Nosedive, anyone?

The North Carolina Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4 ACC) went up to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and had the sort of game that a team simply has to flush and move on from. Newly bowl eligible, Carolina laid down and let itself be pummeled to punch the bowl ticket of the Boston College Eagles (6-5, 3-4 ACC). It was success and elation for first-year BC head coach Bill O’Brien, in what should be (update: is) the last year of Mack Brown in Chapel Hill. O’Brien’s Eagles played with exactly the kind of physical, detail-oriented resolve that he has tried to make their identity.

The consequences for UNC aren’t that dire at first glance. Sure, the Tar Heels will be sent to a less prestigious bowl than they would have otherwise. But they broke a four-game losing streak. They overcame some of the most brutal emotional swings that a team can face on and off the field. They fought back to get six wins.

Then they produced a 41-21 loss. Literally and technically that sentence is true. But it’s not really true. BC led this game 24-7 at the half and 41-7 before ‘garbage time’ truly set in. The only Tar Heel points until 2:09 to go IN THE GAME came from Chris Culliver’s 95-yard kick return touchdown midway through the second quarter. This was not a 20-point loss. This was annihilation.

In every game but Minnesota and the second half at Duke – let’s call it 85% of the season – it has been obvious that the defense is the weak link for UNC. That is still ultimately the case from a statistical standpoint, and it has been an overarching theme of Mack Brown 2.0. Saturday, the defense was terrible, but so too was the offense. Nothing worked. Nothing. Not until it was all irrelevant to the outcome.

Carolina’s offense has lacked a Sam Howell or Drake Maye this year, but it has Omarion Hampton and had been doing just enough to achieve some balance around him. On Saturday, the Heels abandoned the run when the chips were down, in a bad weather game. It was baffling. Hampton carried the ball only 11 times, averaging 4.8 yards/carry. Entering BC, he averaged nearly 25 carries per game. An offense cannot succeed when it abandons its identity.

You don’t want to read the play-by-play even if you missed the game, so we’re posting an abbreviate drive chart this week:

Quarter-by-Quarter

BC – Field Goal (13 plays, 39 yards, 8:45)

UNC – Punt (5 p, 14 y, 3:06)

Q1: UNC 0, BC 3

BC – Touchdown (13 p, 66 y, 6:58); drive began with 5:39 to go in Q1

UNC – Downs (7 p, 32 y, 3:23)

BC – Touchdown (3 p, 59 y, 1:13)

UNC – Touchdown (Chris Culliver 95-yard kickoff return at 8:51)

BC – Punt (6 p, 15 y, 2:54)

UNC – Punt (3 p, -6 y, 1:27)

BC – Downs (7 p, 20 y, 2:35)

UNC – Interception (3 p, -6 y, 0:51)

BC – Touchdown (3 p, 32 y, 0:24)

UNC – Downs (6 p, 68 y, 0:40)

Q2: UNC 7, BC 21 (BC leads 24-7)

UNC – Punt (3 p, -3 y, 2:09)

BC – Field Goal (4 p, 6 yards, 1:31)

UNC – Punt (3 p, 4 y, 1:26)

BC – Downs (12 p, 90 y, 5:11)

UNC – Punt (3 p, 7 y, 1:46)

BC – Fumble (6 p, 28 y, 3:06)

Q3: UNC 0, BC 3 (BC leads 27-7)

UNC – Interception, Returned for BC Touchdown (5 p, 18 y, 2:13)

UNC – Punt (3 p, 0 y, 0:59)

BC – Touchdown (9 p, 64 y, 5:48)

UNC – Touchdown (12 p, 75 y, 3:42)

BC – Downs (4 p, 9 y, 1:44)

UNC – Touchdown (2 p, 34 y, 0:16)

BC – End of Game (1 p, -2, 0:09)

Q4: UNC 14, BC 14 (BC wins 41-21)

The Bottom Line

Boston College played its preferred game and Carolina ceded the argument in what was their worst all-around performance of the year. Remember, the JMU calamity was only on one side of the ball.

Jacolby Criswell doubled his season interception total in a single afternoon (one of which, to be fair, was an end-of-half Hail Mary). He threw 16/30 for 176 yards, no touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Criswell had little help getting the job done: he was sacked 7 times and – as previously mentioned – Carolina’s best asset in the backfield, Omarion Hampton, was only given 11 carries on the day.

For Boston College, it was a picture perfect day. Grayson James threw 18/27 for 192 yards, 1 touchdown, and no interceptions. He was sacked only once and also scored a touchdown with his feet. BC was the more physical and more consistent team throughout. Critically, the Eagles were 7/15 on 3rd down while holding the Tar Heels to 3/13.

Saturday was a horrendous, inexcusable day for Carolina and, seemingly, the final nail in the coffin of Mack Brown’s second tenure in Chapel Hill.

Up Next

Carolina has senior day in Chapel Hill against NC State at 3:30 pm on 11/30, televised on ACC Network. Meanwhile on the CW Network, Boston College hosts Pitt for senior day in Chestnut Hill on 11/30 at 3:00 pm.