After a sloppy start to the contest, No. 17 UNC was dominated by No. 25 Virginia Tech's stout defense. The Tar Heels opened the door for the Hokies, turning the ball over four times en route to a lopsided 34-3 loss.
What happened?
Playing through torrential downpour and winds of up to 18 miles-per-hour, both UNC and Virginia Tech struggled offensively to open up play. In slippery conditions, ball security was an issue for both sides as the teams combined for three fumbles in the first quarter.
But the Tar Heels seemed to be more rattled by the weather. UNC's first three possessions featured a failed fourth-down conversion and two turnovers. The offense continued to struggle as the half went on, logging just 80 yards of total offense.
Whether it was turnovers or failure to move the ball, UNC continued to gift Virginia Tech with good field position. The Hokies capitalized, scoring 13 points in a sloppy first half. UNC, meanwhile, only managed to score a field goal, entering the half trailing Virginia Tech 3-13.
The second half didn't fare any better for the Tar Heels, as the game began to slip away. On UNC's first two possessions of the second half, a Mitch Trubisky fumble and a dropped punt led to two Hokie touchdowns.
After falling behind 27-3, UNC knew it had to find the end zone on the majority of its remaining possessions. But against a stout Virginia Tech defense, UNC struggled to earn first downs, let alone touchdowns.
The Tar Heel offense simply never did find itself, failing to score a single point in the second half and falling to Virginia Tech 34-3.
