Searching for a signature victory in Saturday’s regular season finale, it appears the No. 17 UNC football team saved the best for last as the Tar Heels dominated No. 10 Miami from start to finish for a 62-26 victory on the road.

The Hurricanes (8-2) scored a field goal on the game’s opening drive, but the Tar Heels (8-3) responded with a long pass from Sam Howell to Dyami Brown which set up a short touchdown run by Javonte Williams–quickly giving UNC a lead it would hold for the rest of the day.

That first drive was simply a sign of things to come as the UNC offense shredded the talented Miami defense in every way imaginable.

Williams finished with 236 rushing yards and three scores and that wasn’t even the team’s best showing by a running back, as Michael Carter added a whopping 308 yards and two more touchdowns to help the duo set a new FBS record for rushing yards by two teammates.

Howell also threw for more than 200 yards and had a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.

Both running backs averaged over 10 yards per carry on the day, while Howell racked up just under 20 yards per completion.

As a team, UNC set a new school record with 778 total yards—the most the Tar Heels have ever gained and the most Miami has ever given up.

With the defense doing its part by stifling dual-threat quarterback D’Eriq King, UNC head coach Mack Brown finally got to see his team put forth the type of complete performance he’s been looking for all year long. 

“This was the first time against a really good team that we’ve played 60 minutes I think, in the two years that I’ve been here,” Brown said. “So, I’m really, really proud of the guys.”

For a team that entered the year with such high expectations before suffering a pair of disappointing losses at Florida State and Virginia, the Tar Heels couldn’t have asked for a more fitting way to end the regular season.

Ahead 31-3 midway through the second quarter, UNC was never seriously challenged and continued to add points even as Miami gained some traction on offense in the second half. 

“You just have to credit the offensive staff, those offensive linemen, the quarterback and the great backs,” Brown said. “They all did the things they needed to do. And when they crowded the line of scrimmage and left Dyami [Brown] one-on-one, we were able to throw the ball deep.” 

Miami had entered the game with an 8-1 record, losing only to ACC powerhouse Clemson. UNC was 7-3 and many felt it had to play its best game of the season in order to win a tough game on the road against a top-10 opponent.

The Hurricanes also had a chance to put themselves in the driver’s seat for a bid to the Orange Bowl, but the Tar Heels rose to the challenge and may end up taking the spoils for themselves as a result–should they move ahead of Miami in the College Football Playoff rankings.

It was also UNC’s first win over a top-10 opponent since beating Miami back in 2004. 

“For us to get where we want to go—and that is to the Orange Bowl and to be a top-10 team—you’ve got to beat top-10 teams,” Brown said. 

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will now await their final bowl destination, which will be revealed next week once all conference championship games have been completed.

Game Notes:

  • Javonte Williams’ third touchdown of the game was his 22nd of the season, breaking the school’s single-season record of 21 set by Don McCauley in 1970. He also crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
  • Michael Carter became just the eighth UNC running back to reach 1,000 yards in two different seasons, while also passing McCauley for fifth on the school’s all-time rushing list.
  • UNC’s 21-point first quarter was the eighth time this year the Tar Heels have scored at least that many points in a quarter.
  • Dyami Brown’s four catches resulted in 167 yards for UNC, representing nearly all of the team’s 224 passing yards in the game.

 

FINAL STATS

 

Photo via ACC Media

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.