Despite a slow start, the No. 22 UNC football team eventually recovered and outclassed its opponents in every possible way on Saturday—defeating the Virginia Cavaliers 35-14 in Charlottesville for the team’s ninth straight win on the road.

Now 6-2 in 2016 with a 4-1 ACC mark, the Tar Heels received yet another solid performance from junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns.

UNC tailbacks Elijah Hood and TJ Logan each had solid days on the ground, as well. The duo combined for 168 yards with both players making a trip into the end zone.

TJ Logan helped the Tar Heels begin to pull away from Virginia with touchdown run in the second half. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

TJ Logan helped the Tar Heels begin to pull away from Virginia with his touchdown run in the second half. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Virginia (2-5, 1-2 ACC), meanwhile, was limited to just 253 total yards as head coach Larry Fedora’s team continues to make drastic improvements on that side of the ball.

Although it took until the second half for things to really get moving, the Tar Heels did everything they could to ensure this most recent road win wouldn’t need to come down to the final minutes.

“We talked about it at the beginning of the year that if we were gonna be successful and reach our goals this year we were gonna have to be road warriors,” Fedora said after the game. “And they’ve done that, they really have.”

With senior wide receiver Mack Hollins lost for the season with a broken collarbone, it seemed like the Tar Heels needed a few drives to find their rhythm early on. Not only that, UNC was without the services of Caleb Peterson and Jon Heck—two of its most experienced and talented offensive linemen.

This led to a sloppy first half that saw the Tar Heels up just 14-7, with each team scoring a touchdown on a trick play.

Still, though, UNC was able to manufacture three touchdown drives in the second half behind a solid running game and the combination of Trubisky and receiver Bug Howard—who put up his second straight 100-yard game while wearing Hollins’ No. 13 as a tribute.

“To me, we were very inconsistent in the first half,” Fedora said. “I thought we ran the ball well, so those offensive linemen must have done some nice things up there for us to run the ball the way we did.

“We just needed to be a little more consistent,” he continued. “And part of that is when you’ve got two or three new guys up there—you’re working on that.”

The UNC offense was forced into three-and-outs on four separate occasions, while also losing two fumbles during the game. The Tar Heels were able to make plays when they were necessary, but may not have had such an easy time without the help of their defense.

This was a common sight in Charlottesville on Saturday, as the UNC defense put together its best four-quarter performance of the year against Virginia. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

This was a common sight in Charlottesville on Saturday, as the UNC defense put together its best four-quarter performance of the year against Virginia. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Facing immense pressure from a rejuvenated Tar Heel defensive line, Virginia completed less than half of its 45 passes and averaged less than three yards per carry. Once considered the team’s weak link, it could easily be argued that the defense has been the more impressive unit in back-to-back games.

“They’ve got confidence,” Fedora said about his defense. “They’re getting better every week. They’re playing solid. Everybody’s where they’re supposed to be, and they’re taking care of their job.

With just three games remaining against ACC competition, the Tar Heels find themselves still tied atop the Coastal Division.

Off on a bye next week, though, they’ll get a chance to rest and watch as Virginia Tech and Pitt—which are each tied with UNC—face each other in a game that’ll have crucial implications on the rest of the season.

While the Tar Heels will certainly have their eyes on that matchup, the most important aspect of the bye week—according to their coach—is taking a step back from football.

“We gotta get some guys healed up,” Fedora said. “That’s probably our biggest concern, is getting these guys that have played a lot some rest and recovery—and get ‘em back where they’re feeling fresh.”

Up Next:

UNC takes next week off, but will return to action at Kenan Stadium on Saturday Nov. 5 against Georgia Tech.

Game Notes:

  • The Tar Heels’ seven-game win streak over Virginia is UNC’s longest against the Cavaliers since winning nine in a row from 1974-82.
  • UNC held Virginia to just 93 total yards of offense in the second half.  It was the second straight game the Tar Heels held an opponent to less than 20 points.
  • Saturday’s game featured 17 total punts, including 10 by Virginia and seven for the Tar Heels.  The last time a UNC opponent punted 10 times was Old Dominion in 2013.