Georgia Tech stuns No. 17 UNC. Four takeaways from the Tar Heels’ loss in Atlanta

North Carolina traveled to Atlanta hoping to reverse years of bad mojo here, and rebound from its first loss of the season. The Tar Heels didn’t do either, and suffered a 46-42 loss against Georgia Tech on Saturday night that was almost as stunning as the one UNC suffered a week earlier against Virginia.

Quick takeaways from the Tar Heels’ loss:

UNC’s Atlanta curse continues

What is it about this city and UNC football? Much was made of the Tar Heels’ Atlanta woes entering Saturday night – their 2-10 record here since 1997 and, with that record, an impressive collection of creative ways to lose.

There’d been close losses. Not-so close losses.

Losses that derailed seasons. Losses that came in seasons already derailed.

So much was made of all the UNC losing here, in fact, that it just seemed like one more loss wasn’t all that likely. Something had to give, right? This is a Tar Heels team that had started 6-0, after all. And a Georgia Tech team that, frankly, hasn’t been all that great or even good, for most of the season.

But, well. This is why fans have a difficult time not believing in curses.

UNC was 2-10 in its past 12 games in this city. Now it’s 2-11, with this loss instantly becoming the worst of all of them. All that positive mojo the Tar Heels had going in their first six games is completely gone.

Tar Heels have problems on defense

There was a three-game stretch not long ago, during UNC victories against Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, when the Tar Heels’ defense appeared not only much improved from a season ago but, actually ... formidable? Very good, and not just serviceable? That now seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?

UNC has now allowed more than 400 yards in three consecutive games, and it allowed nearly that many in the first half Saturday night, with Georgia Tech amassing 360 yards in the first half. More than 270 of those came in the second quarter, which was as bad of a defensive quarter as the Tar Heels had played in a long, long time.

Don’t be fooled by what appeared to be a drastic improvement in the third quarter. That was more the result of a Tar Heels’ offense that controlled possession for nearly the entire quarter, keeping Georgia Tech off the field. When the Yellow Jackets got their offense going Saturday night, at their desired tempo, there was little the Tar Heels could do to slow it down. It was part of a concerning, downward trend for UNC.

Teams want to be approaching their peak entering November. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, enter the final month with significant questions defensively.

UNC remembered to run, good things happened

The story of UNC’s stunning loss against Virginia – at least part of the story, that is – was that the Tar Heels inexplicably abandoned their running game at key moments in the second half. The lapses in play-calling and strategy aided the Cavaliers, who took advantage to deliver the Tar Heels their first defeat of the season.

There were no such lapses Saturday night. From the start, UNC emphasized the running game, and finished with 267 yards rushing. Given the woeful defense, though, it wasn’t enough.

Heartbreaking moment for WR Tez Walker

Walker’s story this season has been well-documented, and it wasn’t long ago — during his three-touchdown performance against Miami — when it looked like his presence might just put UNC over the top as a contender in the ACC, and perhaps nationally.

He had a quiet game Saturday night, but made a catch that kept the Tar Heels’ final drive alive, just when it appeared doomed. UNC faced a 3rd-and-18 from its 40 when Drake Maye waited and waited and waited, before finding Walker open over the middle for a big gain.

But a defender approached quickly, from Walker’s blind side, and hit him hard. Walker fumbled, Georgia Tech recovered and that was that. After the collision, Walker remained down for several minutes while his teammates knelt and prayed. After experiencing the recent high of highs, this was the opposite end of the emotional spectrum for the Tar Heels and for Walker.

The following are updates from earlier in the game:

UNC in front in wild fourth

• Haynes King pulled the ball back from his running back, kept it himself and barged ahead for a 53-yard run to set Georgia Tech up in the UNC end. Dontae Smith took it from there, with runs of 10, 14 and 2 yards to get the Jackets down to the UNC 1. Two plays later, King completed a scrambling pass to the back of the end zone, into the hands of Brett Seither to give Goergia Tech its first lead. With the extra point, it’s 46-42.

• Speaking of stops... Georgia Tech forces UNC to try a 39-yard field goal from the left hash after stuffing Drake Maye on a run play, and then UNC’s Noah Burnette missed the field goal by a sliver to the left, giving GT the ball back, down three, with 7 minutes to play at its own 21.

• Um... more defense-optional follies. After a touchback gave the Yellow Jackets the ball at their own 25, Dontae Smith rushed for five yards to the 30, and then broke free for a 70-yard scamper for yet another touchdown. The first defense to make a stop in the fourth quarter might win this game.

• Defense-optional continues, this time it’s UNC getting on the board. After a three-yard run from Omarion Hampton, Tychaun Chapman reeled in a pass from Drake Maye at the Georgia Tech 5 and slipped into the end zone for a touchdown. The drive? Two plays, 38 yards, and put the Heels back on top by 10.

Statistically, it’s Maye’s second TD of the game and puts him over 200 yards passing (207 on 13-20 efficiency). Hampton’s three yards put him at 150 for the game.

• Georgia Tech takes possession of the ball, goes into no-huddle mode and marches quickly down the field to get back to within one score. Jamal Haynes punctuated the drive with a 4-yard TD plunge. The Jackets went 88 yards on just nine plays in 2:50. And, to pull within a field goal, Georgia Tech went for two and made it, with Malik Rutherford catching a pass from Haynes King.

