UNC falls to Wake Forest in ACC opener

WINSTON-SALEM — Though North Carolina was without its offensive sparkplug from last week, the Tar Heels had bigger problems Saturday than Giovani Bernard’s absence.

Chief among them was Wake Forest flanker Michael Campanaro.

Coach Larry Fedora said that preparing for Campanaro was a major focus leading up to Saturday, but the receiver still managed to have his way with the Tar Heels in UNC’s 28-27 loss.

With 164 receiving yards, Campanaro spearheaded the Demon Deacon’s offensive assault Saturday. And his 13 catches were the most for any Demon Deacon against North Carolina and the second-most for any player all-time against UNC.

“We knew he was a good football player,” Fedora said. “And tonight we made him look like an All-American. Maybe he will be.”

But Campanaro was just one piece of a dominating Wake Forest aerial attack on Saturday, as Demon Deacon quarterback Tanner Price threw for 327 yards and completed 27 of his 38 passes.

After shutting out Elon last Saturday, UNC’s defense struggled to suppress Wake Forest’s passing game — especially early.

“They run a lot of motions and have a little different formation than we usually see on offense,” UNC cornerback Tim Scott said. “And we just had to get our mental part of the game down, which we didn’t get in the first half.”

But the Tar Heels still had their chances to break through for a win. In fact, they had a 27-21 lead until Wake Forest’s Price ran for a touchdown with 2:09 left on the game clock.

If the Tar Heels had capitalized on a few late-game opportunities, that touchdown might’ve meant nothing.

With 4:31 left on the third-quarter clock, Scott intercepted a Price pass at Wake Forest’s 24-yard line and returned it to the eight. But UNC couldn’t cross the plane and settled for a field goal instead.

About six minutes later, UNC was positioned at Wake Forest’s 13-yard line. And again, the Tar Heels settled for a field goal.

“We score a touchdown, then we’re all sitting here and I have a smile on my face,” Fedora said. “But that’s the way the game’s played. That’s why you have to go do it. Just because you get the ball down there, doesn’t mean it’s going to go in. You have to make it go in.”

Without Bernard — whose knee still wasn’t game ready after missing the second half last Saturday — the Tar Heels turned to A.J. Blue and Romar Morris at the tailback position. And the duo certainly put in admirable performances, rushing for 106 and 70 yards respectively and scoring a touchdown apiece.

Quarterback Bryn Renner, too, put in a satisfactory performance — although he wasn’t at his best. He completed 23 of his 39 passes and threw for 271 yards, but after taking a big hit near the goal-line in the first half, his accuracy seemed to slip in the second.

Still, UNC had the opportunities to win. Wake Forest just played a better game.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating losing,” Renner said. “But give the credit to Wake Forest. They played great. They did enough to win, and we didn’t.”