Sitting at 5-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, the UNC football team is off to its best start ever under head coach Larry Fedora.

The key? Sophomore tailback Elijah Hood, who has proven during the first half of the season that he is the most important piece in the explosive Tar Heel attack.

“Everything’s better when you’re winning,” Hood said. “I mean, the food tastes better, the days are sunnier, everything gets a lot better when you’re winning for sure.”

Although Hood downplays the effect he’s had as an individual, entering the 2015 season Fedora and his staff made it known that in order for this team to win big it would need someone other than quarterback Marquise Williams to lead the team in rushing.

The UNC coaching staff has made a much more concerted effort to get the powerful Hood more touches by the goal line. (Grant Halverson/ Getty Images)

The UNC coaching staff has made a much more concerted effort to get the powerful Hood more touches by the goal line. (Grant Halverson/ Getty Images)

So far, Hood has been up to the task and then some–piling up 545 yards and six touchdowns on just 79 carries. His physical style has helped the Tar Heels establish an identity running the football, and Fedora has taken notice of his star’s unique ability.

“He runs really violent, real aggressive,” Fedora said. “Not to say that everybody doesn’t, but if you watch when he runs when he makes contact with somebody he’s usually delivering all the blow. He’s punishing the guy that’s trying to tackle him.”

The violent nature with which Hood runs has allowed him to put together quite the highlight reel. For example, last week against Wake Forest he took the team 65 yards for a touchdown on just two carries—all in a span of just 21 seconds.

Forced to answer questions about all the defenders who have been left lying in his wake this year, he recently told the Raleigh News & Observer that if you’re going to tackle him, “You better bring your buddies.” It’s clear this is somebody that takes pleasure in making grown men look silly.

“Running through a guy is amazing,” Hood said with emphasis on Monday. “It’s really good. Because it just demoralizes them. I mean, I ran over you. I ran right through you. That’s rough for a guy to take in.”

Despite his 6-foot, 220 pound frame, Hood doesn’t necessarily think of himself as an aggressive person. He credits the improvements he’s made in the mental side of the game for his sustained success this year. And growing up in Charlotte, he put just as much focus on becoming an Eagle Scout as he did a star football player—something that paints a far different picture than the one people see on Saturdays.

“The football field is definitely a totally different atmosphere than who I am [off the field],” he said. “When I’m out there it’s kinda when [I] let [my] animal out. Let the beast go. You get to unleash everything.

“I gotta think of myself as an animal out there,” he continued. “Just running hard, hitting hard, don’t be stopped.”

Amidst the chaos of a game, it can be extremely difficult for a running back to process all the movements necessary to break through the defense for a long gain. The pace of the game and athleticism of the players can make that task a challenge for even football’s finest players.

Hood giving out a free piggy-back ride last week against Wake Forest. (Photo: WSOC)

Hood giving out a free piggy-back ride last week against Wake Forest. (Photo: WSOC)

But for Hood, that small window of time between taking the handoff and getting tackled is where the animal inside him takes over.

“It’s all instinct whenever I get the ball,” Hood said. “You can’t really think about too much when you’re trying to play at that kind of speed. It’s usually just based off the angle that I see.

“If the guy’s real close and I don’t feel like I have time to set him up I’m just gonna lower my shoulder and accelerate. If I have a little bit more space to operate I might try something. Or sometimes even then, I might pretend like I’m gonna juke, and I’ll turn and run straight into you and catch you off guard.”

Entering the second leg of the season, the Tar Heels schedule becomes much tougher–and those opponents probably won’t be caught off guard by what Hood has to offer.

With games against rivals Duke and NC State still on the slate–along with road matchups at Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech—the Tar Heels may need to lean on their star running back more than they already have if they want to reach the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.

But if, for some reason, those defenses haven’t been paying attention to what Hood’s been doing, now might be a good time to start—or else someone might get hurt.