Everyone just take a deep breath.
The North Carolina Tar Heels escaped on Saturday with a 63-61 win over Appalachian State to move to 2-0 on the year. And I emphasize survival.
After falling behind 21-7 and seeing the Mountaineers score on their first three possessions of the game, UNC’s defense locked on and got some crucial stops while the offense led by [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] found the end zone. The Tar Heels took a 28-21 lead at halftime. UNC then outscored App. State 13-0 in the third quarter and were seemingly in control.
But the fourth quarter had different ideas.
The two teams combined to score 62 points in the fourth quarter with a wild back and forth in the final minutes. App State tied the game late but UNC answered with a touchdown pass from Drake Maye to DJ Jones for 42 yards.
The Mountaineers answered back with a quick score of their own to make it 56-55 with 30 seconds left. App State failed on the two-point conversion and were forced to onside kick it. From there, UNC recovered as Bryson Nesbit returned it 43 yards for the touchdown and a 63-55 lead with 28 seconds left.
That lead should be safe, right? Wrong.
The Mountaineers got a long kickoff return and then scored a few plays later on a Chase Brice touchdown pass. But UNC was able to stop Brice on the two-point conversion to seal the win.
The two teams combined to score five touchdowns in the final four minutes including three in the final 31 seconds of the game. It was a tough one but UNC came out victorious.
Maye finished the game 24 of 36 for 352 yards, 4 passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.
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