Saturday saw the UNC football team pick up its first home victory in seven attempts this season, as the Tar Heels rolled to a 65-10 demolition over the overmatched Western Carolina Catamounts.
It was the final game at Kenan Stadium for the UNC seniors, but it also marked the first career home start for sophomore quarterback Nathan Elliott–who led the Tar Heels to a win at Pittsburgh last week in his first college start of any kind.
On Saturday, Elliott threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception against the Catamounts to deliver UNC its first winning streak of 2017. The Texas native was efficient with his pass distribution as well, completing 18 of his 28 attempts through the air.
Nathan Elliott (11) quarterbacked the Tar Heels to touchdowns on five consecutive drives during the first half against Western Carolina. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
After Western Carolina struck first with a touchdown on its second drive of the game, it was all UNC.
Led by Elliott—and then later Chazz Surratt when backups entered the game–the Tar Heels eventually rattled off the next 65 points in a row, showing no mercy to their opponents from the lower-level Football Championship Subdivision.
At one point during the first half, Elliott and the offense put the ball in the endzone on five consecutive offensive drives—while linebacker Jonathan Smith also returned a fumble for a score in between.
“That was huge,” Elliott said after the game, when asked about the offensive barrage. “You just kind of keep building off of it. Once you get that one, you can feel the momentum. We just kept going, and it was like we were going out there expecting to score.”
In addition to Elliott’s solid play behind center, the rest of the young UNC playmakers made themselves known as well.
Tailbacks Jordon Brown and Michael Carter each scored a touchdown and combined to give UNC 172 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams picked up where he left off in the Pittsburgh game with five receptions, 88 yards and a touchdown, while fellow wide-out Josh Cabrera caught two scores from Elliott himself.
Even senior Austin Proehl—thought to be out for the season with a broken collarbone suffered against Duke—returned to get in on the fun. Proehl reclaimed his starting spot out wide on Saturday and tallied three catches for 52 yards in his final home game as a Tar Heel.
Having endured the majority of the season desperately searching for someone to make a play, head coach Larry Fedora got a little something from nearly everybody in this one.
“You like to be able to get some guys reps,” Fedora told reporters. “Unfortunately, they’ve been getting reps all year [due to injuries]. So it wasn’t really anything different for them.
In total, eight different players scored touchdowns for UNC against Western Carolina on Saturday–including this catch by tight end Brandon Fritts. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
“It is good that we’ve got a lot of young guys that have gotten a lot of reps,” the coach added. “But the main thing is to send those seniors out the right way on their home field.”
Sure, the blowout came against a Western Carolina squad with nowhere close to the talent that the Tar Heels possess.
With a team playing for nothing but pride at this point, however, each win down the stretch is a big deal for UNC.
At 3-8 entering next week’s season finale at NC State, Fedora and company have, at the very least, ensured that they don’t end the year with double digits in the loss column. They can also take solace in the fact that they have a close-knit group of seniors who made sure their teammates refuse to quit on the season.
It’s the little things that matter most in life, and that’s certainly no different when applied to UNC and its football program.
“It hasn’t been the season we’ve wanted,” Fedora said. “Our seniors have done a tremendous job of keeping that locker room positive, and keeping our guys playing hard no matter what the situation was.
“I’ve said it from the beginning, these guys love each other and play hard for each other,” he continued. “I’m proud to have coached them this year. We’ve got one more to finish it up.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels head to Raleigh next week to face off against rival NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium–a game that will also serve as UNC’s season finale since it failed to qualify for postseason play. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
Game Notes:
- UNC’s 65 points was its highest scoring output of the season so far, surpassing the 53 points scored in the win over Old Dominion on Sept. 16.
- Chazz Surratt’s 59-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the Tar Heels’ longest rush of the season.
- Former Tar Heel and New York Giants’ star linebacker Lawrence Taylor was at the game as part of the celebration honoring UNC’s 1977 ACC Championship team.
Cover photo via Gerry Broome (Associated Press)
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