No. 10 UNC football is undefeated no more. Virginia upsets Tar Heels in Chapel Hill
North Carolina is no longer undefeated, and will no longer be ranked in the top 10 in the polls.
Virginia, trailing by 10 points in the third quarter, pulled off one of the biggest shockers of the college football season Saturday, taking a 31-27 victory over the No. 10 Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium..
The Cavaliers (2-5, 1-2 ACC), with an extra week to prepare, got an inspired effort from everyone, and especially quarterback Tony Muskett. The transfer from Monmouth, came up big for the Cavaliers and upstaged UNC’s Drake Maye by coming away with the startling win, the Cavs’ first over a top 10 team since 2005.
With a 31-27 lead in the fourth quarter, Virginia was on the brink of a back-breaking score. But running back Mike Hollins fumbled just short of the goal line, the ball skidding through the back of the end zone for a touchback.
The Tar Heels (6-1, 3-1) reached the Virginia 20, but Maye’s fourth-down pass to Tez Walker was high and incomplete with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter. UNC had one last possession, taking over with 1:12 left, but Maye’s pass was picked off by James Jackson at the Virginia 43 with 26 seconds remaining,
Maye was not at his best but passed for 347 yards and two touchdowns, completing 24 of 48 passes. Walker caught 11 passes and had another TD catch — the wide receiver’s fourth in two games — and tight end Bryson Nesbit hauled in a 62-yard scoring throw on a sideline route,
UNC led 24-14 in the third quarter after Maye scored on a short option run. But the Cavaliers answered with a Hollins TD run — his third of the game – and took a 31-27 lead with 8:51 left in the third quarter on Muskett’s 14-yard scoring pass to Mailk Washington as Washington fought his way to the end zone.
Three takeaways from the game:
Upsets happen
Upsets do happen. It’s college football. The games are always unpredictable.
UNC coach Mack Brown talked early in the week about the parity in college football, of how underdogs crop up each week to scare — or beat — the biggest of favorites.
No one expected Virginia to beat North Carolina. The Heels were favored by three touchdowns.
But the Cavaliers, coming off a bye week, were well prepared. They weren’t lacking energy. Falling behind by 10 points in the third quarter appeared to only motivate the Cavs, not demoralize them.
Flat or not?
It would be easy to say the Cavaliers caught the Tar Heels a little – or maybe more than a little – flat after UNC’s big win last week over Miami. In truth, the Cavs were energized after their bye week and their offensive execution sharp much of the night.
UNC was penalized returning the opening kickoff, and the first half much of a slog for the Heels interrupted by some big plays provided by Drake Maye. There was the 25-yard TD throw to Tez Walker and a 62-yard scoring pass to tight end Bryson Nesbit, but Maye didn’t have his best passing touch much of the half.
Virginia took advantage of good field position twice to move to first-half touchdowns, keeping the Heels off balance defensively with motion and some timely passes by quarterback Tony Muskett, the transfer from Monmouth.
UNC appeared to be pulling away in the third quarter, taking a 24-14 lead on Maye’s short TD run. But Muskett led Virginia on a 74-yard drive to tighten things up again.
Too many passes
The Tar Heels appeared too pass-happy against the Cavaliers. Omarion Hampton had another 100-yard rushing game, but UNC relied a lot on Maye’s arm.
That’s never a bad option for UNC, but the Cavaliers challenged those Maye passes and made some good plays. Maye at other times simply missed open receivers. Then there was the last interception.
In the fourth quarter, Maye had Nate McCollum open over the middle on a third-down play but badly overthrew the wide receiver, causing much groaning at Kenan Stadium.
Virginia’s rush defense has been porous this season and Hampton is capable of big games, but the decision was made to ride Maye’s arm most of the night.
This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 6:07 PM with the headline "No. 10 UNC football is undefeated no more. Virginia upsets Tar Heels in Chapel Hill."
