A win away from clinching Coastal, here’s what we learned from UNC’s win at Virginia
No. 17 North Carolina notched its fifth consecutive road win — the longest streak since the 1997 season — with its 31-28 victory at Virginia.
The Tar Heels (8-1, 5-0 ACC) will go for a record sixth road win next week at Wake Forest. A victory in the game could also clinch the ACC Coastal Division and earn Carolina a spot in the conference championship game.
Despite the Tar Heels’ resiliency on the road — as they rallied for a third game in a row after trailing at halftime — UNC coach Mack Brown was still reluctant to make any declarations.
“I’m three weeks away from being ready to say this team has ‘It,’” Brown said. “But I’m really, really pleased that all of the things that we’ve struggled with our first three years — winning close games and even more so winning close games on the road — this team is doing and that’s what’s fun.”
Here’s what we learned from the Heels’ win at Virginia:
Downs adds another gear
UNC receiver Josh Downs did what Downs does on offense, setting a new career-best with 15 receptions in the game — falling one catch short of tying the school record. His 166 receiving yards was his second-best outing ever. His personal record of 203 yards was also set against UVA last season.
He seems to be getting closer to taking a punt back for a score, too. Last week against Pitt, he had a 22-yard return. He gained 19 yards on his first return against the Cavaliers. And in the fourth quarter, he nearly got the score that would have put UNC up 17 on a 38-yard return.
“I started getting them heavy legs and I’m like, ‘Oh snap,’ but I knew it was just enough to get past this last guy,” Downs said. “So I’m like, I’m going to the crib (score a touchdown). And I see one of my players in front of me. And then all of a sudden, I just seen two arms wrapped me up out of nowhere and I fell on the ground.”
Downs joked that he was a little disappointed in himself because he let the punter make the tackle. Carolina’s opponents are not laughing, now that they have yet another play to worry about in trying to keep Downs from making a play.
Duck’s mental block
Physically, cornerback Storm Duck said he has been healthy all season after a foot injury limited his play to six games last season. But the mental part seems to be coming back now.
Duck had his second interception of the season coming in the first quarter when Virginia’s Luke Wentz tipped the ball and linebacker Cedric Gray tipped it again before Duck made a diving grab.
He also broke up a pass on third down in the third quarter when receiver Sean Wilson failed to clear out the area. Duck had one hand on Wilson and used the other to pat down a pass intended for Billy Kemp IV.
“When you have injuries, stuff like that happens, it’s a mental block,” Duck said. “And I feel like I’m past that now. I don’t feel like it was any like health limitations. It was just mental.”
Duck credited two plays he made at the end of the Pitt game last week for helping him get his confidence back. He blew up a screen and had a fourth-down pass breakup against the Panthers.
“Definitely those last two plays in the Pitt game really just showed me like, stop thinking and play,” Downs said. “And I mean from that point on, going in this week’s practice getting ready for this game, I was just keeping my mind right, just being confident going out there. And I feel like it carried over.”
Taylor still makes an impact
Brown said he cleared out the coaches in the locker room to allow injured defensive edge rusher Noah Taylor to address the team before the game. Taylor started every game this season for the Heels at their “jack” position, but suffered a season-ending lower body injury against Pitt last week.
The graduate transfer played four years at Virginia, which is why Brown brought him on the trip to Charlottesville and made him a captain before the game. Taylor did not get to face his former team, but Gray said Taylor didn’t make his pregame speech personal.
“He actually told everybody to close your eyes and think of the reason of why you play football,” Gray said. “And we all did that, took a second thought about why we played football and then he went on to say, ‘Play for whatever that why is today.’ ”
This story was originally published November 6, 2022 at 6:10 AM with the headline "A win away from clinching Coastal, here’s what we learned from UNC’s win at Virginia."