Eager to prove itself following a disappointing loss to Georgia last week, the UNC football team recovered from an early hiccup Saturday night to dominate the Illinois Fighting Illini 48-23 in Champaign.

The Tar Heels moved to 1-1 in 2016 with a stellar performance–both offensively and defensively–that should provide fans with plenty of comfort entering the road ahead.

Illinois (1-1) suffered its first loss of the season after appearing ready to provide a signature win for new head coach Lovie Smith–in front of its first sellout crowd since 2011–when tailback Ke’Shawn Vaughn scampered 65 yards to the endzone on the game’s opening drive.

UNC, however, had other ideas.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky picked up his first career win as a starter on Saturday. He threw for two touchdowns, while running for a pair of scores as well. (AP Photo/ Bradley Leeb)

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky picked up his first career win as a starter on Saturday. He threw for two touchdowns, while running for a pair of scores as well. (AP Photo/ Bradley Leeb)

Junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky didn’t take many risks but was highly efficient in picking up his first career win as the Tar Heel starter–racking up 307 total yards, and four combined touchdowns through the air and on the ground.

On his 54th birthday, UNC head coach Larry Fedora was gifted with big plays from each of his running backs—Elijah Hood and TJ Logan—while his defense completely shut down the Illini attack following the initial miscue.

“It took us really about half of that first quarter to get adjusted to what they were trying to do to us,” Fedora said. “That’s not the things they did against Murray State [last week].

“We talked about it defensively that we were gonna have to get in this game and adjust to whatever they were trying to do,” he continued. “And once we made those adjustments, our kids played well.”

After facing questions all week about the lack of running plays called against Georgia, Fedora made sure that wouldn’t be the case this time around. The Tar Heels gained 197 yards on 37 run plays compared to just 25 passes.

Logan continued his breakout start to the year with a few big bursts of speed, picking up 54 yards on nine carries while also taking a swing pass from Trubisky 24 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter.

For most of the game, Illinois did a good job limiting Hood’s production by stacking the box.

UNC stayed true to its gameplan, however, and kept pounding.

This eventually led to a 62-yard breakaway score by the junior that put the game on ice with just under seven minutes to play–and allowed him to finish with 88 yards and two scores on 15 carries.

“We knew we wanted to come into the game and be physical, and we wanted to run the football,” Fedora said. “And I’ll tell you what, their D-line is really good. There were a lot of times they hit us in the backfield and made plays.

“I give [offensive coordinator Chris Kapilovic],  [quarterbacks coach Keith Heckendorf], [running backs coach Larry Porter] and those guys credit for sticking with it and continuing to run the football.”

In his second start behind center, Trubisky appeared to be much more comfortable as a dual-threat option. He scored each of UNC’s first two touchdowns with his legs—which helped open up the rest of the offense down the stretch.

The Ohio native also completed 19 of his 24 passes for 265 yards and two scores without turning the ball over, while spreading the ball around effectively.

MJ Stewart (left) led an impressive effort by the Tar Heel secondary. Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt completed just half of his pass attempts for only 127 yards. (AP Photo/ Bradley Leeb)

MJ Stewart (left) led an impressive effort by the Tar Heel secondary. Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt completed just half of his pass attempts for only 127 yards. (AP Photo/ Bradley Leeb)

By the end of the night, eight different Tar Heels had recorded at least one catch.

“He ran the ball well, he threw the ball well and he never put us in a [bad] situation [with] throws into coverage,” Fedora said of his quarterback. “I thought he took care of the ball well also.”

Defensively, the Tar Heels looked much better stopping the run this week despite allowing Illinois to gain 182 yards on the ground. Much of that came during the early feel-out process of the game, with things tightening up later on.

Cornerbacks Des Lawrence and MJ Stewart also worked in tandem to hold Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt to just 127 yards and a 50 percent completion rate.

Overall, it was an impressive response to last week’s slip-up for UNC in a game where it had a large target on its back. There’s not much more a coach can ask for.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Fedora said after the game. “They went on the road in the Big Ten against a team that’s coming up and had a great crowd tonight. It was hostile and loud.

“I thought our guys overcame the adversity we faced throughout the game, and I thought they did a nice job.”

Up Next:

UNC will open up play at Kenan Stadium with its home opener next weekend against FCS opponent James Madison. That game is scheduled for next Saturday, Sep. 17 at 3:30 p.m.

Game Notes:

  • Mack Hollins’ 20-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was the 17th of his career–good enough for fifth place on UNC’s all-time list.
  • The Tar Heels averaged 7.5 yards per play on their 62 plays in the game. Last season, they led the nation with an average of 7.3 yards per play.
  • Six different UNC receivers caught a pass for at least 20 yards, but none was longer than Bug Howard’s 28-yard reception in the second quarter.
  • Illinois fumbled six times, but recovered five of them.
  • UNC also scored 48 points in last year’s 48-14 drubbing of the Illini in Chapel Hill.

 

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