A puntfest turned into a trick play showcase on Saturday at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., as No. 22 North Carolina leads Virginia 14-7 at the half.
After the Cavaliers appeared to have been stopped deep in UNC territory on their best drive of the day, they lined up for the field goal in what's sometimes called a swinging gate formation, with most of the players lined up on the numbers to the left, leaving just a longsnapper and quarterback in the middle of the field. Longsnapper Evan Butts snapped the ball to the left by throwing it laterally where most of his teammates had lined up. Holder Matt Johns took the snap, then tossed it back to Butts who was wide open in the middle of the field for the touchdown.
Not to be outdone, Coach Larry Fedora called for some trickery on the Tar Heels' ensuing drive. UNC lined up in the Wildcat formation with running back T.J. Logan at quarterback and usual starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky at wide receiver on the left. Logan took the direct snap and handed off to wide receiver Ryan Switzer running left. Switzer then pitched the ball to Trubisky, who bombed it deep downfield to wide receiver Bug Howard, who was wearing injured teammate Mack Hollins' No. 13 jersey. Howard jumped up to grab the 40-yard touchdown and UNC reclaimed the lead at 14-7.
Running back Elijah Hood got the Tar Heels on the board first with a four-yard run in the first quarter. He had nine carries for 69 yards in the first half to help the Tar Heels amass a 255-160 advantage in total yards. UNC's lead could have been bigger, but Logan fumbled on a run inside the five-yard line in the first quarter.
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