The 2019 North Carolina football season was one for the history books. The return of one of college football’s most legendary coaches, a promising true first-year quarterback and a look into the program's future made the season special.
Many of the country’s diehard college football fans would be feeling like UNC basketball fans do right now if their team had barely achieved a winning record and finished fourth in its division. However, the Tar Heels are in the unique situation where a 7-6 season has fans feeling optimistic.
And it was the way the team got to that winning record that made the season historic.
The season started off with two dramatic upset wins over South Carolina and Miami. The hype around the program was palpable, and fans dreamed about the possibility of an ACC championship game appearance. Sam Howell was the savior of UNC football, and Mack was back.
Soon, it all came crashing down. The Tar Heels dropped back-to-back games to in-state rivals Appalachian State and Wake Forest. A third straight loss seemed inevitable with a looming matchup against then-No. 1 Clemson.
But then it happened… almost.
UNC's greatest achievement this season might have actually been a loss. The Tigers narrowly escaped Chapel Hill, 21-20, after a defensive stand on UNC’s late two-point conversion attempt that could have won the game.
A close call with the top team in the country had UNC's ACC Coastal championship hype train fully back in motion. Mack was back again with his Tar Heels heading into the rest of conference play.
The next three games saw UNC roll through Georgia Tech, suffer a historic six overtime loss against Virginia Tech — the first game to enact college football's new overtime rules — and beat Duke on a last-minute interception by linebacker Chazz Surratt.
