Switzer's big day propels Tar Heels

PITTSBURGH — With North Carolina’s 24-point lead erased and only four minutes remaining in a tied game, the choice was clear for freshman punt returner Ryan Switzer.

Switzer stepped into the backfield, his mind already made up about what he was going to do after the ball made contact with Pittsburgh punter Matt Yoklic’s foot.

As he watched his defense give up four consecutive Pittsburgh scores, Switzer knew that he had a chance to give UNC that spark it so desperately needed. And as the ball came spiraling toward him, Switzer knew it was his time.

“I wasn’t going to fair catch that one,” said Switzer after the 34-27 win. “That wasn’t in my mindset. Coach (Larry) Fedora called the same play I scored on against Virginia. So I knew I had time to catch it and I just tried to make a play for my team and that’s what happened.”

Switzer fielded the ball at the 39-yard line and made a beeline for the left sideline as Pittsburgh’s gunners began to clog his path. With one quick step, he dodged the charging Panthers and cut back across the field to cross the goal line on the far right corner, breaking the tie and scoring the game-winning touchdown to put UNC only one win away from bowl eligibility.

The 61-yard punt return for the win was Switzer’s second of the day and third this season, tying the school record for punt returns for a touchdown in a game and breaking the single-season record with three punt returns for touchdowns.

Earlier in the game, Switzer fielded a punt and streaked down the sideline for a 65-yard return to give the Tar Heels (5-5, 4-3 ACC) a 24-3 lead going into halftime.

“He did something that’s never been done in the history of North Carolina football,” Fedora said. “He’s a special player. Ryan would probably tell you this too, he’s got 10 guys with him that are making it happen. They are selling out blocking their butts off.

“They’ve got that spark and they know he can take it the distance every time, so they’re just giving a little bit more each and every time they’re out there.”

A unit that lacked big plays in the first half of the season, the special teams squad has been a bright spot for UNC in recent weeks. The difference, Switzer said, was less pressure to make every play the big one.

“When we got that first one off our backs, it was like man, ok, we got that, so now lets just play because guys were stressing a little bit,” he said. “Now that we’ve got it we’re able to be a little more comfortable with it and just let it happen in the game and not press it too much and just let the flow of the game take it where it wants to go.”

Fedora recruited Switzer as a wide receiver, but the freshman wanted to be involved in as much game action as possible. Once he got to Chapel Hill, Switzer marketed himself as a punt returner.

“I knew I wanted to get on the field any way I could because we’ve got a lot of play makers, T.J. Logan, T.J. Thorpe, Quinshad (Davis) and not a lot of people want to do punt return,” Switzer said. “It isn’t an easy thing to do. So that was ultimately my decision to get on the field.”

Switzer, whose hometown of Charleston, W.Va. is a little more than three hours from Pittsburgh, said he had roughly 50 friends and family members in the crowd.

“I grew up a West Virginia boy and we didn’t like Pitt very much,” he said. “I’ve been to Pitt stadium a lot. Watched them play the Vikings, my favorite team growing up. And it’s just crazy that I’m here right now. It was real special do it in front of people that I love.”

One of those people in the crowd was Michael Switzer, Switzer’s father, the person to whom Switzer dedicated his game.

“I’m just a West Virginia homeboy,” Switzer said. “I’m not supposed to really be here right now. And my dad went up and beyond to get me up to this point where I am today and I just wanted him to know that this game was for him.”

As a two-time West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year, Switzer had a plethora of Division I offers, but he came to UNC because he knew he had an opportunity to make an impact from the start.

“That’s why I came here,” said Switzer, who committed early to UNC on March 28, 2012. “I had a lot of good schools looking at me and I had a lot of choices but I trusted what Coach Fedora, Coach Anderson and Coach Brewer were telling me and I trusted their system.”

“I had a rough start early in the season but this is ultimately why I chose UNC. God doesn’t make mistakes and he hasn’t here.”