UNC football trails ECU 35-20 at halftime

GREENVILLE -- The North Carolina football team trails East Carolina 35-20 after the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

ECU quarterback Shane Carden and the Pirates picked up this year where they left off last year's 55-31 rout of the Tar Heels. ECU scored in just 56 seconds to start the game. Just three plays into the game, the sea of purple was roaring with applause as Trevon Brown burnt UNC's secondary for a 55-yard touchdown pass. 

The Tar Heels responded with a 21-yard field goal to come within four points, but took their first lead of the game shortly after freshman cornerback Brian Walker picked up his third interception in two games this season. The pick set UNC up on the ECU 35-yard line and coach Larry Fedora decided to dip into his bag of tricks.

On the first play, quarterback Marquise Williams threw a screen to wide receiver Ryan Switzer behind the line of scrimmage, who then threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver T.J. Thorpe. The play was Thorpe's first of the season after missing the first two games with a foot injury. It was Switzer's second pass in a Carolina blue uniform -- the first also went for a touchdown. 

The game turned into a back-and-forth affair from that point, with three more lead changes before the half. 

The Tar Heels scored their second touchdown in a similar fashion to the first. After lining up for a field goal on the 29-yard line, place holder and punter Tommy Hibbard picked up the snap and rolled out, finding tight end Eric Albright wide open for a 29-yard touchdown. The score gave UNC a 20-14 lead, but after back-to-back three-and-outs, East Carolina found its way back into the game.

Trevon Brown scored his second touchdown of the game immediately after UNC's fake-field goal score, and two drives later Breon Allen gave the Pirates a 28-20 lead thanks to a 44-yard touchdown run on 3rd and 28.

As the clocked ticked down, it seemed like the Tar Heels would be able to go into the half down just eight points. But Carden orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard drive to go up 35-20. Carden scrambled to his right out of the pocket and looked back across the middle of the field to find a wide open Brandon Bishop for a 19-yard touchdown pass. 

Notes:

• Penalties and missed tackles continue to plague the Tar Heel football team in the first half of the game. UNC has committed five penalties (55 yards) while the Pirates have committed six (49 yards).
• QB Marquise Williams has had several missed throws in the first half, including an overthrown potential touchdown to Mack Hollins on the first drive of the game. Williams is 9-for-15 with 77 passing yards. So far he hasn't been dangerous running the ball either. With seven carries, Williams has managed just 19 yards on the ground (2.7 per rush).
• QB Mitch Trubisky showed well on his first drive on the field, but is just 3-for-8 with 37 passing yards.
• CB Brian Walker has been one of the few bright spots in the UNC secondary. His first quarter interception led to UNC's first touchdown of the game and he was in on several key breakups.