At long last, the UNC football team got back in the win column on Saturday at Kenan Stadium—ending a six-game losing skid with a 49-26 blowout over the visiting Western Carolina Catamounts.
Despite falling behind 7-0 in the opening minutes after Western Carolina took advantage of a short field it earned with a 70-yard interception return of UNC quarterback Nathan Elliott, the Tar Heels rallied back and controlled the rest of the game.
Elliott pulled things together as he completed 18 of his 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns, while backup Manny Miles got in on the fun as well when he completed a 38-yard hail mary touchdown to tight end Jake Bargas as the second quarter clock hit triple zeroes.
Miles and a bunch of other second-stringers also played the majority of the second half with UNC (2-8, 1-6 ACC) ahead comfortably on the scoreboard.
Facing off with lower level competition, the entire Tar Heel offense found great success all game long on the way to a season-high 654 total yards—a mark good enough for fifth most in program history.
A pair of missed field goals and three turnovers were just about the only negatives on offense for head coach Larry Fedora’s squad, which finally earned its second victory of the season after coming up oh so close on a number of different occasions in recent weeks.
“There were some really good things going on out there,” Fedora said afterwards. “Which, they should have been. But you always worry that guys are gonna take things for granted. But I was proud of the way the kids played. They prepared hard during the week. They had great attitudes. And they came out tonight and they played hard.”
Western Carolina—which has lost eight games in a row–was able to keep the score somewhat respectable thanks to a big performance from quarterback Tyrie Adams against a Tar Heel defense that has given up over 1000 total yards in the last two games. Adams threw for 290 yards and ran for another 104 on the ground.
True freshman tailback Javonte Williams became the first Tar Heel since Elijah Hood to run for three touchdowns in a game. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
On the UNC side, the breakout performer of the day was true freshman tailback Javonte Williams—who took a lion’s share of the carries after Michael Carter left the game with an injury. Williams ran the ball 17 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 38 yards.
“He’s prepared himself well,” Fedora said, about Williams. “He runs with great pad level. He’s got good balance and he’s always physical.”
While it was by no means a perfect game and the opponent was not quite up to the talent level the Tar Heels are accustomed to facing in the ACC, the end result was really all that mattered on Saturday.
After going two months without tasting victory, this one was extra sweet for UNC. Fans ran out onto the field afterwards, while the players and coaches finally got to see the hard work they’ve put in produce a positive result.
“It was a good night for all of them,” Fedora said. “It wasn’t like we didn’t make mistakes. We made plenty of mistakes. But our guys played hard and they had fun out there tonight.”
Up Next:
UNC will close out the season next Saturday at Kenan Stadium when it hosts the rival NC State Wolfpack in a game set to kick off at 12:20 p.m.
Game Notes:
- The onside kick recovered by the Tar Heels in the first quarter represented the team’s first such play since the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl against Rutgers.
- This was Elliott’s third 300-yard passing game of the season.
- 11 different players caught at least one pass for UNC.
- Javonte Williams became the first Tar Heel running back to have three touchdowns in a game since Elijah Hood did it against Georgia Tech during the 2016 season.
Cover photo via Associated Press
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