Photo courtesy of GoHeels.com

CHAPEL HILL– The Tar Heels are on a roll. Homecoming may have inspired UNC’s most complete performance of the season.  The 45-14 demolition of the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday moves Carolina to the doorstep of a .500 record at 4-5.

Head Coach Larry Fedora says there wasn’t much he wasn’t pleased about. The Tar Heels were efficient in all three facets of the game.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played. We made a game-changing play on special teams. Our defense did a nice job of stepping up and stopping the run. And offensively, we took care of the ball. We took care of the ball, and we finally put some drives together. We ran the ball effectively, and I thought Marquise did a great job of managing the game,” Coach Fedora says.

Quarterback Marquise Williams threw for a pair of touchdowns, ran for a score, and also caught a touchdown in The South’s Oldest Rivalry. Coach Fedora says the hat trick shows what Williams can do as he assumes command of the team.

“When Marquise is running the show now, it’s his team. We’re going to go according to how he plays, what he does, and how he manages a game. He’s not doing anything different than he was earlier in the year. Now, he’s out there more, and he’s making plays. When he has the opportunity to do it, he steps up and does it,” Coach Fedora says.

Carolina’s rushing attack emerged against Virginia. Logan, Blue, Morris, and Williams all had some success carrying the football as the Tar Heels totaled 201 net yards on the ground. Coach Fedora says he believes UNC is getting better each and every week.

“This is big for us running the football this effectively. We were better last week. We were much better this week. Hopefully, we’re just going to keep gaining. Those young offensive linemen are coming through. These young running backs are making some plays for us. We got a lot of young kids doing some good things. As a coach, you want to get better each week, and I feel like we’re doing that,” Coach Fedora says.

UNC scored on both defense and special teams against Virginia. This is a development that will no doubt serve the Tar Heels well as they look to run the table the rest of the regular season. Let’s revisit freshman Ryan Switzer’s electric punt return for a touchdown last Saturday.

***Listen to the call***

RYAN SWITZER_PUNT RETURN TD
Carolina’s next challenge will come on a road trek up to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers. And it won’t come easy. Pitt upset No. 23 Notre Dame Saturday night.

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