UNC football falls short in Sun Bowl loss to Stanford

After a promising start, the North Carolina football team struggled to move the ball offensively and ended its disappointing season Friday with a 25-23 loss to Stanford (10-3) in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

The Tar Heels (8-5) forced a three-and-out on the game's first possession, and on the ensuing drive quarterback Mitch Trubisky led the offense downfield and found Ryan Switzer on a 19-yard post pattern for the opening score.

It was all downhill from there for UNC in the first half. The next series, Cardinal quarterback Keller Chryst found running back Bryce Love in stride on a wheel route for a 49-yard touchdown to tie the game. The UNC offense turned the ball over twice and was lucky to be down just 13-7 at halftime.

Down 25-17 with less than two minutes to play, UNC needed to drive 97 yards down the field and convert a two-point conversion to tie the game. After chunk completions to Bug Howard and Switzer, Trubisky scrambled on third down and threw across the field to find Howard for the touchdown with 25 seconds left to cut the deficit to two.

On the two-point conversion attempt, Stanford defensive tackle Solomon Thomas barreled through the line to sack Trubisky. Stanford then secured the win after it recovered Nick Weiler’s onside-kick attempt.

Trubisky’s NFL audition

With redshirt junior Mitch Trubisky still weighing his options on whether to declare for the NFL draft or return to UNC for one more season, the bowl game gave him an opportunity to cement himself as a first-round pick.

The inconsistent play from the UNC offensive line forced Trubisky out of the pocket and never let him get in a rhythm. Even with constant pressure, Trubisky made uncharacteristic mistakes — like not looking off the safety when Dallas Lloyd intercepted him on a pass over the middle early in the second quarter.

Lloyd got the better of Trubisky again in the fourth quarter when he jumped a T.J. Logan swing pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown to give Stanford a 22-17 lead. Trubisky never saw Lloyd and it proved to be a costly mistake.

Trubisky was erratic for the majority of the game, finishing 23-for-39 for 280 yards and three turnovers — including a fumble forced by contact with a referee. But on UNC’s final drive he was razor sharp, escaping pressure and making pinpoint passes down the field. While Trubisky made several mental errors Friday, his arm talent is undeniable as he ponders his NFL future.

Defense keeps UNC in the game

For the better part of the season, North Carolina has relied on its offense to make up for its lackluster defense. But the defense bailed out the offense on Friday.

With Stanford’s passing attack limited after a knee injury sidelined Chryst, the UNC run defense was put to the test. Although the Tar Heels struggled to defend the run all season, the defensive line challenged Stanford at the point of attack and held the Cardinal to just three yards per rush.

When Stanford got into the red zone, the Tar Heels forced the Cardinal to kick field goals. Facing a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter, a touchdown would have put Stanford up by two scores with four minutes to play and all but end the game. But the UNC defense delivered and stopped Stanford on three straight rushing attempts to force a field goal and keep it a one-score game.

Solomon Thomas takes over

It didn’t matter which North Carolina offensive lineman tried to block defensive tackle Solomon Thomas. The junior got into the backfield against all of them and routinely blew plays up before they had any chance to develop.

After North Carolina scored and had the chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion, Thomas blew through Brad Henson and Lucas Crowley to drag Trubisky down in the backfield and secure the win for Stanford. He was unstoppable for the entire game — finishing with seven tackles and two tackles for loss — and the All-American showed up when it mattered most.

@david_adler94

sports@dailytarheel.com