Season-saving win

WINSTON-SALEM - When North Carolina defeated Wake Forest last season, the Tar Heels struck a dagger in the Deacons' bowl hopes.

On Saturday, UNC had the opportunity to shatter the Deacons' bowl hopes again - but unlike last season, the Tar Heels had something to play for as well.

Needing a win to keep UNC's bowl aspirations alive, Jesse Holley's 46-yard touchdown reception in the final minute earned the Tar Heels a 31-24 victory at Groves Stadium.

With the win, its first road victory of the season, North Carolina (5-5, 4-3 in the ACC) has positioned itself one win from an almost certain bowl bid, needing a win in the season finale against Duke on Saturday.

"Our entire football team has focused in, right after Utah (on Oct. 16), on what we needed to do to finish the season in the way that we wanted to," said UNC coach John Bunting.

"We know what we're up against with the schedule that we had. ... And to get to this point now, with one game left to play, and to be in position to do something special, it makes it that much better."

But Saturday's victory was far from assured until the late stages of the contest.

UNC left the locker room at halftime clinging to a 10-3 lead, a lead that dissipated when Deacon cornerback Marcus McGruder corralled a Holley dropped pass and sprinted 21 yards to the end zone to tie the game.

But, as would prove to be the case several times Saturday, the Tar Heels bounced back, driving 73 yards against the Deacons (4-5, 1-5) to regain the advantage.

On the scoring play, UNC quarterback Darian Durant dropped back from the Wake 3-yard line.

With his receivers well-covered, the senior signal caller dashed for the goal line and was met by a group of Wake Forest defenders.

But with center Jason Brown's strength behind him - Brown has crushed numerous school weight-lifting records - Durant plowed through the wall of black and gold for a TD.

"I ran down there, and I had my arms around Darian's waist, and I just picked him up," Brown said. "And before I knew it, other guys started clinging onto Darian like a magnet, and I just kept pushing."

Durant wouldn't need Brown around his waist to double the UNC lead on the next drive, as he threw a play-action pass to Justin Phillips for another Tar Heel score.

But WFU running back Chris Barclay led a charge back - he finished the game with 138 yards rushing on 30 carries.

The two Wake scores, the latter of which tied the game at 24 with more than seven minutes remaining, appeared to swing the momentum and the school-record crowd back behind the Deacons

After UNC retained possession following a late WFU three-and-out, the Tar Heels converted on a crucial third down when Durant found Wallace Wright across the middle, setting up a first-and-10 with 44 seconds remaining.

Durant then dropped back to pass - surveying his options while rolling to the right - and heaved a soaring pass to an open Holley in the end zone, who turned around and made sure he secured the ball after his crucial third-quarter drop.

"I saw (the corner) peak, and when he peaked, I just tried to turn it on," Holley said. "This play, right here, this was the biggest play that we had to make today. So I just went out there and made it."

Wake mounted a final attempt to tie the score, but Gerald Sensabaugh intercepted a Ben Mauk pass to seal the victory.

While the win keeps UNC's postseason aspirations alive, the Tar Heels did lose two key players to injury - wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock and running back Jacque Lewis.

Pollock suffered a concussion resulting from a Josh Gattis hit in the middle of the second quarter, and he did not return.

Lewis' injury is more serious, as the senior back broke a bone in his right foot, an injury that will end the senior's collegiate career.

But even though they were missing two of their top offensive playmakers, the Tar Heels persevered, setting themselves up for a playoff-type game against the Blue Devils.

"We don't even want to talk about a bowl game right now," said senior running back Chad Scott. "We still have one game in our season left. If we don't win that game, we don't go nowhere."

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.