturday. For most of the day Kitchens put together a conservative gameplan that led to a lot of punts and showed that he still doesn’t have much trust in his quarterback. On the final drive, though, Kitchens decided that with :22 seconds on the clock and the ball at the UNC 49 he would draw up a play to take a shot to true freshman slot receiver Madrid Tucker instead of trying to strategically move it into field goal range. Combine that with all of the different personnel sets that the team was throwing out there throughout the day and it’s no wonder this offense can’t seem to find ant sort of rhythm.

Defense Deserves a Ton of Praise

This Tar Heel defense has had its struggles at times this season, but on Saturday they built off a strong showing in Berkeley with their best showing of the season. The unit allowed just 259 yards of total offense and 17 points to one of the best offenses in the ACC and had a season-high seven tackles for loss and six sacks on the day. The passing defense, which had been the biggest issue for this unit all season long, allowed just 200 yards thanks to the added pressure on the quarterback and much better tackling after the catch than in previous games. These guys deserve a lot of credit for giving the Tar Heels their best chance at winning a power conference game this season and if they can continue playing at this level, the Tar Heels will have more chances to win down the stretch of the season.

Defensive Line Finally Makes a Big Impact

We have been asking this unit to get more push the entire season and on Saturday they were finally able to do it. This room was the main reason that the team was able to hold Virginia to just 59 yards rushing, an impressive number for a team that came in averaging 203.9 per game on the ground. In pass rush, the team was finally able to get some consistent pressure, registering a season-high six sacks and 22 quarterback pressures against a Cavaliers offensive line that came into the game having allowed just 5.0 sacks in the first seven games of the season. Tyler Thompson built off of his strong showing a week ago and both Isaiah Johnson and CJ Mims found sacks from the interior, but it was Melkart Abou-Jaoude who registered 3.0 sacks and six total quarterback pressures to lead the way. The hope is that this is the type of production that the team can get from this room the rest of the way as they search for some victories.

Officiating Was Questionable to Say the Least

The Tar Heels lost the game with their own mistakes and missed opportunities, but it is still worth pointing out that the officiating was far from serviceable. It really started with the incredibly suspect defensive pass interference call against Marcus Allen that has gone viral which wiped away what could have been an important interception for the Tar Heels. Since they would stop the Cavaliers on downs later in the drive, that play wasn’t nearly as impactful as the ruling on the spot of the football on the 3rd down run by Chandler Morris in overtime. Morris clearly came up short of the first down line with the ball in his right hand, but even after the review, the Cavaliers were given the first down when they should’ve had a decision on their hands. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered and they still would have scored a touchdown on that drive, but there is a chance that the drive could have ended with a field goal or even a turnover on downs. Instead they found the endzone leading to the Tar Heels going for two and coming up short on their alternating possession. We’re just asking for the refs to be better than they were in this one. Is that too much to ask?