North Carolina needed one of a number of plays to be different in order to upset Virginia Tech Thursday night. Instead, UNC fell 24-21 and needs a victory over Duke to have a winning season.

Any one of these plays would probably have led to a Tar Heels victory.

First, when it looked as if the Heels were going to go up 14-0, Ryan Houston fumbled inside the three yard line. Tech proceeded to go on an 18-play drive over 95 yards for the tying score.

During the drive, a missed tackle by Charles Brown allowed VT’s quarterback Logan Thomas to scramble 18 yards on third and 19. An illegal push forward by Hokie tackle Blake DeChristopher, that – per usual – was not called, allowed Thomas to get the first down on fourth and one after it appeared his forward progress had been stopped long enough for a whistle to blow the play dead.

Gio Bernard, who scored the first TD on a nifty run, got off a good run up past the 40 but it was called back for holding and the Heels ended up punting from inside their 20 yard line.

A penalty on Carolina’s punt team for touching the returner who was calling a fair catch put Tech deep in Carolina territory and they managed a field goal.

Bernard, Carolina’s star offensive player, was hit helmet to helmet and he suffered a concussion that kept him out the remainder of the game. No penalty was called.

The Tar Heels drove late in the first half. An apparent reception at the three with time running down was changed on the field to an incomplete pass. After a review, the video was inconclusive so the changed call on the field stood. Instead, Carolina had to try a 43-yard-field goal and it was wide left.

Late in the game, after the Heels had drawn to 24-21 with plenty of time left to score, Carolina tried an onside kickoff but Brown didn’t allow it to go the full 10 yards (and he could have and still recovered it) and the Hokies got the ball, essentially ending the game.

If any one of those plays had been different, Carolina may very well have won that game. The old cliche is that good teams get those kinds of breaks.