Perhaps it was fitting that North Carolina’s game-winning, 54-yard field goal was set up by a Florida State pass interference penalty.
It was the final self-inflicted wound on a day that saw the No. 12 Seminoles commit so many it would be tough to track them all. And despite a furious comeback, it was the one they wouldn’t be able to overcome in a 37-35 loss to the No. 23 Tar Heels.
“Everybody’s going to point to the end,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “But we had plenty of opportunities in other parts of the game all throughout. … We’ve got to execute better, and I’ve got to coach them better so they can play better.”
The miscues started early and never really ceased.
The Seminoles committed penalties -- 13 of them for 120 yards.
They blew golden opportunities -- three early drives stalled deep in UNC territory and ended with missed field goals.
They had a slew of failures on defense -- particularly on third downs as North Carolina converted 9 of 13 opportunities into first downs. Florida State, meanwhile, was only able to convert 4 of 11 third-down tries.
“That’s not good … on our part,” senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker said. “We’ve got to get off the field on third down.”
FSU, which has struggled with slow starts for quite some time, seemed to be clicking on offense early. But every time the Seminoles drove deep into North Carolina territory, they committed a penalty or came up short and had to settle for a field goal try.
