Last Updated on November 20, 2019 6:04 pm
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — What a time for a Black and Gold breakthrough.
The kick is blocked — again.
Defensive end Demetrius Taylor forced two turnovers to help Appalachian State build a first-half lead on the road, and Darrynton Evans rushed for three touchdowns as the Mountaineers won 34-31 against in-state ACC program North Carolina on Saturday.
The Tar Heels reached App State's 39-yard line with five seconds left, and Akeem Davis-Gaither pushed through a gap in the line to tip a 56-yard attempt at a field goal as time expired.
“You just look back and see if it made the distance or not,” said
Davis-Gaither, who turned 22 on Saturday. “Then the celebration was on.”
The second-ever football meeting between the two schools and first since
1940 drew a spirited, sold-out crowd to Kenan Stadium, and the
Mountaineers posted their first win against a Power Five conference team
since the historic upset of Michigan in 2007, when Corey Lynch's
blocked field goal as time expired helped ignite the run to a third
straight FCS national title.
It was App State's eighth victory against an ACC program and the first
since beating Wake Forest 20-16 in 2000. The 2019 team is now 3-0 in its
first season under the direction of head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.
“We talked all week, it wasn't going to be an upset,” Drinkwitz said.
“We belonged on that football field, and we wanted to prove it. We had a
1-0 mentality, and we knew we were worthy of winning the game. We went
out and played the way App State Football is supposed to be played.”
Taylor led App State's defense by recording 2.5 sacks, turning one of
them into a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown and setting up another
touchdown with an interception. Senior linebacker Jordan Fehr
matched his career high of 15 tackles, and four young defensive backs
performed well under pressure in relief roles throughout the fourth
quarter on a hot afternoon in Chapel Hill.
Evans' three rushing touchdowns contributed to his 78 yards on the ground, and Zac Thomas threw for 224 yards. His top receivers were Corey Sutton (seven catches, 58 yards), Thomas Hennigan (six catches, 90 yards) and Malik Williams (six catches, 78 yards).
From the “Go Blue” signs in Ann Arbor, to the Carolina Blue seats in
Chapel Hill, App State has another signature win against a Power Five
opponent.
Each of the last three seasons, the Mountaineers had played a tight game
against a P5 program, with close calls in 2016 (20-13 overtime loss at
Tennessee), 2017 (20-19 loss to Wake Forest) and 2018 (45-38 overtime
loss at Penn State). Finally, in Drinkwitz's third game as a college
head coach, seniors such as Fehr were able to celebrate at the end of
one.
“I had a couple moments where I just sat down and cried because it's so
much bigger than football,” Fehr said before holding two fingers inches
apart. “Freshman year, to come this close at Tennessee. Sophomore year,
Wake Forest. Last year, Penn State — being this close every time. To be
able to finally do it, it means more than anything.”
UNC (2-2) scored with one second left in the first half and again in the
third quarter to turn a 27-10 deficit into a 27-24 nailbiter, but the
Mountaineers responded immediately to the Tar Heels' long touchdown
march with a 75-yard touchdown drive that included Thomas' 31-yard pass
to Hennigan and a 43-yard connection with Williams.
Evans' short touchdown run late in the third quarter provided some
welcomed separation, Davis-Gaither ended the next series at App State's
27 with his first career interception and the Tar Heels finally pulled
within 34-31 on a short touchdown run with 3:01 remaining.
Facing a third-and-5 from his own 30, Thomas gained 12 yards on a
play-action keeper around the right side to move the chains, and an App
State punt gave the Tar Heels one last possession starting from their 20
with 30 seconds left. The 24-yard completion into App State territory
set up a long-shot field-goal try, but the Mountaineers enjoyed another
Michigan-like finish.
With three national titles, four straight bowl wins and three
consecutive conference titles, App State's championship-winning ways
remain a point of pride for college football in the state of North
Carolina, and the Mountaineers have improved to 3-0 with back-to-back
wins against in-state FBS opponents.
Carolina, we keep callin' you home.
“This program has definitely had some heartbreaking losses, but Coach
Drink coming in here with a new mindset, everybody kind of got a fresh
start from everything,” Hennigan said. “These seniors have been through
it all, countless hours, and it's awesome to get those guys a big win
during their last year.”
UNC used a long kickoff return and 21-yard touchdown pass to take a lead
17 seconds into the game, but App State responded with the next 20
points, starting with two Chandler Staton field goals and continuing thanks to Taylor's two takeaways.
Staton converted kicks of 31 and 43 yards before Taylor, who finished
with 2.5 sacks, made the first of several big plays early in a UNC
drive. He rushed around the end, forced a fumble on a blindside sack of
Sam Howell, returned to his feet, scooped the ball up at the 20-yard
line and raced into the end zone with 3:39 remaining in the first
quarter.
“I just got off the ball, and my job is to stay outside,” Taylor said.
“He went down, and nobody was blocking me, so it was just a free run on
the quarterback. Blind side, came with my hand down, and he fumbled. I
didn't know where the ball was, and I just saw it last minute and got it
and ran it in for a touchdown.”
Taylor was far from done.
With App State ahead 13-7 early in the second quarter, he fought off a
low block and returned to his feet in time to deflect Howell's hard,
short-range pass to the left. Taylor located the ball in time to
intercept it and gained 19 yards on a return to the UNC 26.
Three straight completions to Sutton preceded Evans' first touchdown on a 5-yard run.
The Mountaineers' defense later held inside the 10, forcing a short
field goal with the help of another Taylor pass deflection, and App
State moved back into scoring range thanks to a 12-yard pass to Williams
on third down, coupled with a 15-yard targeting penalty. Evans' 31-yard
sprint to the 4 set up his second touchdown, a 2-yard run on a
third-and-goal option pitch.
Taking a snap with eight seconds left in the half, UNC cut its deficit
to 27-17 heading into the break via Michael Carter's 11-yard touchdown
reception on a screen pass from Howell, and the Tar Heels used a
15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter to close the gap
to 27-24.
App State had some type of answer, as the 31-yard pass to Hennigan and
43-yard pass to Williams set up Evans' 2-yard touchdown run that
increased the margin back to double figures. UNC advanced to the
Appalachian 36 before Davis-Gaither made a diving interception to thwart
another scoring threat, and the Mountaineers were able to hold on after
Howell's 2-yard keeper for a touchdown with 3:01 left trimmed the edge
to 34-31.
App State survived a frantic finish and turns its attention to next
weekend's Sun Belt Conference opener against Coastal Carolina. Drinkwitz
reiterated after the game that the Mountaineers' primary goal is
winning the Sun Belt championship and a bowl game with class, integrity
and academic excellence.
“That's one thing Coach Drink emphasizes, to be 1-0 for the week,” Evans
said, “so we're not trying to overlook anyone else that we play.”
