By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — What can this Carolina team do with good defensive play? The answer Saturday gave the Tar Heels hope of turning the season around.
UNC looked so close during its four-game losing streak but kept coming up short because of the sort of defensive lapses that were rare in an impressive 41–14 victory Saturday over Virginia at Scott Stadium as the offense keeps making strides.
“We’ve played good at times this year. We haven’t played consistently well, and that’s been our problem,” UNC coach Mack Brown, remembering the blown lead at Duke. “Are we going to be consistent enough in the second half to maintain it and move forward? And we did. We did, so they’re growing up and we’re healthier now.”
Suddenly, UNC (4–4, 1–3 ACC) is two wins away from bowl eligibility and riding high just two weeks after a heartbreaking loss to Georgia Tech and the sadness of death of Tylee Craft’s death.
“I told the players that we’re going to finish strong,” Brown said. “That’s why we’re built this way, and we haven’t finished strong the last couple of years, and today was a great step forward toward that.”
The mayhem that defensive coordinator Geoff Collins promised finally arrived with 10 sacks (the most since at least 2000) and two interceptions in the Tar Heels’ best defensive performance of the season.
Only six Tar Heels had full sacks before the game, and seven recorded sacks of Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
Kaimon Rucker, who had five tackles and three sacks, and Jahvaree Ritzie both had interceptions, with Ritzie returning his 84 yards for a third-quarter touchdown (top photo). Stick Lane had nine tackles and Kaleb Cost had two sacks.
“We’ve got to turn this thing around, [and we have] the potential to win out,” Rucker said. “I firmly believe that us having those 10 sacks that just shows you how dominant this defense and this team can be.”
The return of Rucker at full strength made a huge difference. UNC has 15 sacks in the three games he’s started.
“[Rucker] made a difference today, and we have really missed him,” Brown said. “Even when he got back, he wasn’t well, he wasn’t confident and well. This is a team I felt like that hasn’t been very confident. We’ve made some plays, but we wouldn’t put people away.”
Omarion Hampton was excellent again, whether bulldozing through defenders or catching passes, running for 105 yards and two touchdowns with 105 reception yards. He has gone over 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season.
UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell (19 of 30 for 293 yards and two touchdowns) got little time to throw and took his share of hits, holding his ribs after a second-quarter shot from Virginia linebacker Trey McDonald that drew a roughing-the-passer penalty, but kept pushing on. He played more under center than in any game this season.
A big target for him was wide receiver J.J. Jones, who caught seven passes for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns.
“Thought the offensive line played well today,” Brown said. “It’s the best they’ve played because they were healthy. I Think Jacolby gets better every week, and the offensive staff is learning what he does best. So, we’re finally getting an offense with the third quarterback that was played this year that helps us.”
Virginia (4–4, 2–3) botched a first-and-goal at the UNC 1 with a high snap over quarterback Anthony Colandrea’s head and two poor pass attempts by him. The Cavaliers had to settle for a Will Bettridge 30-yard field goal on their first drive after UNC went three-and-out.
Carolina looked sharp on its second drive with Criswell hitting Jones on a nice dump pass, with most of the 37 yards on the touchdown reception coming after the catch. It gave UNC its first lead, 7–3, since Kaleb Cost’s 84-yard interception against Pitt on Oct. 5 gave the Tar Heels a brief lead by the same score.
Noah Burnette capped a 12-play, 68-yard drive with a 30-yard field goal with 7:51 left in the first half, expanding UNC’s lead to 10–3. Hampton had a 15-yard catch, and Nate McCollum snagged a 24-yard reception on the drive.
UNC’s defense held Virginia without a big play until Colandrea connected with Malachi Fields for 34 yards to the UNC 18. But the Cavaliers had to settle for a 27-yard Bettridge field goal.
Hampton powered UNC in a 75-yard scoring drive, collecting 35 total yards and scoring on a three-yard touchdown run. After UNC forced a three-and-out, UNC went 55 yards in 65 seconds, with Criswell connecting with Jones on a 31-yard TD pass with five seconds left in the first half to give UNC a 24–6 lead, its largest halftime lead of the season. Jones just got a foot in bounds and caught it even though a defender interfered with him.
Rucker intercepted a Colandria pass after pressure from Power Echols on the third play of the second half. Hampton ran around down the left sidelines eight yards for a touchdown three plays later.
Ritzie deflected a Colandria pass, held onto it and broke several tackles on an 84-yard return for a touchdown, with help from a big Hampton block, and a 38–6 lead with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.
“I saw the ball in the air,” said Ritzie, who wore gloves for the first time in a while. “Let me make something happen. Got the ball in my hands, I just said, ‘Let’s take off.’ So, I just took off, and all I saw was the end zone. I didn’t see anything else but the end zone.”
Backup quarterback Tony Muskett made the biggest Virginia play of the day, hitting a wide-open JR Wilson on a 68-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion pass cut the Cavs’ deficit to 25, but Burnette booted a 25-yard field goal five minutes later.
NOTES — UNC is on the road again next Saturday, facing Florida State (1–6, 1–5). The Seminoles took a three-game losing streak into Saturday night’s game at No. 6 Miami. … A wide receiver will wear a Craft No. 13 jersey for the rest of the season, and Saturday it was Kobe Paysour. … Players for both teams had Tylee Strong stickers on their helmets and Virginia observed a moment of silence in Craft’s memory before the game. … Brown said that every Virginia player wrote notes of sympathy to UNC players. … It was the most UNC players with sacks since six got in on nine sacks in the 2023 opener against South Carolina. … Carolina beat Virginia for only the third time in the last eight games but has won 11 of the last 15 and leads the series 67–58–4. UNC has a 24–23 edge at Scott Stadium and each team has won 27 times in Charlottesville. … UNC’s point total was its largest since scoring 50 against James Madison. … UNC is 24–11 when a player rushes for over 100 yards since Brown returned as head coach in 2019. … Hampton had 100 or more yards for the sixth consecutive game and the seventh time this season. Hampton rushed for at least 100 yards in six straight games last season. Don McCauley is the last Tar Heel to rush for at least 100 yards in more than six games, doing so in eight consecutive games in 1970.
UNC 41, Virginia 14
| Month/ date | Opponent | Time/ score | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | |||
| 29 | at Minnesota | W, 19–17 | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 7 | vs. Charlotte | W, 38–20 | 2–0 |
| 14 | vs. N.C. Central | W, 45–10 | 3–0 |
| 21 | vs. James Madison | L, 70–50 | 3–1 |
| 28 | at Duke | L, 21–20 | 3–2, 0–1 ACC |
| October | |||
| 5 | vs. No. 19 Pittsburgh | L, 34–24 | 3–3, 0–2 |
| 12 | vs. Georgia Tech | L, 41–34 | 3–4, 0–3 |
| 26 | at Virginia | W, 41–14 | 4–4, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 2 | at Florida State | TBA | TBA |
| 16 | vs. Wake Forest | TBA | TBA |
| 23 | at Boston College | TBA | TBA |
| 30 | vs. N.C. State | TBA | TBA |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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