The Tar Heel defense had sparked a 14-point comeback the week before with a pair of fourth-quarter stops against Pittsburgh in a 37-36 win, and UNC now held a 21-7 lead on the Seminoles.
But as the sun began to sink over Doak Campbell Stadium, so too did the execution of Chizik’s defense.
The Seminoles got the ball four times on offense in the second half, and four times they drove for a touchdown — with every drive covering at least 65 yards.
“If you go to the fourth quarter, you saw a team that couldn’t make any productive plays when the game was on the line,” Chizik said.
UNC held Florida State without a third-down conversion through the game’s first three quarters, but North Carolina continually failed to make the big play in the game’s final quarter. Twice, the Seminoles converted on fourth downs in the second half —including Dalvin Cook’s 1-yard touchdown to bring the score to 28-21 early in the fourth quarter.
With the Tar Heels leading by seven with just over five minutes left, Florida State faced a crucial 3rd-and-2 at UNC’s 3-yard line. Linebacker Cayson Collins burst into the backfield, making contact with Cook two yards behind the line of scrimmage.
But the elusive running back slipped free of his tackler, as he did so many times Saturday, and scampered into the end zone to tie the game.
Four minutes later, trailing 34-28, the Seminoles faced another crucial 3rd-and-9 at their own 26-yard line. They got that and more — as Cook caught Deondre Francois’ pass in the flat, evaded UNC safety Donnie Miles and dashed for a 41-yard gain.
