UNC loss 68-50. Yes, a football game!
The Tar Heels (6-4, 3-3 ACC) lost their first home game of the season at the hands of Georgia Tech (5-5, 4-3 ACC), 68-50, in a basketball score kind of finish. It was already understood Carolina would need to kick their offense in high gear and the defense would need to contain the head of Georgia Tech’s offensive in quarterback, Tevin Washington. Obviously, the defense didn’t get the message. The 118 combined points put up was the highest-scoring in ACC history.
Giovani Bernard, started the firing from Carolina’s offensive run-n-gun offensive display off a Bryn Renner & Erik Highsmith hook up on the previous play. It took Georgia Tech no time to respond with evidence of a firearm of their own. Washington, ran for a 25 yard scamper. A lot can be said for Bryan Renner going 24 of 35 for 350 yards 2 TD, and leading 2+ 90 yard drives one of which was finished off by A.J Blue on a 1 yard touchdown run.
The rhythm of the game had a ‘whatever you can do, we can do better’ kind of feel to it. On the next Carolina possession Renner put together another long drive going 94 yards in 11 plays. Capping the drive off was, Romar Morris, running 30-yard in the middle of the Yellow Jackets defense for the score. Georgia Tech answered right back before half. Reassuringly, the Tar Heels had a 29-28 lead into halftime.
The second half didn’t disappoint the high scoring pace of the first as kick returner, Jamal Golden, returned the second half kickoff to jump start the biggest scoring quarter Georgia Tech which served big in hind sight for the win. Bernard answered with a 78-yard catch of his 92 receiving yards making it a 36-34 game at that point. Along with his receiving contribution Bernard racked up 78 yards on 16 carries eclipsing the 1,000 becoming the first since Natrone Means to do so in consecutive seasons.
The x-factor stat of the game for Georgia Tech was converting 9-of-15 on third downs a big reason why they finished with 588 yards of total offense. Carolina’s defense wasn’t known as relentless coming in, but obviously came up short in defending Tevin Washington and company. Taking a loss is bad enough, but giving up 68 points makes it all the more memorable. A frustrated coach Larry Fedora will have make some adjustments going forward.
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