North Carolina had a 10-point lead at halftime Saturday in its 48-21 win over NC State Saturday but Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown saw the third quarter as the turning point in the game.
UNC outscored the Wolfpack 21-7 in the third quarter.
The most important moment of the separating stretch came when Carolina was able to turn NC State freshman quarterback Ben Finley’s second interception of the contest into seven points to give the Heels a three-possession lead.
“Coming back out the second half, I thought in the first series we would at least make a first down,” Brown said. ”Then we come back and they stop us. But we got a batted ball interception that leads to points and that pretty much put the thing in jeopardy because it put NC State far enough behind that they had to throw the ball more than they would like to.”
On the next NC State drive, the Wolfpack faced a fourth-and-three situation from its own 44-yard line down 17-points midway through the third quarter.
Although it appeared the Pack may go for it on fourth down, Finley executed a 55-yard pooch punt out of shotgun formation which pinned UNC inside its own one-yard line.
“It was huge and you're concerned when you're back there that you get a safety or a fumble sack for a touchdown,” Mack said. “That was a really smart thing by Tim Beck and Dave Doeren to pooch that one because we thought at that point in the game they might go for it. And what an outstanding kick to the one-yard line.”
North Carolina, however, was able to convert an 11-play, 99-yard touchdown drive that lasted almost four minutes and gave it a 31-7 lead late in the third quarter.
Typically an offense that relies on its rush attack, the Pack’s running backs were held to just 53 yards on 13 attempts Saturday afternoon. One of its primary ball carriers, junior Ricky Person Jr., left the game with a concussion in the second quarter.
“I hope that Person is okay,” Brown said. “Dave said he was okay after the game or would be okay. I always want to make sure that the young people in the game are safe”
Meanwhile, North Carolina rushed for 326 yards and controlled the time of possession 39:08 to 20:52.
A bulk of the production on the ground came from junior running back Javonte Williams and senior running back Michael Carter who combined for 312 all-purpose yards.
Williams led the Tar Heels in the run game with 160 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Carter added 106 yards rushing for one touchdown on 17 carries and reeled in two receptions for 46 yards.
“They're probably the best combination of two backs in the country,” Brown said. “They're tough, they're smart, they protect the ball, they run with power and they both have patience. Really, no one has tackled them on a consistent basis all year.
“When we get them going, the rest of it works. It's hard to stack the box and stop those two in the running game and then have enough people left to handle the passing game.”
His 12th time playing the Wolfpack as head coach of the Tar Heels, Brown understands how emotional the rivalry game can get. Despite the lopsided final score, the veteran head coach said he was pleased with the sportsmanship considering the outside noise that comes along when these two teams meet.
“I want to applaud State, Coach Doeren and their assistants because I thought it was a clean game,” Brown said. ”A lot of times this game can be chippy. A lot of pushing and shoving, late hits and fighting and there wasn't any of that that I could tell at all. Credit to both teams that they handled their emotions well and did the things that they were supposed to do.”
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