Trey Morrison Comes Up Big as UNC Defeats Boston College, 26-22
CHESTNUT HILL, Ma - After three weeks without a snap, North Carolina remains undefeated after an intense game against Boston College, 26-22.
The Heels hit the road for the first time amid a season that changes weekly. No game is guaranteed. In the last two weeks, UNC was able to focus solely on preparing for the Eagles. On September 19th, North Carolina was forced to cancel a game against UNC-Charlotte as a safety precaution due to COVID-19. The following week remained a 'bye' due to failure to secure an opponent on such short notice.
Notwithstanding the three-week break, Brown was happy with his team's performance, but North Carolina's penalties halted their success as they seemingly couldn't get out their way. UNC finished with ten penalties for 96 yards; far too many for Brown with smart kids on both sides of the ball.
"Really happy for my team, the guys found a way to win it tonight. We were concerned about the three weeks off and having a sloppy game, and that's what happened. It was too many penalties in this game to have a bunch of smart kids and good coaches out there coaching them. So we've got to clean that up for next week."
This is the eighth meeting between the two ball clubs, and both were undefeated. North Carolina is 6-2 all-time against the Eagles since they joined the conference in 2013.
Brown was in the Twilight Zone as the mistakes and triumphs against Boston College mimicked Syracuse. In the first quarter, it was all offense as North Carolina scored 14 points. In the 1st quarter, Khafre Brown, younger brother of Dyami Brown, scored his first touchdown with a 26-yard pass from QB Sam Howell. Minutes later, following Brown's lead, RB Michael Carter answered his own with a 1-yd rushing touchdown.
As Howell lead the team to victory, his place as a top QB in the ACC was evident. He finished the game with 225 yards and 14-26 with 1 INT. One of Howell's goals this season was the improvement of mobility and understanding defense. Despite being sacked three times for 23 yards, Brown was proud of the quarterback's ability to keep moving.
"I was probably more impressed with Sam making plays with his feet than ever before. He did some of that in the bowl game. But he made some huge plays to tonight with his feet, and that's going to help us."
On defense, Chazz Surratt continued his campaign for the year's ACC player as he finished the game with eight tackles and one sack. Tomon Fox wasn't too far behind him, closing out the game with six sacks and one forced fumble. Still, Trey Morrison commanded all focus as he changed the game's course with a late interception as Boston College was looking to tie the game with a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. The return resulted in a 2-point play, closing out the game, 26-22—the first for Morrison in his career.
Despite mistakes and penalties, the game comes down to winning. Brown is hoping to create a new culture within himself, celebrating wins, no matter how ugly. During his time in Texas, if the bad outweighed the victory, he solely focused on what could be better than thriving in the moment of success. At Carolina, he doesn't want to repeat those mistakes.
"I'm going to enjoy this one. I'm going to appreciate winning, and then we'll start being hard on those kids tomorrow for next week. I'm proud of the kids and the coaches; I'm proud of the way they fought. This is about winning. It's not about anything else. It's about winning."
Boston College falls 2-1 (1-1 ACC) as Jurkovec completed the game with 37 of 56 passes fro 313 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles' offense finished 313 yards and just two touchdowns. After a series of field goals, Boston College made their first touchdown in the second quarter with a 5 yard pass to David Bailey.
After a late scramble against Texas State the previous week, Boston College were seemingly on track to repeat their win. Brown noted at the success of BC and recognizing Jurkovec turning around their offense in just his first year. He is evidently comfortable in late game situations; Leading his team down to the last second.
"That's why we play these games; The ones that it's not the best teams. It's the team that plays the best that day. Today we were one play better than they were."
This will be the first loss for the Eagles under new head coach, Jeff Hafley.
North Carolina moves on to 2-0 (2-0 ACC) as they host Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill, October 10th. This will be the first game as fans are able to cheer on the Heels in their return to Kenan Stadium.
Boston College will face Pittsburgh (3-1, 2-1 ACC) next week in Chestnut Hill.
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