Late Interception Seals UNC’s Fate in Victory Bell Loss to Duke

For a brief moment on Saturday it looked as if UNC freshman quarterback Chazz Surratt was in the midst of his first career game-winning drive.

Just seconds later, however, Surratt threw a backbreaking pick-six which helped the Duke Blue Devils close out a 27-17 victory over the Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium.

With its offense essentially bottled up all day long, UNC was forced to rely on its often-criticized defense for much of the afternoon. In that respect, the Tar Heels did their job just fine—limiting Duke’s standout quarterback Daniel Jones to just 202 yards through the air.

UNC (1-3, 0-2 ACC) also received a huge momentum boost when it blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt just before halftime.

Defense wasn’t the issue at all for the Tar Heels on Saturday, despite it being the biggest weakness for head coach Larry Fedora and company so far this season.

“I thought, overall, we played pretty good,” Fedora said, when asked about his defense. “There were a few plays, obviously, you’d like to have back. But we got pressure on the quarterback. We didn’t really give up catastrophic [plays]. The only thing we didn’t do was a create a takeaway.”

While the Tar Heels did fail to create a turnover, the real problem was this.

Explosive plays—such as Surratt’s 56-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and his 45-yard scoring toss to Anthony Ratliff-Williams following the blocked field goal—accounted for a large portion of UNC’s success.

Other than that, Duke’s defense–which entered Saturday as the top unit against the run in America–did a great job ending drives and getting the Tar Heel offense off the field.

This meant that when the Blue Devils (4-0, 1-0 ACC) went ahead by three points with just over six minutes remaining, Surratt would have to go big or go home.

Although he started the drive with another great deep ball to Ratliff-Williams, the freshman then tried to force a pass into coverage as he was being brought down—resulting in the play that iced the game.

“He did a really nice job of taking what they were giving us,” Fedora said, of Surratt. “Then as the game got closer there, I think he really tried to make something happen—and that’s when we made the mistake.”

Duke dominated possession of the ball—and the offensive statistics–for most of the game, but the Tar Heels’ improved defensive showing and big play offense were enough to give them a chance to steal the victory down the stretch.

Unfortunately, fatigue appeared to plague the team yet again in the fourth quarter–as a tired defense allowed the Blue Devils to march 74 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in just eight plays and three minutes.

Surratt had done enough prior to that in order to inspire the Tar Heel faithful on the ensuing drive, but his mental mistake ultimately allowed Duke to put the game out of reach.

Instead of becoming Surratt’s first memorable moment as a Tar Heel, it became just the latest missed opportunity for a team desperately trying to stave off the injury bug and string together some wins.

“It wasn’t a lack of effort,” Fedora told reporters. “We just didn’t make the plays that we needed to make there in the fourth quarter. And they did. They made a few plays they had to make. And we didn’t.”

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will head to Atlanta next Saturday to face off with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Game Notes:

• UNC senior wide receiver Austin Proehl–the team’s top target in the passing game–left the game after catching a 47-yard flea flicker in the first half with what is believed to be a broken clavicle.
• Of the 377 total yards gained by the Tar Heels on their 65 plays , 183 came on just four plays–a trio of downfield passes and Surratt’s touchdown run.
• Surratt’s 56-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the longest by a Tar Heel quarterback since Darian Durant took one 63 yards to the house against Clemson in 2003.
• Duke’s Bryon Fields Jr. returned Surratt’s interception 61 yards for his touchdown, the 13th-longest interception return in school history.

 

FULL STATS

 

Cover Photo via Gerry Broome (Associated Press)