The season came to a crashing halt for the UNC football team on Saturday at Kenan Stadium, as a postgame brawl broke out in the endzone after NC State tailback Reggie Gallaspy scored his fifth touchdown of the game in overtime to give the Wolfpack a 34-28 victory.

It was an all-too-familiar feeling for the Tar Heels, who held a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter until Gallaspy tied things up for the Wolfpack with just six minutes remaining. Both defenses then held strong to force overtime.

UNC had possession of the ball to begin the extra period, but kicker Freeman Jones was wide left on a 37-yard field goal. This meant that a field goal was all NC State needed to pull off its third consecutive victory in the rivalry.

NC State tailback Reggie Gallaspy ran all over UNC on Saturday, piling up 129 yards and five touchdowns. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Gallaspy had other ideas, however, as he gobbled up 20 of the 25 yards needed to get to the endzone himself while punching it in from the one-yard line to seal the deal.

Then, seconds later, a fight including multiple members of both teams erupted with plenty of punches involved.

It was a sign of a rivalry game, yes, but it almost seemed like a season’s worth of frustrations finally boiling over for a Tar Heel team that ends the year 2-9 under head coach Larry Fedora despite numerous close losses.

When asked about the incident after the game, Fedora denied any knowledge of the fight despite television cameras catching the entire thing.

“Their team was celebrating in our end zone,” the coach told reporters. “But there wasn’t any fight.”

The drama at the end overshadowed what had been a back-and-forth game that saw defense dominate the first half and offense take over in the second.

NC State was up just 7-6 at halftime, with its lone touchdown coming on a short run from Gallaspy which was set up by a botched punt attempt by the Tar Heels—giving the Wolfpack the ball at the 4-yard-line.

UNC did a solid job all day long defending quarterback Ryan Finley and NC State’s prolific passing attack, but allowed the Wolfpack to gain 206 yards on the ground—including 129 from Gallaspy.

UNC made the move to start true freshman quarterback Cade Fortin against NC State on Saturday. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The Tar Heels also made the move to start true freshman quarterback Cade Fortin in place of embattled junior Nathan Elliott, a move that seemed to pay off as the game wore on.

Fortin overcame a slow start—one that included numerous drops—to finish with 19 completions on 40 attempts for 276 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“I think he learned a lot in this game,” Fedora said, of Fortin. “There were some throws I’m sure he would like to have back. It was a little uncharacteristic in the first half, some of the balls that he missed. But he gave us a chance to win a football game.”

This now becomes the first time since 2003 that the Tar Heels have failed to win at least three games in a season, and Fedora’s job security will likely be the major talk surrounding the program until a final decision is made.

For what it’s worth, Fedora said afterwards he plans on being back in 2019—as he still feels his guys are right on the cusp of snapping out of the doldrums that have produced just five wins over the last two seasons.

“Eventually, we’ve got to learn to just make the routine plays that are there in front of us,” Fedora said. “And when we do that, we’re good enough to win a bunch of games.”

Game Notes:

  • Because of the NCAA’s new rule regarding player redshirt status, Fortin will be considered a redshirt freshman next season since he only appeared in four games for the Tar Heels this season.
  • Seven of UNC’s nine losses this season came by 10 points or less.
  • Freshman tailback Javonte Williams was UNC’s leading rusher for the second straight game, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
  • UNC has lost its last three games against both Duke and NC State.

 

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

Cover photo via Gerry Broome (Associated Press)

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