With road comebacks against strong competition in their previous two football games, the North Carolina Tar Heels entered Saturday's return home with plenty of momentum and hope they finally turned a corner.

UNC welcomed a lowly Syracuse squad to Chapel Hill, one that entered without an ACC win. The Orange had three one-score losses, showcasing they're better than their record, but are a team North Carolina should beat comfortably.

Instead, the Tar Heels lost 31-30 in a game defined late by poor defense and spotty offense. Whatever excitement UNC (4-3, 2-2 ACC) fans had, is now gone after Saturday's inexcusable defeat.

North Carolina had multiple chances to put this game away, starting with a 10-point lead in the first quarter. The Tar Heels settled for a fourth quarter field goal, just feet from the end zone, then turned it over on downs during a potential, game-winning drive with a minute left. Billy Edwards threw for a season-high 271 yards, but missed a couple wide-open pass-catchers on tough throws.

UNC's fourth-quarter defense defined wins at Pitt and Duke. Saturday was a different story, with North Carolina allowing 21 points after halftime. Syracuse (3-4, 1-4 ACC) quarterback Steve Angeli completed several big passes, including a 76-yard strike to Umari Hatcher and the game-winners to Calvin Russell. The Orange nearly hit 200 rushing yards, punishing a Tar Heel defense that allowed 455 yards total.

North Carolina can wonder "what if," but there's no reason Saturday night should be a loss. Let's take a look at several, postgame social media reactions below.