UNC football’s loss to Louisville was another close game to what has become a strange season, which currently stands at 5-5 with two weeks remaining. There are not many silver linings to take away from the result — except, perhaps, one.
The Tar Heels’ last three home games were decided by a total of six points, which looms important since one more victory is still needed to ensure a postseason bowl bid. Last time fans were in the Kenan Stadium stands, the Halloween loss to then-top ranked Miami was the Heels’ best performance of Bill Belichick’s second season as a college coach. They were expecting a similar shootout against Louisville which entered with the gaudy offensive statistics.
But it turned out to be mostly a defensive struggle from a unit that continues to get better and needed perhaps one more stop to set up a potential winning field goal in the last minutes of play. The three points dropped from Rece Verhoff’s pulled 39-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter were important, as the empty possession was one of the several mistakes that cost Carolina the game.
A clean first drive by the UNC offense provided early hope before starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. lost a fumble that gave Louisville the ball just outside the red zone and tallied its only touchdown of the game, which allowed them to hang on through the second half.
The teams that had averaged 31 and 41 points in their last four games went scoreless in the entire third quarter. Louisville entered the game in the top 10 among major college offensives and traded places with Wake Forest, which rose to No. 7 in the country after scoring 49 points against SMU. The Cardinals’ longest pass from scrimmage was 13 yards after having scored from the 50, 40 and 30 in recent games — meaning the Carolina defense stepped up in a game where it was necessary. The problems were on offense. UNC’s total yardage remains barely in the top 100 college football teams, with those numbers boosted by high-scoring performances in losses vs. Notre Dame, Syracuse and Miami.
Edwards missed half of the third quarter and all of the fourth after a sack (Louisville’s sixth on the night). He was replaced by true freshman Travis Burgess, who has more dynamic elements to his game than Edwards but far less experience. After Burgess broke a couple of neat option runs, Louisville coach Jeff Brohm was so impressed that he told the ESPN sideline reporter, “We have something else to worry about, now.”
Burgess thrilled what was left of the cold crowd with his first college pass to Trech Kekahuna, which appeared to be a touchdown before the officials ruled an incompletion based on Trech’s bobbling the ball. It kept Belichick’s feud with ACC officials going after the call was upheld in the replay booth, with several other (incorrect) calls infuriating him.
Burgess had six completions on a balanced drive of 75 yards late in the fourth quarter, which ended in a touchdown scamper by Ben Hall and brought the score to 16-14. After the Tar Heels got the ball back with two minutes remaining, it was an opportunity for a story-book victory. But that’s not how this season has gone for Carolina. Burgess could not escape the aggressive Louisville defense and wound up throwing his first college interception to kill that drive (although he was a little unlucky the sure-handed Jordan Shipp couldn’t reel in pass). Still, Burgess seemed to give the fans reason to believe a new offense was dawning on the Tar Heels — or, at least, something to look forward to.
The freshman QB’s performance led to post-game questions for Belichick, who understandably ducked them and will likely assess Edwards’ health before determining the next step. Old NFL fans may remember Belichick choosing back-up QB Tom Brady as the permanent Patriots starter after veteran Drew Bledsoe returned from his injury. Brady went on to lead the Pats to six Super Bowl championships.
After missing his entire senior year in high school with a knee injury, Burgess has flown somewhat under the radar. It’s way too early to tell whether the Georgia kid would raise this UNC team’s floor from where it currently stands, but some fans are thirsting at the idea of having another long-term quarterback in the program. Meanwhile, Belichick and the new, future GM may not have to work as hard in the transfer portal if Burgess continues to show he has a bright future with the Tar Heels.
After the game ended, a number of Tar Heels took part in a regrettable post-game brawl as the clock expired. The fisticuffs echoed what happened in the final games of the Larry Fedora and Mack Brown eras — a kind of reminder to the waning days of their grip on the program. The TV announcers seemed convinced that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips had a lot of tape to watch before deciding on any penalties for the players involved. Whatever he finds can’t erase what was a bad look for both teams.
Belichick’s boys finish with a trip to Virginia, which crushed Cal and likewise needs one win to be bowl eligible, followed by the regular season finale against N.C. State. The latter shapes up as a trap game after the Wolfpack will try to extend its current five-game winning streak over the Tar Heels. After giving away a win to Syracuse on Saturday and its welcome of new head coach and former star Phillips Rivers next season, State may not be playing for much else other than a chance to spoil Carolina’s final home game. Based on Belichick’s record so far in Kenan (1-8 vs. Power 4 teams), there’s many reasons for the Tar Heels to be wary.
Saturday night culminated a bad weekend for both major sports on the UNC campus, with fans soured by the men’s basketball team. New coach Michael Malone suffered its first loss on Friday night at the Smith Center by blowing a nine-point lead in the waning minutes against Georgia, which was picked to finish 11th in the talented SEC. Thus, Carolina finds itself with two coaches who won championships in the NFL and NBA but are still adjusting to their college games.
Featured image via AP Photo/Chris Seward.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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