The UNC football program honored its Class of 2021 Saturday in Kenan Stadium, a group which included junior quarterback Sam Howell, who will graduate from Carolina in December. Howell, though, did not play in the game due to an upper-body injury, leaving quarterback duties to back-ups Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye. Criswell started the game for the Tar Heels, leading Carolina into the end zone on their first drive of the game.
But the offense stagnated after that, with Criswell and company unable to score another touchdown until the end of the second quarter. Wofford, meanwhile, hung tough, closing to within 10-7 after a touchdown run capped off a 12-play, 71-yard drive. A late hit penalty on UNC’s Ray Vohasek gave the Terriers a first down after the Carolina defense had stopped a third-down play.
With the team needing a spark, it was running back British Brooks who starred on the next drive for the Tar Heels, celebrating his Senior Day with a career-long 38-yard touchdown scamper on the very next drive.
“He’s the ultimate story of success,” head coach Mack Brown said of Brooks. “He comes in as a walk-on. He’s a graduate. He’s a guy who competed to get on some special teams. And then he becomes a special teams captain. Then he gets a scholarship. And then today, like he did a couple of times last year, he really looked good running the ball.”
“I love British,” Criswell said. “British told me right before the game, he was like, ‘If I’m in, and you’ve got [run-pass options], you know what to do.'”
A field goal from Grayson Atkins, also celebrating Senior Day, closed out the first half and gave the Tar Heels a 20-7 lead at the break. It wasn’t quite the blowout fans expected, but it was a glimpse into life without Howell, which will most likely start next season for the Tar Heels.
The UNC defense got the second half off on the right foot, with Kyler McMichael nabbing his first interception as a Tar Heel in his final home game. The offense then sent out the six-foot, five-inch freshman Maye to take over at quarterback for the remainder of the game.
Maye’s first drive with the offense ended in Brooks’ second touchdown of the day, a 14-yard jaunt to give the Tar Heels a 27-7 lead. His next drive resulted in his first career touchdown pass, a four-yard dish to sophomore tight end Kamari Morales. Maye finished with an impressive seven completions in nine attempts for 89 yards and a touchdown, as well as four rushes for 38 yards.
“Sam does a great job running,” Maye said. “And, you know, Senior Day, I wanted to pay tribute to how hard he runs and what he’s done on the ground this year. He’s a lot more elusive than I probably am, but us tall guys, we can do a little something athletically.”
With Maye, Morales, freshman running back Caleb Hood and freshman receiver J.J. Jones all seeing significant playing time in the game’s second half, the 2022 season didn’t seem too far away.
But this is still 2021, and some familiar ghosts still came up to haunt the UNC offense. The Tar Heels drove all the way to the Wofford 2-yard line in the late fourth quarter, but were stopped on four consecutive short-yardage plays, three of which went to Hood. Even a Wofford penalty on fourth down couldn’t bail out the offense, as Hood was stopped on “fifth down.”
“We’ve got to continue to get better in that area,” Brown said.
Still, the Tar Heels took care of business for a 34-14 win, their first win by multiple scores since a 38-7 victory over Duke in early October. The win moves Carolina to 6-5 this season, meaning the team is bowl-eligible for the third consecutive year under Brown. With another short week coming up, the team’s schedule will be condensed this week as it prepares for a season-ending rivalry showdown.
“We won’t have a day off this week until Saturday,” Brown said. “But the guys will come in tomorrow, celebrate this win, celebrate going to another bowl game, and start getting ready for State.”
Up Next
UNC hits the road for a huge matchup with NC State on Friday, November 26. That game will be played at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. Should his injury recovery go well, Sam Howell will play in that game.
Game Notes
- This was UNC’s first-ever game against Wofford in football.
- Josh Downs is just seven receptions and 25 receiving yards away from setting single-season school records in both categories.
- This was the first game in British Brooks’ collegiate career in which he has scored multiple touchdowns.
- Carolina finished this season 6-1 at home, their best mark under Brown since his 2018 return.
Featured image via Associated Press
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