When faced with a deficit and little time remaining on the clock, the UNC offense came up big Saturday night, snapping a five-game losing streak to Georgia Tech.

UNC signal caller Marquise Williams’ poise under pressure was paramount.

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Despite the torrid pace of the UNC offense, there was an overlaying sense of calm about the Tar Heels as Williams directed the game-winning drive that ended with a T.J. Logan touchdown dive.

UNC head coach Larry Fedora says the team works through the two-minute drill every week. It showed against the Yellow Jackets.

“As he was going out with 3:07 left, he said, ‘We do this every week. It’s not big deal.’ He’s right. We work two-minute every week. We’ve been doing that since the first day that we got here. He’s comfortable with it. If you look at our guys, they aren’t helter-skelter. We go at that pace all the time. It’s very calm for them,” Coach Fedora says.

Marquise Williams (UNC Athletics)

Marquise Williams (UNC Athletics)

At times Saturday night, Williams’ play was beautiful to watch. The junior leader completed 38 of his 47 passes, totaled 390 yards and threw four touchdowns.

During one stretch in the second half, Williams completed 14 consecutive pass attempts, just one shy of the school record.

With 3:07 remaining on the Kenan Stadium clock, Williams thrived. He says his only thoughts concerned “moving the chains”.

“This is when the best quarterbacks perform – under pressure, when you’re down. We had three timeouts and 3:07 left. Don’t force anything and check the ball down. I knew we just had to move the ball down and keep moving the chains. We found ways to keep executing on the offensive side of the football,” Williams says.

Williams has always been known for his explosive dual-threat ability. But the way Coach Fedora was talking about his quarterback following the win over Georgia Tech, it’s his role as a game manager that made the difference.

“He really did a nice job of checking the ball down. He didn’t push the ball into any coverages he shouldn’t have. He did a heck of a job with the way he ran the ball as always and the way he threw it,” Coach Fedora says.

Williams is none short on confidence. He’s made his fair share of mistakes in his Carolina career that began when Bryn Renner went down to injury last season, but Williams says he draws inspiration from a couple NFL greats.

“That’s where the greats perform. You look at Peyton Manning and Tom Brady with the two-minute drive. I want to be something like that one day in my life. I thought, ‘Why can’t I do it?’ I look back at times that I turned the ball over in certain situations, but I have the opportunity to come back and redeem myself,” Williams says.

UNC O-linemen Caleb Peterson and John Ferranto team up with TE Jack Tabb on the strong side. (Elliott Rubin)

UNC O-linemen Caleb Peterson and John Ferranto team up with TE Jack Tabb on the strong side. (Elliott Rubin)

But there’s another factor contributing to Williams’ fine play the past two weeks at Notre Dame, a team that nearly knocked off defending national champion Florida State last week, and at home against the Yellow Jackets.

The young UNC offensive line is coming together. The addition of Jon Heck back into the starting lineup after recovering from injury and the maturation of the rest of the guys up front has led to more time for Williams’ decision-making and opened up wider rushing lanes for UNC’s stable of running backs.

Coach Fedora says he likes the progress he sees from the O-line and in turn, is delighted with the emergence of a running game.

“You’re talking two weeks in a row that we’ve had our starting five back up front with some repetitions under their belt. I think they’re doing a better job and with Marquise being able to run, it’s going to open up some things for the running backs. Those guys ran hard and did a nice job,” Coach Fedora says.

Perhaps Logan going in for the decisive touchdown Saturday night was fitting. It could be a sign of a different Tar Heel squad moving forward into the latter portion of the 2014 schedule, a team armed with an effective rushing attack.

Logan ran with a renewed fighting spirit last weekend, running over Jacket defenders while tallying up 77 yards on 14 carries to lead the Tar Heels on the ground.

Williams says all the hard work put in by the O-line is finally being rewarded.

“It’s been shaky all year. A lot of people were talking about how we couldn’t get a running game. Those guys kept feeling bad about themselves. Now, the offensive line is unbelievable. My hat goes off to them every Saturday. After we finish practice on Sundays, you see some guys out there blocking. I’m so grateful to have those guys. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do out there,” Williams says.

What’s more, despite an unimpressive 3-4 record and 1-2 mark in the ACC, the Tar Heels aren’t completely out of the Coastal race. Williams and company are heading back to the practice fields this week with tangible success to build on, emboldened by the momentum of an ACC victory.