All hope appeared lost for the fifth-ranked UNC football team on Saturday night in Tallahassee, as the Tar Heels trailed Florida State 31-7 at halftime.
A thrilling comeback then put UNC on the verge of stealing the victory, but a pair of key drops in the closing seconds helped the Seminoles escape with a 31-28 win.
Faced with a 3rd-and-9 just outside of field goal range, a pass from quarterback Sam Howell bounced off the hands of receiver Dazz Newsome on what would have been a sure first down. A similar fate met tailback Javonte Williams on the next play after Howell scrambled away from the Florida State pass rush, ending the Tar Heels’ shot at what would have been the largest comeback win in school history.
Florida State found much of its success on Saturday through the running game, finishing with 241 yards on the ground. (Photo via ACC Media)
It also sealed an enormous upset for the Seminoles (2-3), who entered the game as double-digit underdogs after a 1-3 start to the season.
For Williams, it was a bitter ending to a game where he imposed his will repeatedly on the way to a team-high 186 total yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Mack Brown stressed afterwards that the loss can’t be attributed to just one mistake.
“I can tell him that we had 81 opportunities on offense and his was only one,” Brown said. “There’s a lot of other people that messed up their play. And Javonte fought his guts out for us. He rushed for 119 yards. He fought. He competed. So, I’ll never say anything to Javonte except good job.”
The large majority of those other mistakes came in the first half, as the Seminoles blocked two UNC punts and ran an interception back for a touchdown. For large stretches during that time, the Seminoles seemed much more motivated and ready to play than the Tar Heels.
Javonte Williams was outstanding all night long for the Tar Heels in their loss to Florida State, but dropped a critical pass in the closing seconds. (Photo via ACC Media)
Although Howell finished the game with 374 yards through the air, UNC leaned heavily on the run in the first half—abandoning the vertical passing attack that would later nearly bring them all the way back from a 24-point halftime deficit.
After spending the week preaching that he wanted to see a complete performance from his team if they were going to prove they belonged in the top five, Brown once again got less than four full quarters—with this time ultimately handing UNC (3-1) its first loss of the season.
“If we’re going to be the program that we want to be—and we are—you can’t take the first half off,” Brown said. “You just can’t do that. We’re not good enough.”
Anyone familiar with this group of Tar Heels knows they’ve displayed quite the flair for drama over the last two seasons. Saturday was no different, except for this being the first time in 2020 they have been unable to overcome their mistakes.
While a loss is never the preferred outcome, it could go a long way as a wake-up call for a young, highly-talented team still looking to prove its worth.
“I’m really disappointed that we didn’t win it, but I’m really proud of the fight of the kids,” Brown said. “I told them in the second half I didn’t want them to look at the scoreboard. I wanted them to fight their way back into the ball game. And they did every bit of that.
“Coach [Darrell] Royal used to say at Texas we didn’t lose the game, we just ran out of time,” the coach added. “And that’s the attitude that these kids took in that second half.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels host rival NC State next Saturday at Kenan Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for noon.
Game Notes:
- Mack Brown is now 0-10 all-time against Florida State.
- The biggest comeback in UNC history came in 2015 when the Tar Heels rallied from 21 points down to defeat Georgia Tech.
- Florida State special teams coordinator John Papuchis was previously the UNC defensive coordinator under Larry Fedora.
- Beau Corrales finished the night with four catches and a team-high 141 yards for the Tar Heels, including a 33-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to bring UNC within 10 points.
Cover photo via ACC Media
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UNC Drops Chance to Complete Largest Comeback in School History, Falls to Florida State - Chapelboro.com
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