UNC football unable to shake Virginia in its sixth loss on the season

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The players ran into the visiting locker room at Scott Stadium full of spirit. It had been about as good of a first half as one could hope for.

North Carolina (1-6, 1-4 ACC) had weathered the storm, holding the Virginia Cavaliers to just 25 rushing yards in the second quarter after 100 yards on the ground in the opening 15 minutes. They had quieted a raucous crowd that was collectively foaming at the mouth — a crowd anticipating Virginia’s first ACC Coastal Division title. The Tar Heels  had scored 14 points against one of the top defensive units in the conference and trailed just 17-14.

That’s why the North Carolina football team’s play in the second half was so perplexing for those on hand for the 31-21 loss on Saturday afternoon.

After stopping the Cavaliers (6-2, 4-1 ACC) on the final possession heading into intermission, UNC received the ball to start the second half. In the first half, the Tar Heels proved to be more than just a fly buzzing around the heads of Cavalier players. That energy that was still there, albeit in a less frantic manner. 

“The guys were pretty much like they always were at halftime,” head coach Larry Fedora said. “They know it's a 60-minute battle. They know once we come in at half, they put that one behind them and know they have 30 more minutes to fight.”

Yet everything seemed to change for UNC as soon as Virginia kicked off to start the half. Down 3 points and hoping to salvage a 1-5 season, the Tar Heels gained just 43 total yards in the third quarter, a shocking display after an encouraging first half.

Safety Myles Dorn was at a loss to explain the team's offensive struggles.

“I have no clue,” he said. “I have no clue at all. I wish I knew.”

The Tar Heels continued to struggle in the fourth quarter. Although they scored a touchdown midway through the final 15 minutes of play, they gained just 21 yards on the other two possessions in a game that turned out to be a tale of two halves.

Tight end Carl Tucker put a finger on what was different between the two halves.

“Our intensity and our sense of urgency,” he said, solemnly. “The first half for the past few games we’ve been able to start fast and ride that wave, but we just couldn’t find it in the second half.”

Maybe the team was bothered by lingering fatigue from emotionally draining losses to Virginia Tech and Syracuse in back-to-back weeks. Maybe it was the play of Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins, who threw for three scores and ran for a fourth. Whatever the case, UNC was a different team in the second half against Virginia.

The 31-21 loss symbolized teams trending in different directions. The Tar Heels, now 1-6, will have to win their four remaining games and schedule a 12th game to become bowl eligible, but Fedora said there were no updates in scheduling a final game.

“I haven’t talked with Bubba (Cunningham, UNC's athletic director) about that," he said. "I was really more worried about Virginia.”

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are now 6-2, bowl eligible and in the driver’s seat for the ACC Coastal Division title.

But it didn’t always look like it would be this way. As the Tar Heels trotted back onto the field following halftime at Scott Stadium, there was still hope in the eyes of the players after a strong first half.

A hope that with that first half of play, the team had changed its narrative as it marched towards the end of the regular season. A hope that there would be no postgame interviews diagnosing the symptoms of this particular loss, the team’s fourth straight. 

Instead that hope was extinguished as quickly as it came, with the players left to hold their heads and wonder why.

@christrenkle2

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com