ATLANTA, GA.—Georgia Tech overcame a 10-point deficit with 22 fourth-quarter points, handing 17th-ranked North Carolina its second consecutive defeat on Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets beat the Tar Heels, 46-42, at Bobby Dodd Stadium behind 178 rushing yards by Dontae Smith and four passing touchdowns by Haynes King.
Tech topped the Tar Heels for the third year in a row and the fifth time in the last six meetings in the series. After Carolina took a 42-32 lead with 11:13 remaining in the game, Georgia Tech scored touchdowns on three straight drives to close the game.
UNC had taken its lead early in the fourth quarter after hammering the Yellow Jacket defense with 47 rushes (one shy of its season-high 48 in a blowout win over Syracuse) for 310 yards (just nine yards off its season-high 319 against Appalachian State) and four TDs.
Omarion Hampton ran 29 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry while also leading the team with four catches.
Tar Heel quarterback Drake Maye had fewer passing attempts than usual as UNC focused on the run, but he guided a balanced Tar Heel attack with aplomb and completed 17 of 25 passes for 310 yards and two scores. He has thrown multiple TD passes in 17 of 22 career collegiate starts.
Tychaun Chapman helped the Tar Heels take control of the game with a pair of huge plays in the fourth quarter. First, he returned a Yellow Jacket kickoff 52 yards into Tech territory. Two plays later, he snared a 35-yard pass from Maye for a touchdown and a 42-32 lead with 11:13 remaining.
Georgia Tech scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final 10:40 of the game to grab the win.
The first half was an offensive showcase featuring several momentum swings and impressive performances on both sides. The Tar Heels scored touchdowns on four of six first-half possessions, while the Yellow Jackets also showed out with four consecutive scoring drives to close the first half (three touchdowns and a field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter).
Carolina dropped to 6-2, 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with the loss. The Yellow Jackets improved to 4-4, 3-2.
How It Happened
First Half
• Carolina’s defense forced a Yellow Jacket punt on Tech’s first possession, then the Tar Heels drove 75 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead. Hampton ran six times for 48 yards as a battering ram to lead the way.
• Hampton smashed through the defense for a 17-yard score on UNC’s subsequent drive. He piled up 72 yards on eight rushes and a TD on the first two drives of the game.
• Georgia Tech cut the UNC lead to 14-7 on a 42-yard scoring pass from Haynes King to Malik Rutherford early in the second quarter.
• Carolina quickly answered with a British Brooks rushing score that made it 21-7.
• Tech converted a fourth-down and nine play from the UNC 35-yard line into a 35-yard toss to tight end Brett Seither to cut the UNC advantage to 21-14 with under 7:00 remaining in the half.
• The Yellow Jackets forced a Tar Heel punt, then posted their third consecutive TD drive to knot the score at 21-all with 2:46 left before the break. King connected with Rutherford for a score for a second time on the night, this time from 14 yards out.
• Seizing the momentum back from Tech, Maye led Carolina 75 yards in eight plays for a 28-21 lead on a three-yard rush by Hampton.
• The Yellow Jackets kicked a late field goal to make it 28-24 UNC at halftime.
Second Half
• Carolina took a 34-24 lead with a 13-play, 85-yard drive after intercepting King to start the second half. Maye capped a methodical march by running it in from 17 yards out on a broken play. With Tech unable to stop the Tar Heel rushing attack, 10 of the Tar Heels’ 13 plays on the drive were rushes.
• Early in the fourth quarter, Tech cut its deficit to 35-32. Jamal Haynes scored his fifth TD of the season from four yards out, then Rutherford caught the two-point conversion pass from King to pull within a field goal.
• Chapman gave Carolina a huge spark with a 52-yard returning of the ensuing kickoff, handing the Tar Heels excellent field position at the Tech 38-yard line. Two plays later, Chapman caught a 35-yard TD pass from Maye that gave UNC a 10-point lead again at 42-32.
• Just two plays from scrimmage later, Tech’s Dontae Smith scored on a beautiful, 70-yard TD run. After replay officials confirmed the score, Tech kicked the extra point to make the score 42-39 UNC.
• Later in the fourth quarter, UNC’s Noah Burnette missed a 39-yard field goal with 7:00 to play. The Yellow Jackets soon took a 46-42 lead with 4:28 to play.
• The Tar Heels responded and seemed to be driving to retake the lead after a 36-yard completion from Maye to Devontez Walker, but Walker fumbled and it was recovered by the Jackets at their own 24-yard line with 2:54 to play. Walker was injured on the play and had to be helped off the field after several minutes on the turf.
Inside the Box Score
• In last week’s loss to Virginia, Carolina rushed 29 times for 143 yards and nine first downs on the ground. On Saturday night at Georgia Tech, UNC ran for 93 yards in the first quarter and 148 in the first half after mounting a concerted effort to focus on the rushing attack. The Tar Heels finished with 267 yards on the ground, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Up Next
Carolina will play the first of back-to-back home games next Saturday (Nov. 4) against Campbell at noon in Chapel Hill. Tickets are available here.
The following Saturday (Nov. 11) will be senior day and the final home game of the season for UNC against Duke.
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