With the ball in Virginia Tech territory and tantalizingly close to field goal range, UNC quarterback Sam Howell fired a pass to receiver Justin Olson. The ball was on target, and Olson initially snagged the reception. But as he went to the ground, Virginia Tech defensive back Jermaine Waller ripped the ball away, securing an interception and sending another Carolina drive to a frustrating demise.
The single play was indicative of the game at large: the Hokies simply outmuscled the Tar Heels all night.
Light blue dreams of glory got a reality check Friday night, as Virginia Tech used a suffocating defense and ball-control offense to take a Week 1 victory over No. 10 Carolina, 17-10.
Final from Blacksburg#CarolinaFootball | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/o2wNTqDVWR
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) September 4, 2021
After winning the opening coin toss, the Tar Heels elected to give Virginia Tech the first possession. The Hokies jumped at the opportunity, promptly scoring a touchdown on their opening drive on a run from quarterback Braxton Burmeister.
The Hokies were well on their way to another touchdown on their next possession after Carolina couldn’t find traction on offense. But after the Hokies ran the first quarter clock below a minute, UNC’s Trey Morrison forced a fumble from Virginia Tech’s Keshawn King. Ja’Qurious Conley recovered the loose ball, hoping to light a fire under a Carolina team knocked back on its heels in the first quarter.
But the Hokies snuffed out that fire. Carolina moved into field goal territory, but a 13-yard sack of Howell by the Hokies’ Mario Kendricks took the Tar Heels right back out of it.
Burmeister showed off his arm on the next possession, dropping a beautiful throw to receiver Tre Turner to move into the red zone before converting a 3rd-and-goal with an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mitchell James. The Hokie possession bled more than six minutes off the clock. Powered by 126 rushing yards, Virginia Tech possessed the ball for more than 20 of the first 30 minutes.
“We just struggled so much [in] the first half,” head coach Mack Brown said after the game. “We couldn’t stop the run on first down. That was our game plan coming in. And offensively, we didn’t have the ball. Then when we did, we weren’t in sync.”
Carolina gave no indication it would break the shutout after halftime, punting on their first possession, and their second ending on Waller’s pick.
The Tar Heel defense, gashed in the first half, did its part in keeping the offense in the game, holding the Hokies to only a field goal in the final 30 minutes of game time. Carolina’s offense finally came to life when receiver Josh Downs took a bubble screen and dashed into space, eventually finding the end zone. Downs proved to be Howell’s only reliable receiver on the night, accounting for 123 of his quarterback’s 208 yards through the air.
Statistically, it was Howell’s worst game as a Tar Heel: 17 completions in 32 attempts, 208 yards, one touchdown and a hat trick of interceptions. The junior with Heisman buzz felt pressure from a relentless Hokie pass rush all night, scrambling to avoid sacks and slinging the ball from unnatural positions. His final attempt proved to be the most costly: an interception inside Virginia Tech territory with under a minute remaining. Despite all of their mistakes, the Tar Heels had been in a position to tie the game.
But the turnover sealed Carolina’s fate. The Hokies ran out the remaining seconds, securing the early-season upset and sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy.
“I’m really, really proud of the effort,” Brown said. “Those kids fought their guts out. We’ve just got to help them more as coaches.”
It was another tough loss in Blacksburg for a UNC program hoping to put its Lane Stadium doldrums behind it. This is their third straight loss in the stadium. Another try have to wait two more years.
For now, Carolina is under .500 for the first time since November of 2019. The 0-1 Tar Heels will have eight days to stew over this loss before their home opener against Georgia State. That game will be played Saturday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Featured image via Carolina Athletics
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