The No. 21 North Carolina football team rallied from a 24-14 fourth quarter deficit to down San Diego State 31-27 and improve to 2-0 on the season in a raucous atmosphere inside Kenan Stadium Saturday night.

With the loss, the Aztecs fell to 1-1 on the season.

***Listen to the recap***

Senior safety Tim Scott sealed the UNC victory with an athletic interception of Aztec senior quarterback Quinn Kaehler in the end zone in the waning seconds that held up after review and sealed the comeback victory.

Some more inspired defensive play came from cornerback Brian Walker, who snagged two interceptions and scored a touchdown, the Tar Heels were able to stave off a game effort by the tricky Aztecs.

UNC head coach Larry Fedora says he wasn’t happy with the overall play of his team, but obviously pleased to come out with the win heading into the bye week.

“We got a win, that’s about all I can say. We’ll learn a lot of things from this game. We made enough mistakes to lose the game, but we made enough plays to win the game,” Coach Fedora says.

***Listen to Larry Fedora’s postgame remarks***

After a mere 108 total offensive yards in the first half, the Tar Heels racked up 103 yards in the third quarter alone to turn the tide of the game.

And when the Tar Heels responded with a 91-yard touchdown heave from Williams to sophomore Mack Hollins, the comeback was on. The electric play was the longest completed pass for a Carolina player in the history at Kenan Stadium.

A 2-yard touchdown smash for freshman running back Elijah Hood handed him his first career touchdown and pushed the Tar Heels ahead for good at 28-27 with 8:01 to play.

The Tar Pit loves UNC linebacker Jeff Schoettmer (Elliott Rubin)

The Tar Pit loves UNC linebacker Jeff Schoettmer (Elliott Rubin)

 

The crowd noise made an impact early on with SDSU having to burn a time out on the very first series on third down and eight. But the Aztecs recovered to drive the ball down the field with methodical precision. A costly holding penalty and an aggressive hit by UNC junior ram Ryan Mangum halted the drive and kept the Aztecs off the scoreboard with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter.

The Tar Heel defense continued to build momentum in the early going, forcing a three and out from the Aztecs with 1:22 left in the first quarter. But the UNC offense failed to score despite moving the ball successfully. For the first time in 10 contests, the Tar Heels failed to put points on the board in the first quarter as the game was locked at zero.

The Aztecs burst out of gates in the second quarter with a 29-yard dash down the middle of the field by Chase Price to get into UNC’s side of the field. But a few plays later, with the Aztecs knocking on the door of the end zone, the script was reversed.

Sophomore cornerback Brian Walker turned an interception into a touchdown on a 100-yard return that electrified the fans and pushed the Tar Heels out to a 7-0 lead with 10:52 remaining before halftime. It was only the third over 100-yard interception return for a touchdown recorded in Carolina football history.

But the Aztecs answered right back. A 56-yard throw from senior quarterback Quinn Kaehler to receiver Eric Judge tied the game at 7-7 with 9:38 on the second quarter clock.

A gift from Carolina followed soon after. An interception thrown by redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky handed the ball back to the Aztecs at the UNC 29-yard line. SDSU capitalized with another touchdown, a 12-yard run by Donnel Pumphrey to give the visiting team a 14-7 advantage with 7:08 left in the first half.

The line of scrimmage (Elliott Rubin)

The line of scrimmage (Elliott Rubin)

The fine special teams play of SDSU kept the Carolina offense playing on its own side of the field despite a couple three and outs deep in their own territory. And at intermission, SDSU held a 14-7 edge over the Tar Heels.

The UNC offense came out of the locker room with a revived sense of urgency. After marching it down the field though, kicker Thomas Moore missed a 41-yard field goal attempt to kill potential momentum.

A massive 59-yard strike thrown by Kaehler got the Aztecs back in business at the Carolina 22-yard line at 11:09 in the third quarter. The 7-play, 76-yard scoring drive was capped off by a touchdown run by Pumprey to push the Aztecs ahead 21-7 with 9:13 on the third quarter clock.

With their backs against the wall, the UNC offense came alive. A diverse array of play-calling and a clutch fourth down conversion on a Williams keeper kept the drive alive. And with 4:40 remaining in he third quarter, an 11-yard touchdown reception by junior Quinshad Davis closed the gap down to 21-14. It was Davis’ 16th career touchdown reception.

To open the fourth quarter, the Aztecs polished off a scoring drive with a 49-yard field goal from junior kicker Donny Hageman.

But the Tar Heels responded with a lightning strike of their own – a 91-yard touchdown heave from Williams to sophomore Mack Hollins. The play was the longest completed pass for a Carolina player in the history at Kenan Stadium.

A 40-yard field goal from the cannon leg of Hageman regained some momentum for the Aztecs and pushed SDSU out to a 27-21 advantage with 10:30 remaining.

Next, it was Carolina’s turn. A 2-yard touchdown smash for freshman running back Elijah Hood handed him his first career touchdown and pushed the Tar Heels ahead 28-27 with 8:01 to play.

With under six minutes remaining, Brian Walker’s interception for UNC put Williams and the UNC offense on the doorstep of another score. With 4 minutes left in the game, the Tar Heels led 31-27 after a Nick Weiler successful field goal.

UNC defenders Des Lawrence and Shakeel Rashad  (Elliott Rubin)

UNC defenders Des Lawrence and Shakeel Rashad (Elliott Rubin)

The Aztecs marched the ball down inside the Tar Heel red zone on their final possession, but with the clock winding down, senior safety Tim Scott slid in front of his receiver and picked the ball off to seal the comeback win for the Tar Heels.

Next up for the Tar Heels following a bye week is a trip down to Greenville to face the East Carolina Pirates Sept. 20.

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