UNC suffers first loss of season, 24-18, to Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The North Carolina football team (2-1) fell to Wake Forest (3-0) 24-18 on Friday night, ending head coach Mack Brown’s 16-game win streak against in-state rivals.  

What happened? 

One word to describe the start to the game, a non-conference matchup between ACC rivals: messy. 

In a 28-second drive late in the first quarter, Wake Forest scored its first touchdown of the night. UNC sophomore running back Javonte Williams rushed up the middle for 17 yards before Wake Forest sophomore Nasir Greer forced a fumble. Two plays and 20 yards later, the Demon Deacons led UNC 7-0. 

Wake Forest redshirt quarterback Jamie Newman and his high tempo offense continued to dominate for the remainder of the first quarter, while the defense held UNC at an average distance of 9.5 yards on third down. 

To open up the second quarter, Newman scored a six yard touchdown of his own, boosting the lead to 14-0. 

After monumental offensive struggles, the Tar Heels finally got their first first down early in the second quarter as first-year quarterback Sam Howell rushed for eight yards. However, they couldn’t capitalize. After going just 5-10 for 15 yards in the first half, Howell was replaced by redshirt first-year Jace Ruder. 

On his opening play, Ruder rushed for 22 yards, but the Tar Heels soon lost momentum again after that, ending the half trailing 21-0.  

To kick off the third quarter, Howell stepped back in as quarterback, but when there were six minutes to go in the quarter, the first-year was just 7-13 and UNC was 0-11 on third down.

Late in the third quarter, momentum started to shift for the Tar Heels. Senior defensive back Myles Dorn snagged an interception, leading to a 49-yard field goal to put North Carolina on the board. 

Early in the fourth quarter, wide receiver Dyami Brown caught a 55 yard pass from Howell for UNC's biggest play of the game thus far. Two minutes later, North Carolina had its first touchdown of the night on a catch and run from junior running back Michael Carter. 

With a little over six minutes to go, UNC scored again on a touchdown catch from Brown. The team then went for the two-point conversion, narrowing the game to a field goal margin.

After allowing a field goal, North Carolina got the ball back with a little over a minute left and a six-point deficit. A third straight fourth-quarter comeback bid fell short, however, as time ran out on the Tar Heels around midfield, handing them their first loss of the season.

Who stood out? 

Sage Surratt, brother of UNC linebacker Chazz Surratt, tallied 54 yards in the first quarter in two plays, one of which was a 41-yard bomb. In the second half, the redshirt sophomore wide receiver scored a 51-yard touchdown, boosting Wake Forest’s lead to 21-0. 

As for UNC, Carter and Brown both stood out. They were the only two with touchdowns, giving the Tar Heels a fighting chance. They amassed 118 and 84 yards, respectively.  

When was it decided?

Although UNC seemed to come alive in the fourth quarter and almost rallied like it did against South Carolina and Miami, it wasn’t enough to stop Wake Forest. Eighteen unanswered points for North Carolina wasn't enough to remain undefeated on the year.

Why does it matter? 

Brown closed his first stint at UNC with 16 consecutive wins against in-state opponents. But, after Friday night, that streak — against in-state opponents and for the season — fell apart. 

Where do they play next? 

The Tar Heels will host App State on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3:30 p.m.

@mwc13_3

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com