No. 22 North Carolina football falls to No. 18 Georgia in Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

The No. 22 North Carolina football team fell to No. 18 Georgia, 33-24, in the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game on Saturday evening. 

After opening up a 10-point lead in the second half, the Tar Heels were unable to hold on for what would have been a statement win.

What happened?

The biggest question for the Tar Heels coming into the game was whether their defense could stop Georgia's rushing attack.

And from the first carry of the game an answer began to form — not very well. 

Georgia's Nick Chubb gashed UNC's defense on from the outset, totaling 120 yards on 20 first half carries. He also opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

UNC's offense hoped to keep up with Georgia out of the gate, but couldn't find a rhythm in the opening quarter. 

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who made his first collegiate start on Saturday, struggled in the opening 30 minutes of play. In the first half, the redshirt junior completed just 11 of his 20 passes for 70 yards. 

The Tar Heels eventually put something together in their opening drive of the second half, as two big runs from T.J. Logan set UNC up inside the Bulldog five-yard line, where Trubisky finally scored on a naked bootleg. 

Georgia answered less than six minutes later with a touchdown run of its own to take a 14-7 lead. 

North Carolina had an opportunity to tie the game before the half, but ultimately had to settle for a field goal and a 14-10 deficit heading into the break. 

The Tar Heels started the second half with a bang, as Logan took the opening kick 95 yards for a touchdown. 

And on the Tar Heels next possession, the running back from Greensboro came up big again — bouncing a run outside and scampering 21 yards to the endzone to give UNC a 10-point lead. 

From there things went down very quickly for the Tar Heels. Over the next five minutes, Georgia scored a touchdown and a safety to climb back within one point. 

Georgia eventually took the lead on a 29-yard field goal with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter, and iced the game when Chubb broke free for a 52-yard touchdown less than two minutes later. 

Chubb finished the game with a Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game record 222 rushing yards on 32 carries. 

Who stood out?

Logan was Mr. Do-It-All for North Carolina on Saturday.

On a day where the UNC offense failed to get much going offensively, Logan shined because of his versatility. He helped set up the Tar Heels first touchdown and scored two others -- one on a long kickoff return and the second on a 21-yard run. 

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Cole Holcomb stood out as one of the key contributors. The walk-on finished the game 11 total tackles, one sack and one pass breakup. 

But even Holcomb wasn't free of mistakes. Late in the fourth quarter, he allowed Georgia receiver Isaiah McKenzie to blow by him and catch a deep pass. Georgia would go on to kick the game winning field goal on that drive. 

When was it decided?

After Georgia cut the score to 24-21 late in the third quarter, the Tar Heels looked to fire back with an answer of their own. 

But a kickoff return miscue by Khris Francis set UNC up at its own 12-yard line. On second down, the Tar Heels were called for an ineligible receiver penalty, then an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Larry Fedora followed soon after. 

After the dust cleared, North Carolina took over at its own 4-yard-line. On the next play, a screen pass was blown up in the end zone for a safety, allowing Georgia` to cut the lead to 24-23. 

This flipped momentum Georgia's way almost entirely. UNC was never get back into an offensive rhythm as the noise inside the Georgia Dome grew to deafening levels. 

Georgia took advantage of the sputtering UNC offense, and was able to covert what would be the game-winning 29-yard field goal with 5:27 to go in the contest.  

Why does it matter?

After winning the ACC Coastal Division a season ago, the Tar Heels came into 2016 ready to bring the program back to national prominence. 

A win against the Bulldogs certainly would have helped the cause, but instead the Tar Heels fell flat with the pressure on. 

Fedora has made it his mission to take the North Carolina program to new heights, but it looks like the Tar Heel faithful will have to wait a little longer for the team to take the next step. 

The Tar Heels can still vie for another Coastal Division title, and perhaps an ACC Championship, but it doesn't look like the team is quite ready to make a splash on the national stage.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels travel to Champagne, Illinois next weekend, where they will take on Illinois at 7:30 p.m.

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com