Carolina couldn’t get a foothold against a swarming Boston College defense on a cold New England Saturday afternoon, as the Eagles rolled to a dominant 41-21 win to snap UNC’s three-game winning streak.
The Tar Heels’ only touchdown in the game’s first three quarters came on a 95-yard kickoff return from Chris Culliver in the second quarter. Other than that, the UNC offense didn’t come close to the end zone until the final minutes, when the outcome had already been decided. Quarterback Jacolby Criswell threw three interceptions (his first since the month of September), including one which was returned 78 yards for a Boston College touchdown in the fourth quarter. He was sacked seven times.
Running back Omarion Hampton also found himself bottled up, carrying the ball just 11 times for 53 yards. It snapped an eight-game streak of 100-yard performances for the All-America candidate. Because of the sacks against Criswell, Carolina ended up with 26 total rushing yards on the afternoon. Freshman Davion Gause scored UNC’s only offensive touchdowns, both of which came in the game’s final 2:09.
Before its final touchdown drive, Carolina had failed to convert a single third-down opportunity. The Tar Heels trailed by as much as 41-7 late in the fourth quarter, which was their largest deficit since trailing by 36 points against James Madison earlier this season.
On the other side, the Eagle offense dominated in time of possession, holding the football for more than 38 minutes. Boston College rushed for 228 yards and amassed 420 total yards of offense, while running 79 plays (for an average of 5.3 yards per play) to UNC’s 55. It was the Eagles’ first time scoring 40 or more points against an FBS opponent since the 2021 season against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets’ head coach in that game was Carolina defensive coordinator Geoff Collins.
The loss drops the Tar Heels to 6-5 overall and 3-4 in ACC play. Carolina will be back in action when it hosts NC State at Kenan Stadium next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead
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