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

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WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches on against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during their game at BB&T Field on September 13, 2019 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

3. Mack Brown hits his first roadblock

As the clock passed the 11-minute mark in the second quarter, it had already gotten out of hand. The Tar Heels trailed 21-0, and on 3rd-and-10, Sam Howell was sacked. In this young season, this is the biggest roadblock the Tar Heels have come up against.

One of his big adjustments was to move away from Howell. Late in the first half, Brown went to Jace Ruder. He went only 1 for 2 for a seven-yard completion before the mid-way point. Coming back out of halftime, Brown reverted back to Howell.

The offense was largely ineffective for most of the game. Late in the third quarter, the Tar Heels had amassed on 87 total yards. Brown’s team proved resilient though.

In the fourth quarter, a Michael Carter touchdown brought the score to 21-10. They were facing a deficit, but the Tar Heels sideline had the energy of a team in a back-and-forth classic.

It’s the first loss of Brown’s tenure in Chapel Hill, but the encouraging way that the Tar Heels responded is a welcome sight for this program.

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