The North Carolina football team (3-3, 2-3 ACC) lost to Florida State (2-4, 2-2 ACC), 35-25, in Kenan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
What happened?
The Tar Heels started with possession, and graduate transfer Ty Chandler set the pace with an 11-yard rush. That was followed by a pair of receptions from senior wide receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green that advanced UNC past midfield. After being stopped on Florida State’s 34-yard line, graduate kicker Grayson Atkins nailed a 51-yard field goal to draw first blood.
The UNC defense came out strong, allowing zero offensive yards and forcing the Seminoles to go three and out in their first drive. The offense proceeded to march down the field, powered by three big scrambles from junior quarterback Sam Howell that combined for 30 yards. Then, Howell connected in the end zone with sophomore wide receiver Josh Downs for a 33-yard touchdown, putting UNC up 10-0.
Florida State responded with a long offensive drive of its own – 12 plays over seven minutes of game time – that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass from Seminole quarterback Jordan Travis to receiver Malik McClain. Travis struck again minutes later, breaking away for a 53-yard touchdown run to give his team a 14-10 lead.
UNC advanced to Florida State’s 30-yard line as Howell continued to make big plays on his feet, but the drive was stopped after a pass intended for sophomore receiver Khafre Brown was intercepted in the end zone. The Seminoles capitalized on the turnover with another touchdown, when Travis connected with Ontaria Wilson to take an 11-point lead that held until the half.
In their first drive of the second half, Howell and the offense raced down the field en route to a 21-yard touchdown reception by sophomore tight end Kamari Morales. The scoring drive spanned 70 yards in just over three minutes of game time and brought the Tar Heels within four.
However, Florida State followed that up with a touchdown drive that took only two minutes, thanks in large part to a 44-yard reception from receiver Keyshawn Helton. Travis snuck into the endzone to bring his team’s lead back up to 11 points. The game continued to spiral out of control for UNC as Travis connected with Wilson in the end zone again before the end of the third quarter.
Chandler ran in a touchdown with 2:47 remaining in the game, and senior wide receiver Antoine Green hauled in a reception for the two-point conversion, but it was too little too late for the Tar Heels.
