By Bob Sutton
RALEIGH — There was lots of blame to go around for North Carolina’s latest November shortcoming.
Coach Mack Brown wanted to accept all of it.
“I did a very poor job preparing our team, obviously,” Brown said. “I thought it was very much like the Virginia game. We were awful the first half. This was as bad as I’ve ever seen us.”
That was reflected in a 39–20 loss Saturday night at N.C. State, which was so dominant in the first half that the Tar Heels were barely functional at times.
“It’s on me,” quarterback Drake Maye, accepting his part of the responsibility.
The Tar Heels offense joined the defense in the doldrums. Maye turned a miserable opening half into a respectable outing, but his rushing efforts might have been more impressive than his passing.
Give Maye credit for insisting on heading back onto the field for the last series after he exited with a fourth-quarter ankle injury. It was otherwise a night when the Tar Heels largely looked most interested in getting back to Chapel Hill.
Carolina (8–4, 4–4 ACC) ended up in a three-way tie for sixth place in the ACC, joining Clemson and Duke in that spot.
Virginia handed the Tar Heels their first loss of the season in October, yet that outcome didn’t have to define the season. Yet this edition of the Tar Heels might be remembered most by what happened on a cold night in Raleigh, where it likely seemed downright frigid for Carolina.
N.C. State scored on its first eight possessions — four field goals and four touchdowns. It was 23–0 before the Tar Heels got on the board late in the second quarter.
North Carolina’s first five possessions had four three-and-outs and a fumble.
“Really self-inflicted,” Maye said. “You’ve got to get off to a good start in a place like this.”
The numbers were inexplicable in many ways. The Tar Heels had 58 first-half passing yards, though Maye recovered to complete 18 of 28 second-half throws and finish with 254 yards in the air.
Running back Omarion Hampton shared the NCAA lead in rushing entering the game, but he managed just 28 yards on nine carries. Maye posted a career-best 106 rushing yards on nine attempts.
North Carolina didn’t have receivers Kobe Paysour and Nate McCollum. The injury count didn’t help, but many teams aren’t feeling frisky this time of the season.
“It’s late in the year,” Brown said. “It’s part of the deal.”
Emotions were raw as midnight approached, but the unsettling nature of what unfolded at Carter-Finley Stadium could set the foundation for seeking redemption in whatever bowl the Tar Heels end up in. They should find out next Sunday.
“I’d love to get one more chance,” said Maye, who threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions.
For the Tar Heels, last year’s 9-1 record turned into a 9-5 season.
This season, a team that was once 6–0 has been barely recognizable in recent weeks.
“This is something we talked about all offseason: Don’t get complacent,” linebacker Cedric Gray said, noting embarrassment by the team’s performance.
N.C. State (9–3, 6–2) ends up alone in third place in the ACC, winning five games in a row.
Graduate transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw three touchdown passes for the Wolfpack. KC Concepcion made touchdown receptions of 11 and 6 yards in the second quarter on the way to 131 receiving yards.
Carolina’s touchdowns came on Maye’s 15-yard pass to John Copenhaver, Maye’s 1-yard run and a 21-yard pass to Tez Walker.
As dismal as it looked for the Tar Heels, they moved into N.C. State territory trailing 39-20 early in the fourth quarter. Then at the Wolfpack 19, Maye’s pass was deflected and intercepted by diving linebacker Payton Wilson, who was a Carolina commitment before changing his mind coming out of Orange High School.
A bizarre beginning to the second half might have taken some attention away from how the Tar Heels played. Wolfpack kicker Brayden Narveson made his fourth field goal of the first half before the teams departed for halftime. When they returned, the last play of the first half was replayed after the three points were wiped off because N.C. State had 12 players on the field. Pushed back 5 yards, Narveson was good from 24 yards away and the score was back to 26-7 in the Wolfpack’s favor.
Bob Sutton is a veteran ACC sports writer who is the former North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year and was the sports editor of the Burlington Times-News for 25 years.
N.C. State 39, UNC 20
ACC standings
| Team | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|
| X — No. 5 Florida State | 8–0 | 12–0 |
| X — No. 9 Louisville | 7–1 | 10–2 |
| N.C. State | 6–2 | 9–3 |
| Georgia Tech | 5–3 | 6–6 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–3 | 6–6 |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| North Carolina | 4–4 | 8–4 |
| Duke | 4–4 | 7–5 |
| Miami | 3–5 | 7–5 |
| Boston College | 3–5 | 6–6 |
| Syracuse | 2–6 | 6–6 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–6 | 3–9 |
| Virginia | 2–6 | 3–9 |
| Wake Forest | 1–7 | 4–8 |
Friday’s result
Miami 45, Boston College 20
Saturday’s games
Kentucky 38, No. 9 Louisville 31
Duke 30, Pittsburgh 19
Syracuse 35, Wake Forest 31
No. 1 Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 23
Virginia Tech 55, Virginia 17
Clemson 16, South Carolina 7
No. 5 Florida State 24, Florida 15
N.C. State 39, North Carolina 20
Next Saturday’s ACC championship game in Charlotte
No. 9 Louisville vs. No. 5 Florida State, 8 p.m., ABC
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Opponent/event | 2023 record | UNC record in series |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | |||
| 20 | Spring game, 3 p.m. | — | — |
| August | |||
| 29 (Thurs.) | at Minnesota | 6–7 | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 7 | Charlotte | 3–9 | 0–0 |
| 14 | N.C. Central | 9–3 | 0–0 |
| 21 | James Madison | 11–2 | 3–0 |
| 28 | at Duke | 8–5 | 65–40–4 |
| October | |||
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 3–9 | 12–5 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | 22–33–3 |
| 26 | at Virginia | 3–9 | 66–58–4 |
| November | |||
| 2 | at Florida State | 13–1 | 3–17–1 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 4–8 | 72–36–2 |
| 23 | at Boston College | 7–6 | 6–2 |
| 30 | N.C. State | 9–4 | 68–39–6 |
Photo via @PackFootball
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