North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said he knew his kicker’s range was about 52 yards, but when the Tar Heels found themselves at the Florida State 37-yard line with four seconds remaining and down one, Fedora had no choice but to trot kicker Nick Weiler out for a career-long 54-yard field goal.
And Weiler nailed it.
The senior, whose previous long was 49 yards, looked a little nervous but blasted the kick through the right side of the uprights to give the Tar Heels a 37-35 upset victory against the No. 12 Seminoles.
It was an improbable win for North Carolina, which had opened the door for a Florida State come-from-behind victory after missing an extra point with 2:31 remaining. Florida State drove 75 yards in a little more than 2 minutes to take a 35-34 lead with 23 seconds left.
“I just said look, we’re gonna be in a two-minute situation where you’re going to need to kick a field goal to win. So get ready,” Fedora said he told Weider.
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed his first pass for 23 yards and then had an incomplete pass left the clock at nine seconds. Trubisky then launched a pass in the direction of Mack Hollins, who appeared to be tripped by a Florida State defender and officials signaled for a penalty. The pass interference put the ball on the 37-yard line and after Florida State attempted to freeze Weiler, the senior nailed the biggest kick of his career.
The loss all but eliminates Florida State, which has losses against the Tar Heels and Louisville, from ACC Coastal contention. North Carolina remains at the top of the ACC Atlantic with conference wins against Florida State and Pittsburgh, two of the toughest opponents on the Tar Heels schedule.
When asked whether he thought Weider could make the kick, Fedora was blunt.
“He’s made them in practice and he was due today.”
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