By Doc Kennedy

When things aren’t going well, when a team is struggling to find its footing, it’s the little things that make the difference between winning and losing. In a game that was mostly even on the stat sheet and relatively close on the scoreboard, UNC was unable to do the little things in a disappointing 34–24 homecoming loss to Pitt on Saturday.

In the first half, Carolina maintained control of the ball while the Panthers were slinging the ball down the field like it was shot out of a potato gun. The Tar Heels gave up some huge plays to Pitt, but thanks to an 84-yard interception return by Kaleb Cost, UNC was able to parlay its advantage in time of possession into a 17–17 tie at halftime. But there was a harbinger of things to come on Carolina’s second possession of the game, which went for 19 plays and 81 yards, consuming over nine minutes on the clock before failing to convert a 4th-and-2 on the Panthers’ 9-yard line.

Pitt flipped the script in the second half, converting 8 of 9 third downs. After Carolina forged a tie at 24, the Panthers put together an 11-play, 75-yard drive for a touchdown and an 18-play, 73-yard drive for a field goal that would provide the final margin. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels once again could not convert a 4th-and-1 at the Pitt 8-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Blown assignments, crushing penalties, a missed open receiver for a touchdown, and the inability to convert two 4th-and-short opportunities inside the opponent’s 10-yard line are all the ingredients needed for a third straight Tar Heel loss.

With that in mind, here is the Pitt edition of the Good, Bad, and Ugly Report:

Good

Omarion Hampton

Hampton again went over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown and is now in the top 10 rushers in UNC history. Hampton is already an all-time Tar Heel great, with a lot of football remaining to be played in Carolina blue.

Nate McCollum

McCollum had 10 receptions for 128 yards in one of his best days as a Tar Heel.

Kaleb Cost’s pick-six

Cost has been one of the most picked-on Tar Heel defenders this season, but he got a great jump on the pass and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown. Pitt was knocking on the door of another early score to put UNC in a hole, but that slowed the Panther momentum for a little while, anyway.

Bad

Offensive line

This group is young, inexperienced and has been banged up all season, but none of that matters in the midst of a three-game skid. The O-line only allowed one sack but 11 QB hurries, which has kept Jacolby Criswell scrambling for his life on over a quarter of his pass attempts. The line only had two penalties, but one erased an 18-yard gain and the other a 20-yard gain. And most important, the line could not get Hampton one yard inside the Pitt 10 in the fourth quarter in a one-score game. 

Defensive front

After looking solid to open the season, the defensive front has been unable to generate much pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They got no sacks and just four hurries, allowing Pitt QB Eli Holstein to pick apart the Carolina secondary for 371 yards and three touchdowns; plus, Holstein was the Panthers’ leading rusher with 76 yards and another score.

Ugly

Defensive secondary

Tar Heel Sports Network analyst Joe Jauch repeatedly pointed out the confusion in the Carolina defensive backfield and for the third straight week, the defensive backs didn’t seem to know their assignments and blew basic coverages. The regression in this unit since the season opener at Minnesota has been stunning.

Gash plays

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: UNC gave up multiple huge-yardage plays. The Heels gave up 14 plays of over 10 yards, eight plays of over 20 yards, and three of over 40 yards. Scoring is just too easy for Carolina’s opponents when they can get yardage in chunks like that.

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If you want to walk on the sunny side of the street, it appears that — even with the defensive issues UNC has had — that the James Madison result was an aberration. Carolina fought hard into the fourth quarter against both Pitt and Duke, and both games were within reach. But there’s no doubt that 3–3 at the halfway point of the season is a disappointment, with the always-fun Georgia Tech game upcoming before the open week. And it’s likely that the remaining six games are all truly toss-ups. It’s possible UNC gets back up on the horse, corrects some things, and finds three or more wins and a bowl bid. It’s also just as possible the slide continues and the Heels limp to the finish with the future of Mack Brown and the program very much in doubt. Still, in a world where Vanderbilt can beat Alabama, you’re never wise to predict anything in college football. 

Doc Kennedy is an alum, longtime UNC fan, and former high school and college basketball coach who wrote this report for years on Tar Heel Blog.

Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics