ATLANTA — The 2010 LSU football team faced several question marks heading into Saturday’s season opener against North Carolina after a 2009 stint filled with inconsistency and the inability to close out games.
 
The No. 21 Tigers (1-0) answered none of these questions and nearly squandered a 20-point lead in a “sloppy” 30-24 last-second victory against the No. 18 Tar Heels (0-1) in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
 
After LSU powered out to a 30-10 halftime lead, UNC stormed back with two late touchdowns and had two chances from the LSU 6-yard line with six seconds left to win the game.
 
UNC senior tight end Zack Pianalto dropped a low pass from senior quarterback T.J. Yates as time expired, leaving Tiger fans to emit a collective sign of relief.
 
“It’s kind of like rolling over from last year. We would be      leading in the fourth quarter, and then we would slowly let teams ease back into it,” said junior running back Stevan Ridley. “We just have to break that trend — we really do.”
 
Frustration instantly set in from the Tar Heel sideline, as replays appeared to show Pianalto being held by LSU junior linebacker Stefoin Francois.  
 
The officials disagreed, though, leaving a discouraged Pianalto face down on the Georgia Dome turf. An irate Yates threw his hands up in the air, then turned to the turf and pounded it with a clenched fist in disgust.  
 
On the previous play, Yates nearly connected with Pianalto in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score. The throw was a little behind Pianalto, who couldn’t hang on with LSU senior cornerback Jai Eugene closing in.
 
“I can tell you that our football team won a game tonight in a very sloppy fashion, and certainly penalties cost us,” said LSU coach Les Miles.
 
It was a tale of two halves for LSU. The Tigers plateaued following a 30-point first half outbreak, leaving UNC with ample time to mount its furious comeback.  
 
In the second half, the Tigers had two three-and-outs, two fumbles, two costly holding penalties — one that negated a 19-yard touchdown run by Ridley — and one intentional grounding during their six possessions.
 
UNC, who hadn’t scored since a 20-yard field goal by junior Casey Barth with 8:24 remaining in the second quarter, ended its scoring drought early in the fourth quarter as Yates and sophomore receiver Jheranie Boyd hooked up for a 97-yard bomb —the longest play from   scrimmage in Tar Heel history. Boyd, who also had a 75-yard catch, finished with a game-high 221 receiving yards.
 
Yates torched the LSU secondary with a career-high 412 passing yards, 261 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
 
“Hands down, that is no indication of our secondary,” said LSU senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. “Those are things that can be corrected.”
 
After UNC recovered an onside kick, LSU nearly secured the victory when freshman defensive tackle Tyrann Mathieu blindsided Yates on a corner blitz on fourth-and-5 to force a fumble, which was recovered by redshirt freshman defensive end Barkevious Mingo with less than two minutes.
 
But Ridley coughed up the football with 1:08 remaining to keep the Tar Heels’ heartbeat at a murmur.
 
“We came out strong, but we didn’t finish strong, and I’m the person to blame for that,” said Ridley, who also fumbled inside the red zone in the third quarter. “We just got complacent from where we were.”
 
 
FRESH FACES
 
UNC was without 13 players, seven of which were defensive starters — three defensive linemen and the entire secondary — because of the recent NCAA investigations. UNC coach Butch Davis said after the game he burned at least eight redshirts and played several walk-ons.
 
LSU had eight first-time starters in the lineup, and a total of nine freshmen saw their first career action.
 
Ridley got his third career start at running back, getting the nod ahead of senior Richard Murphy. Eugene started ahead of redshirt freshman Craig Loston and true freshman Eric Reid, who were both listed ahead of Eugene on LSU’s depth chart.
 
Two tight ends — junior Mitch Joseph and sophomore Chase Clement — both started the game in a two-tight end set with junior Deangelo Peterson sidelined with a foot injury.
 
One notable player who didn’t see the field was redshirt freshman Michael Ford.
 
 
DOMECOMING
 
In nine games (8-1) at the Georgia Dome, LSU has outscored opponents 246-132.
Sheppard, a Stone Mountain, Ga., native, flourished in his home state as he led the Tiger defense with 10 tackles.
 
 
STUFFED AND SACKED
 
Although the LSU secondary gave up 412 passing yards, the defense stymied the UNC running game and only allowed 24 net yards on 33 attempts.
 
The LSU defense nearly collected a fifth of its sack total from 2009, finishing with four sacks. The Tigers had 21 sacks last season.
 
 
 
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]