UNC controls third quarter

•Clearly, UNC’s game plan after halftime was to control the clock and keep Georgia Tech’s offense off the field. And it worked, during the third quarter. That said, UNC is about to punt and the Yellow Jackets will get the ball back, trailing 35-24.

•After Haynes King’s inexplicable decision to throw into triple coverage, which resulted in an interception, the Tar Heels take advantage of the turnover. They score on Drake Maye’s 17-yard run, after he escaped pressure to scramble for the score. The big play on that drive: a 29-yard shovel pass to Omarion Hampton on a 3rd-and-18, that gave the Tar Heels a first down on the Georgia Tech 38. Just when it looked like UNC was entering the danger zone here (and it did look that way, at the start of the half), it regains some semblance of control. The question now: Can the Tar Heels muster anything defensively?

•Well, one of these teams started the second half the way it hoped. It wasn’t UNC. Georgia Tech’s defense, which hasn’t been good tonight, comes up with a three-and-out. And then the Yellow Jackets block the punt. Georgia Tech will have it on the UNC 40-yard line. And then ... Haynes King throws into triple-coverage, UNC intercepts the pass off of a tip and the Tar Heels get it back on their own 15-yard line. The weird continues this evening.

Defense optional for Tar Heels

•Well, the first half is over. A good thing, for these defenses. Of course, it didn’t end without more points — the final ones of the half coming on a 40-yard field goal from Aidan Birr. Georgia Tech gained 272 yards in the second quarter alone, and has 366 for the game. Nothing comes easily for UNC in Atlanta and, indeed, nothing is coming easily here tonight, at least not on defense. Nonetheless, UNC with a 28-24 lead at halftime.

•Continuing the cycle of no defense here, UNC scores on Omarion Hampton’s 3-yard run with 45 seconds left before halftime. The teams have combined for nearly 600 yards of offense during the first half. That drive: eight plays, 75 yards; it lasted 121 seconds. Round and round we go here at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with UNC leading 28-21 late in the second half. Question of the moment: did the Tar Heels leave Georgia Tech too much time?

•And Georgia Tech has tied it at 21 late in the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets are now over 300 yards of offense for the first half. It was Haynes King to Malik Rutherford for a 14-yard touchdown, on the tying play, but the key play of that drive came on a 41-yard gain on a 3rd-and-5 deep in Georgia Tech territory. The Tar Heels defense, after a solid start, has gone completely missing here in the second quarter.

•Turning into one of those “defense optional” kind of games here, isn’t it? After Georgia Tech had a long touchdown negated by a false start, the Yellow Jackets respond with ... a touchdown, moments later. The scoring play: a Brett Seither 35-yard touchdown reception from Haynes King. The Tar Heels defense did a good job of bending and not breaking early. But lately? Not so much. The good news for UNC: Georgia Tech has shown little ability on defense. UNC’s lead is 21-14, midway through the second quarter.

•UNC entered this game with one of the best offenses in the ACC, and Georgia Tech with perhaps the worst defense in the conference (the worst, by a wide margin, in allowing more than 450 yards per game). So far that’s playing out as you’d expect. The Tar Heels surpassed the 200-yard mark with about 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, and made it look very easy on a six-play, 75-yard drive that lasted about two minutes. The touchdown play: British Brooks, on a 7-yard run. UNC takes a 21-7 lead with 9:24 left in the second quarter.

•What, you didn’t think it’d be easy for UNC, did you? Georgia Tech is back in it after Malik Rutherford turned a bubble screen into a 42-yard touchdown, one in which he blew through UNC’s defense and outran everyone to the end zone. The Yellow Jackets’ first score of the night came after UNC’s sloppiest possession, one that included two false starts and a holding penalty that negated a long completion from Drake Maye to Bryson Nesbit. Tar Heels lead has been cut in half, 14-7, with 11:32 left in the first half.

UNC opens game on fire

•UNC came up with its second defensive stop on a fourth down late in the first quarter, this one on a 4th-and-3 from the Tar Heels’ 32-yard-line. And so ended Georgia Tech’s most promising drive of the evening. The first quarter ends with the Tar Heels leading, 14-0. UNC’s defense bending, at times, but not breaking. Onto the second quarter we go.

•After stopping Georgia Tech on a 4th and a yard and half from its own 46, UNC took over with good field possession. It went to the run again, with nice gains from Hampton and Maye before Hampton escaped a tackle and scored on a 17-yard run. Tar Heels entered this needing a get-right game and, indeed, they’re getting right early. They lead 14-0, with 4:30 left in the first quarter.

•And look at that: the Tar Heels elect to emphasize the run here early (after not doing so last weekend). UNC began the game with runs on its first three plays (first two of runs, by Omarion Hampton, went for a combined 24 yards), and ran on four of first five plays to move to the Georgia Tech 11. From there, Drake Maye threw a strike to Bryson Nesbit for a 14-yard touchdown. Tar Heels take a 7-0 lead with 9:31 left in the first quarter.

•Sound start for UNC’s defense, which allows a first down but nothing more on Georgia Tech’s first possession. Tar Heels take over on around their own 25. UNC certainly seeking a fast start here, in a place it hasn’t played particularly well over the years.