Watch: North Carolina demolishes App State on onside kick

North Carolina Tar Heels take the field against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the first quarter at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: North Carolina demolishes App State's special teams on onside kick

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 9/3/22

North Carolina may have made a mental error on an onside kick recovery against Appalachian State on Saturday, but their physical execution could not have been any better.

App State attempted an onside kick with 31 seconds left after blowing a major opportunity to take the lead on a 2-point conversion attempt down 56-55.

UNC recovered the kick and returned it for a touchdown rather than fall down so they could run out the clock. In order to recover the kick, the Tar Heels’ special teams unit cleared the deck by taking out players on App State’s recovery unit. Take a look:

App State special teams has been murdered pic.twitter.com/GngzM4WTxV

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) September 3, 2022

They knocked down three players and blocked a fourth out of the way. That all opened things up for Bryson Nesbit to make an easy catch and return the kickoff for a touchdown.

Holliday should have just gone down rather than give the ball back to App State. But, man, that was some beautiful execution up front!

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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