The North Carolina football team (4-1, 1-0 ACC) defeated Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-1 ACC), 41-10, at Kenan Stadium on Saturday evening to open up ACC play.
What happened?
The Hokies forced a punt on UNC’s opening drive and marched down the field for their first drive, but a false start forced them to settle for a 34-yard field goal.
North Carolina sophomore running back Caleb Hood opened up the second drive with a strong 12-yard rush to the right. Two plays later, Maye darted a pass to sophomore tight end John Copenhaver for a 29-yard gain, followed by an 18-yard run from Hood.
With the ball spotted at the 7-yard line, head coach Mack Brown elected to go for it on 4th and 1. Three short runs later, the Tar Heels successfully converted a 4th and 3 when Maye found graduate tight end Kamari Morales on a left drag route for a touchdown.
North Carolina’s defense continued to contain the Hokies, forcing another punt. Maye connected with senior receiver Antoine Green in stride for a 21-yard completion, followed by a quick bubble screen to first-year running back Omarion Hampton for a 9-yard gain to close out the second quarter.
To open up the second quarter, Maye found junior receiver Josh Downs on back-to-back plays for 24 and 18 yards, respectively. Two plays later, a play-action Maye keeper put UNC up 14-3.
Just two minutes later, North Carolina got the ball back when junior linebacker Cedric Gray picked off Hokie quarterback Grant Wells’ pass and returned it for 17 yards. On the very next play, Maye floated a pass to Green in the right corner of the end zone on a play-action for 16 yards.
UNC forced another punt, but as it began to rain with 6:30 to play in the half, Virginia Tech forced a three-and-out to regain possession. The Hokies milked the clock with short runs and check downs, save for a 25-yard run from running back Keshawn King. With under 30 seconds left in the half, Wells scored on a 2-yard quarterback draw.
