A season full of dramatic finishes added its most thrilling chapter on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, with the UNC football team giving away multiple chances to win before ultimately falling 43-41 to Virginia Tech after six overtimes.
The game marked the first time in college football history where a new rule forcing teams to simply alternate two-point conversion attempts from the fifth overtime and beyond was implemented.
Virginia Tech quarterback Quincy Patterson—who came into the game as the third-stringer—ran the ball into the endzone himself from three yards out to clinch the victory for the Hokies (5-2, 2-2 ACC) in what was the first game in ACC history to require six overtime periods.
UNC wide receiver Dazz Newsome had a career day for the Tar Heels, catching nine passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia Tech. (Photo via Dakota Moyer)
This after UNC kicker Noah Ruggles missed a potential game-winning field goal in the third overtime, and a pair of two-point tries that went for negative yardage shortly after—one of which could have won the game instantly in the fifth overtime. The Tar Heels also had a chance to put the game away defensively on a 4th-and-2 in the second overtime, but Patterson tied the game at 41 with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Damon Hazelton.
Virginia Tech’s Brian Johnson missed two overtime field goals for the other side as well, providing one of the wildest finishes anyone outside of Hollywood could ever imagine.
“There was so many opportunities to win the game, for probably both of us,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said afterwards. “The 4th-and-2, the two-point plays, the missed field goal for us where the game was over. All those things are hurtful, but it is what it is.
“I told them, ‘We are who we are,’” the coach added. “We had our opportunities. We didn’t take advantage of those.”
Had the Tar Heels been able to convert on even just one of their potential game-winning plays, the talk would likely center on the career games put forth by a handful of players.
Freshman quarterback Sam Howell tied a school record with five touchdown passes to go along with 348 yards through the air, while junior receiver Dazz Newsome set new career-highs across the board with nine catches for 112 yards and a pair of early touchdowns which gave the Tar Heels a 17-7 lead in the second quarter.
On defense, quarterback-turned-linebacker Chazz Surratt continues to develop into UNC’s most reliable player—as he racked up a career-high 17 tackles and made a number of clutch plays late in the game.
Those missed opportunities, however, quickly became the story of the evening once Patterson crossed the goal line on the game-winning conversion.
The Tar Heels drop to 3-4 on the season(2-2 ACC) and fall a game behind in the chaotic ACC Coastal Division race, while missing out on what would have been a crucial road win.
On top of that, injury issues in the secondary and on the offensive line are also starting to have visible effects.
Head coach Mack Brown and company will have no choice but to dust themselves off and get back at it after this painful defeat, regardless of who is available. How difficult that will be, though, remains to be seen.
“We’ve gotta keep getting better,” Brown said. “That’s what we’ve gotta do. Every time somebody gets hurt and we have other guys go in, those guys have to play well.
“So we didn’t play as well at corner at times tonight,” he continued. “They hurt us there. We had some opportunities at receiver after Dyami [Brown] got hurt, and we didn’t take advantage of them. We’ve got to keep getting better and better, and that’s what a young football team should do.”
Up Next:
It’s homecoming in Chapel Hill next weekend, as the Tar Heels host the rival Duke Blue Devils in an ACC Coastal Division showdown. Kick-off for that game–which will be televised on the Regional Sports Network–is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Game Notes:
- This was the second overtime game ever played between the two teams, with the first being a 30-27 victory in Blacksburg for the Tar Heels in 2015 which clinched the ACC Coastal Division title. It was also just the fourth game in UNC history to require multiple overtimes, and first six-overtime game ever.
- Sam Howell’s second touchdown pass of the game set a new all-time single season record for a freshman at UNC, breaking the previous record of 16. He now has 20 on the season. His five touchdowns were also a single game record for a Tar Heel freshman.
- UNC’s four losses this season have come by a combined 12 points.
Cover photo via Dakota Moyer
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