The No. 10 North Carolina football team lost to Virginia Tech, 17-10, in its season-opening game in Blacksburg.
What happened?
UNC’s defensive unit saw the field first and quickly started to give up yards, notably a 33-yard pass to Hokie running back Raheem Blackshear. Virginia Tech advanced down the field with little trouble, capping off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run from quarterback Braxton Burmeister that put the Hokies on the board in just five minutes.
A 13-yard completion to Josh Downs gave the Tar Heels a first down in their opening drive, but that’s all the Tar Heels could muster, punting the ball four snaps later. The Hokies picked up right where they left off, making their way down the field off mostly short runs. On North Carolina’s 10-yard line, senior defensive back Trey Morrison forced a fumble and the ball fell into Tar Heel hands, stopping a potential second Virginia Tech score.
UNC quarterback Sam Howell connected with Emery Simmons on a 22-yard pass to jump start the next offensive possession. On third down, Howell scrambled for a 14-yard gain to keep the drive alive. The Tar Heels got within field goal territory on the Virginia Tech 30 yard-line, but a massive sack pushed UNC back 13 yards and forced the team to punt once again.
The Hokies continued to execute their offensive game plan, and added another score with an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end James Mitchell. UNC had two more drives in the half but still could not put points on the board, and entered the half down 14-0.
The Tar Heels saw some promise in their second drive of the third quarter with two big scrambles from Howell putting them on Virginia Tech’s 38 yard-line. However, a pass attempt to sophomore wide receiver Justin Olson was picked off by a Hokie corner, immediately erasing all momentum for UNC.
The Tar Heels saw another opportunity in their next drive though, and this time they did not let it go to waste. Three-straight pass completions from Howell, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Downs, cut the Virginia Tech lead in half, 14-7.
The UNC defense got an important third-and-twelve stop to start the fourth quarter, but the Hokies’ 48-yard field goal attempt was good, putting them up 10 points. Later in the quarter, UNC and Virginia Tech would swap interceptions as the Tar Heels again squandered an offensive opportunity.
