If last week was an indictment of UNC’s defense, dear reader, then today was a full-on conviction. The Tar Heels’ offense needed 63 points to get out of Boone with a narrow 63-61 win over the Mountaineers in a game that Appalachian State was centimeters away from winning. Gene Chizik’s defense surrendered an utterly painful 40 points in the fourth quarter to turn what had been a comfortable 20-point lead into a nail-biter late.
App State had the upper hand early on, racing out to a 21-7 lead in the first half. Carolina responded in a big way with three touchdowns in the second quarter before allowing one more touchdown to make it a 28-21 game at halftime.