Wake Forest Football: 3 takeaways from tight win over North Carolina

North Carolina refused to lie down, but Wake Forest football took home the win on Friday night. What did we learn from the Deacons’ tight win?

These teams both entered the season on very positive streaks. Both came in with 2-0 marks, and both were looking to continue that momentum.

The Tar Heels came into Wake Forest on the back of two big wins. They opened the year with a victory over South Carolina, and beat ACC foe Miami last week.

The Demon Deacons had a thrilling 38-35 win over Utah State in week one, and they went into Rice last week and beat the Owls by a 20-point margin.

This game was all Wake Forest early. The Deacons had a 21-point lead at the half, and the defense completely clamped down on the Tar Heels for a good portion of the second half.

Mack Brown’s team wouldn’t quit, though. Michael Carter scored a touchdown, then had a 50-plus yard run that put the Tar Heels in perfect position to score and make this a three-point game.

North Carolina would come up short in the end, but this was an impressive night from both the Tar Heels, and the Demon Deacons.

Controversial ending

This game had its fair share of controversy as the game came to a close. On the final play of the game, it appeared that Michael Carter stepped out of bounds with a second left on the clock. Officials, however, rushed off the field and didn’t give the play a second look.

The Deacons escaped with the win, but North Carolina was robbed of even a second look at what could have been their second chance.