World News – US – Instant Analysis: FSU upsets No 5 UNC in Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No 5 North Carolina nearly rallied for the biggest comeback in school history at Doak Campbell Stadium, but in the end the Tar Heels had too much struggling to climb after suffering a 31-28 loss to Florida State on Saturday

The last time UNC was ranked this high, the Seminoles came to Kenan Stadium and came away with a win 23 years ago This time it was the Tar Heels that were favored, but it made no difference as Mack Brown fell to 0-10 all-time against Florida State.

With a week away from a perfect start against Virginia Tech, UNC stumbled through all three phases to open their first game at Doak Campbell Stadium since 2016 The Tar Heels failed to score on their possession of opening for the first time this season and Ben Kiernan’s punt was stuck in UNC territory FSU quarterback Jordan Travis maintained a read option on the first down and cut the defense from the UNC for a 23-yard touchdown less than three minutes into the game

That score gave UNC their first deficit of the season and set the tone for the worst half of second-era football Mack Brown at Chapel Hill The Tar Heels failed to score on their six first possessions as the Seminoles took a 24-0 lead with 2:46 left in the first half

UNC trailed 31-7 at halftime before coming out of the locker room looking at part of their Top-5 ranking The Tar Heels outscored the Seminoles 21-0 in the second half and had a 1st and 10 in the middle field with less than two minutes to go Dazz Newsome dropped a mid pass on the 3rd and 9th, then Javonte Williams dropped an alleged first try on the 4th and 9th to seal the Seminoles victory

Defense starts slow, firms get stronger FSU entered Saturday night’s competition with a late pass attack and a ground game that relied heavily on quarterback Jordan Travis The Seminoles racked up 280 yards of offense, including 303 yards per completion, in the first half scoring on four of their first six possessions

FSU walked 72 yards in three games to open the second half before a personal foul against FSU’s Dontae Lucas provided UNC with a much needed break and break Ryan Fitzgerald missed his 33-yard-wide right-hand field goal attempt and Jay Bateman’s defense was back in business The Tar Heels forced three and straight strikeouts and Trey Morrison intercepts Travis in the FSU’s final third quarter game for reverse the dynamic

The Seminoles managed to milk 6:40 on their first possession in the fourth quarter with an 11-game, 53-yard practice, but a missed second field goal provided UNC with another key save A third three-and-out on FSU’s last record gave Sam Howell and the offense one last chance to spoil the thwarted offer

UNC allowed 152 yards after halftime despite relinquishing 432 yards of total offense at a 7Clip of 9 yards per play for the game

Offensive retreats The Seminoles have allowed Top 25 opponents in Miami and Notre Dame a total of 94 points loss this season, so it looked like the UNC would build on its 56-point showcase and 656 yards vs. Virginia Tech The Tar Heels finished with 558 total attacking yards, but just 28 points to show for the effort UNC has only scored once in his first seven possessions – in addition to providing FSU a defensive score on a pick-six – and so had to play a perfect second half to complete the comeback, which didn’t happen

Howell completed 20 of 36 passes for 374 yards, three touchdowns and one interception Javonte Williams rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown in 17 carries, although his biggest impact was probably in the passing game, where he caught three passes for 67 yards and a touchdown despite falling at the end of the game

Up Next UNC returns home on host NC State on Saturday at noon (ESPN / ACCN) The Wolfpack improved to 4-1 with a 31-20 win over Duke on Saturday despite losing the starting quarterback Devin Leary with lower body injury This will be the rivals’ first October meeting since 2012 The Tar Heels won this game, 43-35, with a punt return of 74 yards for a touchdown by Giovani Bernard with 13 seconds to play

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