UNC football falters without Elijah Hood in loss to No. 25 Virginia Tech

The fifth floor of the Kenan Football Center was devoid of its usual excitement after the No. 17 North Carolina football team’s 34-3 loss to No. 25 Virginia Tech on Saturday — and it wasn’t hard to figure out why.

Before taking on the Hokies (4-1, 2-0 ACC), UNC (4-2, 2-1 ACC) hadn’t dropped a game at Kenan Stadium since November 2014. In the nine home games between that loss and Saturday’s game, North Carolina’s players and coaches took turns basking in the glory of victory.

Often it was Tar Heel running back Elijah Hood who took up much of the spotlight, grinning ear-to-ear as he told throngs of reporters how he ran around ­— and through — the several defenders who attempted to tackle him.

But Saturday was different. There were no feelings of elation. And there was no Elijah Hood, either.

“We missed him ...” Coach Larry Fedora said. “But you’ve got to play. And so the next guys are up, and they’ve gotta step up and they’ve gotta play.”

Hood was forced to sit Saturday after leaving early against Florida State last weekend. The player tasked with stepping up was senior T.J. Logan, who had shown earlier in the year he was capable of excelling in the starting role.

Logan’s first carry proved as much, as he took a delayed handoff from quarterback Mitch Trubisky and scampered up the middle for 14 yards. But that was the high point for the North Carolina offense Saturday.

Three plays later, the Tar Heels were faced with a 3rd-and-1 at the Virginia Tech 33-yard line. Without Hood — who has made his name picking up tough yards — UNC opted to throw a screen for no gain. North Carolina then gave the ball to Logan on 4th-and-1, but he was blown up by a Hokie defender behind the line.

Turnover on downs.

“When we had a 3rd-and-1 or something like that, we could have definitely used (Hood),” Logan said. “But we had the guys we had and we just tried to finish, and it didn’t really work.”

Two drives later, the Tar Heels hoped to rebound after falling behind 3-0. But on second down, Virginia Tech stripped the ball from backup running back Khris Francis. The Hokies fell on it and eventually converted the turnover into another field goal.

The Tar Heels fumbled three times Saturday while battling wet conditions. And while Hood has had his own issues with ball security this season, he hasn’t put the ball on the ground many times in his career.

That skill would have come in handy against Virginia Tech.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in (Logan and Francis), but Elijah’s a great player and I think he brings a lot to this team,” Trubisky said. “Obviously we missed something with him not being there.”

The Tar Heels also missed Hood in the passing game. North Carolina has centered its offense around a dynamic aerial attack in 2016 — and the junior running back was vital not as a receiver, but as an extra blocker.

Normally, Hood would pick up a blitzing linebacker or safety and stonewall him. Logan, Francis and first-year running back Jordon Brown held this responsibility against the Hokies, and they weren’t as effective at combating the added pressure.

Trubisky — who already had trouble throwing the ball in the rain — had a Virginia Tech player in his face more times than not. This led to just 58 yards through the air for the Tar Heels, who trudged off the field and into the locker room in defeat following the game.

“Not a lot of people said a lot,” said defensive tackle Nazair Jones. “We were all disappointed about the loss. We wanted to keep the (home winning streak) going.”

That sentiment carried up to the fifth floor of the football center, where the Tar Heels — minus Hood — had to try and explain a feeling they hadn’t experienced in 23 months.

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com