No. 17 North Carolina’s College Football Playoff dreams came crashing down in just two weeks.
UNC had a strong start to the season, going 6-0 and climbing to No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25. However, they now stand at 6-2 after suffering back-to-back losses as heavy favorites. Last week, UNC was upset 31-27 by Virginia on their home turf despite being a 24-point favorite. This week, they traveled to Atlanta as a 12-point favorite, only to be upset again, this time by Georgia Tech in a 46-42 thriller.
Adding insult to injury, UNC held the lead for most of the game.
The Tar Heels jumped ahead with a 21-7 lead in the first half and maintained advantages of 35-24 in the third quarter and 42-32 in the fourth quarter. However, their defense faltered against Georgia Tech, who was coming off a 15-point loss to Boston College the previous week.
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The Yellow Jackets scored the final 14 points of the game, turning a 10-point deficit into a 46-42 lead with 4:28 remaining. UNC’s defense struggled as GT’s Dontae Smith broke loose for a 70-yard touchdown run, cutting the lead to 42-39 with 10:40 left on the clock.
On the ensuing drive, UNC’s Noah Burnette missed a 39-yard field goal, setting the stage for Georgia Tech’s game-winning drive. Haynes King, the transfer from Texas A&M, led the Yellow Jackets on a 79-yard, six-play drive, culminating in a five-yard touchdown pass to Brett Seither.
The highlight of the drive was a 52-yard run by King, who threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to his 90 rushing yards. Smith contributed 178 rushing yards, while Eric Singleton caught eight passes for 117 yards. Seither and Malik Rutherford each caught two touchdowns.
It was a productive night for the Yellow Jackets’ offense, exposing UNC’s porous defense. Defensive struggles have plagued UNC during Mack Brown’s tenure, and this game was no exception as they allowed a staggering 635 yards of offense, including 348 rushing yards.
In contrast, Georgia Tech’s defense stepped up when it mattered most. After taking the lead with 4:28 to go, UNC’s quarterback Drake Maye connected with Tez Walker for a 36-yard gain deep into Georgia Tech territory. However, Walker fumbled after a hard hit by Ahmari Harvey, and K.J. Wallace recovered the ball, giving it back to the GT offense. From there, the Yellow Jackets ran out the clock to secure the upset victory.
Is North Carolina on the verge of collapsing for the second straight season?
For most teams, scoring 42 points and gaining 577 yards on offense would have been enough to secure a victory. Drake Maye threw for 310 yards, ran for 58 yards, and contributed three total touchdowns for UNC. Omarion Hampton rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain due to another disappointing performance by Gene Chizik’s defense.
North Carolina has now suffered three consecutive losses to Georgia Tech, all while being ranked. In 2022, the Tar Heels were 9-1 when they began their late-season collapse with a loss to the Yellow Jackets. This year, it appears that UNC’s collapse is happening earlier in the season.
With this loss, UNC’s chances of returning to the ACC title game took a significant hit. They now possess a 3-2 conference record. While Florida State remains undefeated and at the top of the ACC standings, Louisville and Virginia Tech are the only teams with just one conference loss.
Next week, the Tar Heels will face Campbell, an FCS team. Perhaps this game can serve as a fresh start before heading into a challenging stretch that includes matchups against Duke, Clemson, and NC State.
