In Saturday’s 26-13 loss to North Carolina, the Virginia football team’s defense played well enough to win and special teams were not a liability. The offense, however, continued a Steve Fairchild era trend of not being able to score points on the road and quarterback Matt Johns continued his slide that started after the William & Mary game. Those issues were costly.

For the first time this season, the Cavaliers did not fall victim to a fake punt or kick, give up an onsides kick, or have a punt or kick blocked. Hey, it’s something positive to write about and the special teams operation for once this season weren’t a key factor in a loss.

Defensively, the Hoos limited the Tar Heels to their second fewest points, yards per play, total yards, rushing yards, and passing yards of the season. Jon Tenuta’s crew wasn’t great, but they handled UNC better than most and played well enough to win.

But the offense and its second half collapse was clearly the difference Saturday. As much as fans may lay the blame on Fairchild, this was a collective effort. Five turnovers and a punt on six second-half possessions is not just the fault of a coordinator or quarterback, but both shoulder a lot of the blame for this loss.

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