UNC football slips in the Coastal Division after tight loss to Virginia
Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins is just really good at football.
The 6-3, 210-pound senior quarterback put on a clinic against North Carolina’s defense Saturday night at Kenan Stadium. He had 490 total yards and five touchdowns, including a 65-yard run, to help the Cavaliers defeat the Tar Heels 38-31.
“The problem we had tonight is we didn’t stop their best player,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “And their best player is one of the best players in the country.”
This was only the second time in 144 meetings that both teams scored 30 or more points.
Saturday’s game was expected to be a defensive battle, as both teams have been good on defense this season. However, it was anything but that.
Perkins led four consecutive touchdown drives against the UNC defense between the second and third quarters. His 6-yard touchdown pass to Grant Misch gave the Cavaliers a 38-24 lead with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
The Tar Heels quickly cut the Wahoos’ lead to seven points with quarterback Sam Howell’s 42-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Dyami Brown.
However, that was as close as UNC would get.
The Tar Heels had two chances to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. They marched all the way down to the Cavaliers’ 6-yard line with five minutes left in the game. But Howell’s pass in the end zone to Beau Corrales on fourth-and-4 fell incomplete.
They got it back at their own 41-yard line with just under two minutes. But that drive stalled at the UVA 43.
Howell was 15 of 29 for 353 yards and four touchdowns. It was one of his best performances of the season, but not enough to keep up with Perkins.
Perkins was 30 of 39 for 378 yards, three touchdowns passing, and rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
With the loss the Tar Heels fell a game behind Virginia for first place in the Coastal Division with only three games left on their schedule. UNC (4-5, 3-3 ACC) also must win two of its final three games to become bowl eligible.
The Tar Heels have a bye week before their Thursday night game at Pittsburgh on Nov. 14.
First down
Dyami Brown finished with 6 catches and a career-high 202 yards receiving. He set a personal record in the first half after catches of 57 yards, 47 yards, 34 yards and 13 yards. He also had two touchdowns in the first half.
Touchdown
The Cavaliers, who dominated the Tar Heels’ defense, had 517 yards of total offense and were 5 for 5 in the red zone. By comparison, the Tar Heels were 1 for 3 in the red zone.
“This was going to be whoever scored the most, and just disappointed that we didn’t finish it like we needed to,” Mack Brown said.
Penalty
The Tar Heels took a 17-10 lead with 1:47 left in the first half. However, they allowed the Cavaliers to drive 78 yards and score a touchdown, tying the game with 13 seconds left in the half.
Virginia received possession of the ball after halftime. Perkins ran for a 65-yard score on the second play of the second half to give the Cavaliers a 24-17 lead with 14:25 left in the third quarter.
ICYMI
The Tar Heels got a number of key players back from injury on Saturday. UNC junior safety Myles Wolfolk and senior offensive lineman Nick Polino, who returned from lower body injuries, played sparingly against Virginia.
UNC sophomore cornerback Trey Morrison, who is coming off a broken arm, played most of the game. Having those players back will provide much needed depth the Tar Heels otherwise didn’t have the previous few weeks.
UNC’s leading rusher Javonte Williams went down with what appeared to be a leg injury late in the fourth quarter. He did not return.
Key numbers
9 Consecutive games that Howell, a freshman, has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game this season.
1 Number of penalties for Virginia for five yards. The Cavaliers didn’t make many mistakes.
490 Total yards for Perkins. It was the third most yards allowed by a UNC defense in program history. Only Louisville’s Lamar Jackson in 2017 and Daniel Jones in 2018 had more.
This story was originally published November 2, 2019 at 10:52 PM with the headline "UNC football slips in the Coastal Division after tight loss to Virginia."
