Entering Saturday’s ACC Coastal Division matchup against Georgia Tech and its triple option scheme, the UNC football team knew it would have to execute its plays without giving up precious opportunities.

From the first possession on, though, it was clear that the Tar Heel offense had everything working—dominating the Yellow Jackets on the way to a 48-20 homecoming victory at Kenan Stadium.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky continued his run of strong performances for the Tar Heels by accounting for 373 total yards and a pair of scores, while senior receiver Bug Howard tallied his third straight 100-yard game.

As a team, UNC racked up a season-high 636 yards of offense–but it was junior tailback Elijah Hood who led the charge toward a 7-2 record. The Charlotte native had his best game of the season as he gained 168 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.

Mitch Trubisky threw for 329 yards and a score against Georgia Tech, while also running for 44 yards and another touchdown. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Mitch Trubisky threw for 329 yards and a score against Georgia Tech, while also running for 44 yards and another touchdown. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Afterwards, Hood—who missed a game earlier this year with a concussion– said it was the healthiest he’s been all season.

“I had about two weeks [during the team’s bye] to rest and do some things to help my body out,” Hood told reporters. “I felt real good coming into this game. Legs felt really fresh and everything.

“I felt like I had something to prove today,” he continued. “And I think I did that for sure.”

Although avoiding turnovers has always been one of his top keys to success, UNC head coach Larry Fedora hammered that point home to his players a little extra this week. Georgia Tech’s run-heavy offense typically reduces the amount of possessions each team gets—making ball control that much more of a priority.

With that said, the Tar Heels not only avoided making a single turnover on Saturday, they were also able to play from ahead the entire game.

To make matters worse for the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 2-4 ACC) the UNC defense forced a pair of fumbles, blocked a field goal and stopped its opponent on fourth down late in the game.

Andre Smith and a motivated UNC defense played the second half "pissed off" after allowing a number of big plays before halftime. Georgia Tech managed to score just three points after the break. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Andre Smith and a motivated UNC defense played the second half “pissed off” after allowing a number of big plays before halftime. Georgia Tech managed to score just three points after the break. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

“You never feel like you’re in a comfort range when you’re playing against them,” Fedora said. “You know they can score, and that’s what I’m so proud of our defense for.

“That’s why we talked about somehow—besides the turnovers that we needed to create—we needed to steal a couple possessions,” the coach added.”

In the first half, Georgia Tech fell behind 10-0 but responded in a big way when quarterback Justin Thomas connected on an 83-yard touchdown pass to running back Clinton Lynch. The Yellow Jackets then received two more pass plays—of which they ran just 10 all game long—of 40-plus yards to help pull UNC’s lead to just three points late in the first half.

Trubisky found Howard for an explosive 68-yard touchdown right before the break to keep the Tar Heels in a comfortable position, but Fedora said the defense was definitely challenged to do better coming out of the locker room.

“We didn’t change one thing, we didn’t adjust one thing,” Fedora said about his defense. “All we told them is to go out there and play pissed off.”

From that point on, Georgia Tech scored just three points the rest of the way despite gaining 518 yards of offense in total.

The UNC defensive line recovered both Georgia Tech fumbles after halftime, with one instance coming as the Yellow Jackets had just moved into the red zone. Trubisky and company then kept their end of the bargain by pouring on three more touchdowns as Georgia Tech was running out of gas.

The UNC defensive line helped force and recover two fumbles in the second half. These proved to be crucial as the Tar Heels pulled away for the win. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

The UNC defensive line helped force and recover two fumbles in the second half. These proved to be crucial as the Tar Heels pulled away for the win. (Jeffrey A. Camarati/ UNC Athletics)

Now the Tar Heels head into their final three games with both their offense and defense playing as well as they have all year—a sight that surely brings a smile to their coach’s face.

“We’re playing our best football right now,” Fedora said. “I think we’re getting better and better.

“I’m really proud of these guys because to be able to do that with the injuries we have and the guys that we’ve lost,” he continued, before rattling of a list of injuries to big names such as guard Caleb Peterson and receiver Mack Hollins.

“For us to be playing our best football in the second week of November, that’s a tribute to our coaching staff.”

Up Next:

It’ll be a short week for the Tar Heels, as they prepare for their rivalry game with Duke–which is set to be played at Wallace Wade Stadium on Thursday.

Game Notes:

  • UNC has won three straight games against Georgia Tech for the first time since 1992-94.
  • The 636 yards of total offense is the seventh-highest total in UNC single-game history.
  • This was the 10th time in history–but third this season–that one UNC player rushed for 100 yards (Elijah Hood), one threw for 300 yards (Mitch Trubisky) and one had 100 yards receiving (Bug Howard).
  • Despite his outstanding day on the ground, Hood did not receive a single carry in the second quarter.

 

FINAL STATS