Virginia Tech defense stymies No. 10 UNC in the ACC football opener for both teams
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No. 10 North Carolina caved into the pressure in losing its season opener 17-10 at Virginia Tech, and it had nothing to do with the weight of expectations.
The Tar Heels (0-1, 0-1 ACC) were not able to get quarterback Sam Howell enough time to make clean throws. The Hokies (1-0, 1-0) totaled six sacks and countless other pressures, including on the Heels’ final drive of the game.
Howell rolled to his right while being chased by nose tackle Jordan Williams. While in the grasp of being sacked for a seventh time, Howell flung the ball toward receiver Josh Downs, but nickelback Chamarri Conner made a diving catch. Conner seemed to juggle the ball while falling, but the call held up after a review, and the Hokies were able to run out the clock.
Howell had two interceptions in the fourth quarter, which he never had in his first two seasons. The game also marked the first time he ever had three interceptions in one game. Howell was being touted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, but the Hokies never really allowed him to shine. He finished completing 17-of-32 passes for 208 yards, which was his fourth-lowest yardage total in his career.
Carolina trailed 14-0 at halftime, marred by an offense that couldn’t get into a rhythm and a defense that couldn’t stop the run.
The Hokies had 27 rushing attempts alone in the first half compared to the Heels, who had just 23 total plays. And UNC had a hard time making the most of its limited possessions.
Its first drive stalled thanks in part to a false start penalty on a first-down play. Carolina advanced to the Tech 26 on its second drive, but on third down Howell was thrown for a 13-yard loss leading to punt on fourth down. And on its third drive, Howell was sacked on first down, which led to a three-and-out.
The Heels were fortunate to only be down two scores. On Virginia Tech’s second drive of the game, it ran the ball 10 straight plays and moved the ball to the UNC 10. The Hokies tried one too many runs, as free safety Trey Morrison stripped Keshawn King of the ball and strong safety JaQurious Conley made the recovery for UNC.
The Hokies appeared to be stumbling their way into settling for a field goal. After catching a difficult over-the-shoulder grab for 34-yards that set up Tech at the UNC 8, Tre Turner dropped a pass thrown slightly behind him that would have been a touchdown. Then on second down, running back Raheem Blackshear dropped the handoff and had to fall on it for a 3-yard loss.
Carolina then turned conservative and paid for it. The Heels rushed just three players, dropping eight in coverage. They tried the same tactic earlier on the drive on a third-and-13 that Burmeister checked down and completed a short pass that Blackshear took 18 yards for a first down.
This time, Tech tight end James Mitchell slid behind UNC’s Kyler McMichael as Burmeister scrambled to catch an 11-yard score.
Offsides
Virginia Tech’s defense turned up the pressure on Howell. He spent a lot of time being forced to scramble to buy time or take off running from the pocket. The Tar Heels gave up six sacks for 35 yards. When it gave up at least five sacks twice last season — five to Virginia and six to Notre Dame — it lost both games.
Touchdown
Carolina answered one question of who would make up for losing receivers Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown. Sophomore Josh Downs had a career-high 123 yards on nine catches and a score. It continued his momentum from last season when he set his previous high with four catches for 91 yards and two scores against Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl.
ICYMI
UNC linebacker Tomon Fox was credited with half a sack late in the first half that moved him past Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor for sole possession of fifth place in program history with 21.5 sacks. Fox is now two and a half behind Marcus Jones and Quinton Coples, who are tied for third.
Key numbers
1 — As in the turnover margin in Tech’s favor. Carolina’s defense came up with two takeaways, as JaQurious Conley was in the right place to recover a fumble and pick off a pass. But UNC’s Sam Howell threw three interceptions — Justin Conley had the ball taken away from him on the first one, the ball was tipped on his second and Conner sealed the game on the third pick.
6 — Virginia Tech converted its first six third-down plays in the game, including two of 10-plus yards on its second scoring drive.
69 — Howell’s touchdown pass made him the all-time leader in program history. Howell moved past Darian Durant, who had 68 touchdowns from 2001-04.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Virginia Tech defense stymies No. 10 UNC in the ACC football opener for both teams."
