Bizarre touchdown changes game in loss to N.C. State

It took 10 seconds, six hands, and two yards to reawaken North Carolina’s recent ghosts against North Carolina State in Saturday’s 29-25 loss at Kenan Stadium.

Up by nine, UNC’s defense had stifled three straight Wolfpack plays from inside the 5-yard line, and was just one more fourth down stop away from getting the ball back to its offense with the lead intact.

N.C. State called a rollout for quarterback Russell Wilson, who has been a bona fide Tar Heel killer in his previous two matchups against UNC. The Tar Heels looked to have the play blown up, as Donte Paige-Moss rocketed into the backfield.

Wilson turned to run in the other direction away from the receivers, and Paige-Moss had to adjust his angle of pursuit in hopes of stopping Wilson before he got to the end zone.

Suddenly, Wilson turned back, all but neutralizing Paige-Moss and freeing himself to continue his rollout.

At the 20-yard line, two Tar Heels converged on Wilson. Almost as an afterthought, he threw a desperation lob to the end zone.

Out of his hand, the ball looked like it could have been intended for Rameses, the ram that grazes behind the back of the end zone, but surely not going to land in the field of play.

Wolfpack receiver Darrell Davis made a play on the ball, reaching for it with both hands. Had he caught it, he probably would have landed out of bounds. But North Carolina safety Da’Norris Searcy couldn’t afford to find out.

“When I reached up, I saw (Davis’) hands trying to close on it,” Searcy said. “When I saw the different colored gloves, I just knocked it away.”

Searcy attempted to knock it to the ground, but he batted the ball back in the field of play.

“It was a prayer,” UNC safety Deunta Williams said. “I don’t know. We should have just hit the ball out of bounds. That’s as simple as I can say it.”

Owen Spencer of N.C. State dove under the ball and was able to grab it just before it hit the ground, then rolled away. The back judge ruled it a touchdown as a scuffle ensued.

After a lengthy review, the referees announced that the play was to stand, and that UNC’s Kevin Reddick and N.C. State’s Jarvis Williams were ejected for the fight. With that, one of the most bizarre plays in a rivalry replete with bizarre plays would stand.

“I really didn’t know until they said they were going to review the play,” UNC cornerback Kendric Burney said. “I didn’t know exactly what happened because there was a lot of commotion over there.”

The Tar Heels never recovered as N.C. State rolled off 17 points in their fourth consecutive win. UNC played as if it had seen its own ghost.

“It’s a huge psychological play,” UNC coach Butch Davis said. “It looks like you’re going to get off the field, they’re not going to score any points, then all of a sudden, instead of batting the ball down — it’s incomplete, ball’s on the ground — they get a fourth down Hail Mary throw in the end zone.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.