Make it a baker’s dozen.
The Virginia football team dropped yet another road game on Saturday, this time falling 26-13 at North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Hoos have not won outside of Charlottesville since November 3, 2012 when they defeated NC State in Raleigh.
As bad as that unlucky 13 sounds, this may be worse: the Cavaliers are 3-16 in the ACC’s Coastal Division since the end of the 2011 bowl season. UVa coach Mike London is 0-6 against the school’s longest-running rival North Carolina after Saturday’s loss.
“We didn’t do a good job defensively getting turnovers early. Obviously, we gave the ball up and shortened the field for them and gave them opportunities,” London said. “That’s a good football team, but at the same time we didn’t finish the game like we showed we could last week. It was disappointing to finish the way we did. We’ve got to improve in a lot of areas. We’ve got to continue to do that. … They did a great job of executing and we didn’t do as well of what we needed to do, particularly offensively to move the ball and get points.”
The latest loss once again featured some familiar storylines, but indeed the most relevant one surrounded the offense and another dud second half. The Hoos did not score after halftime as they committed five turnovers on six possessions. That took a 13-13 game and turned it into a frustrating 30 minutes of football.
Quarterback Matt Johns was at the center of the calamity. It started early in the half. On the first drive after intermission, Johns misfired on a third down throw intended for Canaan Severin as it sailed high and behind his favorite target. Carolina’s Sam Smiley made the easy interception and returned it 41 yards to set up a field goal.
After a punt on the next possession, Virginia spent the rest of the half turning the ball over. Early in the fourth quarter, a pass bounced through Severin’s hands and ended up in the hands of North Carolina’s Malik Simmons, which led to another field goal. Still trailing just 26-13, the Hoos drove to the doorstep of the end zone but the drive stalled out; it ended on a throw into the end zone that was intercepted by Shakeel Rashad.
On the next possession, Johns was in the pocket on first down when Jack English missed a block in pass protection. Mikey Bart made the strip sack and Robert Dinkins recovered. With one last meaningless drive in the final minute, Johns was intercepted on his first throw by Simmons again. He finished 17-of-30 passing for 148 yards with 1 touchdown – a nice play-action throw to tight end Charlie Hopkins on 3rd-and-goal in the first half – and 4 picks.
Johns’ struggles overshadowed a good day for Taquan Mizzell. The running back logged 24 carries for 117 yards and caught 6 passes for 57 yards. Daniel Hamm added 70 yards on 7 carries, including a 53-yarder that set up the Hoos’ only touchdown. The visitors finished with 205 yards rushing. Severin had 3 catches for 40 yards. Hopkins added 3 for 36. T.J. Thorpe had 2 catches for 11 yards in his return to his alma mater.
“You have that many turnovers and then you shorten the field like that, that makes it tough as well” Virginia coach Mike London said. “They did a nice job defensively in a lot of areas. We had close to 200 yards rushing. That’s something we haven’t had in a while. There’s some things that are working for us, but we have to get everything working in the right direction for us.”
“I think one thing is, I think our coaches do a great job at halftime,” UNC coach Larry Fedora said. “And it’s not about all the adjustments, and speeches and all that. It’s really just staying calm, and being patient with the guys, and talking them through what’s really happening and then letting them adjust to it. Our guys have played really well in the second half.”
Defensively, the Cavaliers held their own against Carolina’s high octane attack. The Tar Heels entered the game averaging 40.5 points per game, including 46.0 during a five-game winning streak. UVa held that number down by forcing two turnovers in the first half and holding for field goals on two red zone trips in the second half.
The two turnovers came courtesy of an interception, the Hoos’ first of the season, and a fumble. Quin Blanding snared the INT when Kwontie Moore drilled UNC quarterback Marquise Williams as he threw and the ball sailed beyond his target. Demetrious Nicholson forced a fumble on a tackle on the first drive of the game and linebacker Micah Kiser recovered it. Williams completed 21 of 26 passes for 226 yards in the game with Quinshad Davis (40 yards) and Ryan Switzer (37 yards) each posting 6 catches. Blanding had 12 tackles to lead UVa’s defense, while Kiser added 10.
Ultimately, however, the Hoos couldn’t shut down the Tar Heels’ rushing attack and that gave the hosts just enough firepower to win. Elijah Hood carried 21 times for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Williams added 71 yards on 12 carries. T.J. Logan chipped in 26 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
“There’s no small victories. It’s all about the wins,” London said of his team’s defense. “They’re number one in scoring, number one in this and that. Defensively at times we did do a good job. We had to make the crucial stops. Particularly the long run, the long pass that was thrown, and their explosive plays. I don’t know how many they had this game. Perhaps not as many as they had in the past, but none the less they had them so we have to limit those opportunities like that. Again, they scored more points than we did and they ended up winning the game.”
