Tar Heel defense shows improvement despite loss

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Two deep passes. Two mistakes. Two reasons why, after a week of rallying, tackling and self-reflection, the North Carolina defense couldn’t fully savor its improved performance this week.

“I’d say it’s bittersweet,” junior linebacker Darius Lipford said Saturday, after UNC (1-4, 0-2 ACC) fell 27-17 to Virginia Tech and started 1-4 for the first time since 2007.

Lipford and fellow defensive players Jeff Schoettmer and Jabari Price all said they thought they made gains as a defense.

But spectators likely won’t remember those.

They’ll remember Hokie quarterback Logan Thomas’ 45-yard touchdown pass to Demitri Knowles, who blew by UNC’s secondary, past safety Dominique Green and caught the ball, wide open, just in front of the end zone for Virginia Tech’s first touchdown.

They’ll remember Willie Byrn’s 83-yard reception, from a throw that Thomas delivered from his own end zone. Byrn streaked down the left side of the field, chased by safety Tre Boston and the UNC secondary, before stumbling at UNC’s 15. The Hokies crossed the end zone a couple of plays later.

“You look back on this game, there were two plays, two deep plays, that really came back and bit us on the butt in the end,” said Price, a senior cornerback.

Price said the touchdown toss to Knowles was the result of miscommunication — a misinterpretation of the play. The Byrn play was due to misalignment — players tucked too closely to the line of scrimmage at the two-yard line.

“Guys thinking it was this when it really was that — you can’t have that,” Price said. “I mean, that’s Pop Warner mistakes.”

A week ago, after UNC gave up 55 points to East Carolina, senior defensive end Kareem Martin called a players-only meeting where UNC defensive players discussed their concerns. On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Vic Koenning wasn’t shy about lambasting his defense for its lack of leadership and said he was running more tackling practice than he ever has.

By most accounts, UNC’s defense responded well to that prodding.

Coach Larry Fedora said the Tar Heels came into Saturday with the focus of shutting down the Hokies’ dynamic running game and making them one dimensional. UNC succeeded in that regard, holding Virginia Tech to just 48 yards on the ground.

After allowing three touchdowns in the first two quarters, UNC forced four three-and-outs from the end of the first half through the beginning of the second. In fact, UNC pitched a second-half shutout until a Ryan Switzer muffed punt set up a Hokies scoring drive with six minutes left in the game.

As a whole the mistakes were fewer this week, but UNC also had less margin for error. With quarterback Bryn Renner out with a foot injury, the less-experienced redshirt sophomore Marquise Williams led UNC’s offense against a Hokies defense ranked fifth in the country.

It was a cleaner defensive game, but that was only a moral victory.

“You just gotta keep your confidence and your teammates and keep playing,” Lipford said. “I feel great where we are, even though it doesn’t look as good on paper for us. I know that we have enough talent to be successful for the rest of the season.”

At 1-4, though, time is running out.

sports@dailytarheel.com