If you went to bed at a reasonable hour last night, you probably missed most of Carolina’s 21-18 loss to Cal – in which case, you didn’t miss much.
I’ll hand it to Belichick and Co., though: the Tar Heels
looked better than I thought they would after schlepping across the country for a game that started at 10:30 PM EST. Heck, they were in great position to win the game before fumbling away the go-ahead touchdown with just under four minutes left. It’s the first time this season that Carolina has been competitive against a power conference opponent (albeit one of the worst teams in that category), and there were a few individual standouts – none bigger than Kobe Paysour.
The fifth-year receiver was the go-to for Gio Lopez throughout the evening, finishing with six receptions for a career-high 101 yards. Three of his catches moved the chains on third down, and he contributed to all three of Carolina’s scoring drives. It was the first 100-yard game for a UNC receiver this season, and a welcome return to form for a player who showed a lot of potential early in his career before foot injuries threatened to derail it.
I’ll give an honorable mention to redshirt sophomore linebacker Tyler Thompson, who had two sacks: one to end the first half, and one to force a Cal punt late in the third quarter (Carolina scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive). Those were the first sacks of his college career, and he also knocked the ball out on the second one, giving him his first forced fumble.
