UNC football trails Pittsburgh, 19-16, at halftime of ACC opener

The North Carolina football team trails Pittsburgh, 19-16, after 30 minutes of play at Kenan Stadium. Here are some things of note from the first half. 

Weird beginning

Things looked promising for the Tar Heels early on, as the team's defense held the Panthers to a punt on their first possession. 

UNC receiver Ryan Switzer returned the punt for a touchdown, but it was called back because of a holding penalty. On the next play, Switzer was tackled on the end zone on a jet sweep for a safety — the Tar Heels third of the season. 

North Carolina gave up a field goal on its next defensive possession, but shortly after the Tar Heels got the ball back, junior running back Elijah Hood fumbled the ball back to the Panthers. 

Pittsburgh marched the ball down the field for a touchdown early in the second quarter to take a 12-0 lead. The Tar Heels answered on their next possession, however, as Mitch Trubisky found Mack Hollins for a 39-yard score with 11:40 left in the half. 

Run defense

The last time Pittsburgh running back James Conner played the Tar Heels, he ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-35 loss. 

UNC held strong against Conner in the first half, however. The redshirt junior could only muster 22 yards on eight attempts, although he did score on a one-yard touchdown run. 

Where North Carolina struggled was in defending the jet sweep. The Tar Heels seemed confused by the constant motion of the Pittsburgh offense, and gave up several big plays and a touchdown on sweeps. 

Trouble with Peterman

Not much was expected from Panthers' quarterback Nathan Peterman heading into the game, but he was the definition of efficiency in the first half. 

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior didn't force anything, especially on third down — often electing to pass to the man in the flat instead of taking shots downfield. 

That strategy worked wonders for Pittsburgh in the first half, as Peterman completed 10-of-11 passes and helped the Panthers convert 8-of-11 third downs in the half. 

Peterman's play allowed Pittsburgh to dominate time of possession in the first half, and take the lead heading into the break. 

Other notes

• Trubisky finished the half 12-of-13 with 190 yards and two touchdowns. He started the game 11-for-11, and in the process set the UNC record for consecutive completions across multiple games with 30. 
• A second quarter carry from Hood put the junior over the 2,000-yard mark in his career. He is just the 14th Tar Heel to accomplish the feat. 
• Thomas Jackson continued his strong play from a week ago, he caught two passes — including a vital one on third down — during UNC's second touchdown drive. 

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