North Carolina faces Old Dominion for the first time since 80-point outburst

North Carolina's last football game against Old Dominion remains a mountain amidst the landscape of the program’s history.

Scanning the record books, it’s impossible to miss. And with the Tar Heels set to face the Monarchs for the first time since the historic game, it's worth reminiscing on the show that UNC put on in Kenan Stadium on Nov. 23, 2013.

North Carolina accumulated 80 points on 721 yards of offense. The Tar Heels had 11 touchdowns — five passing, four rushing, one kick return and one punt return. The 80 points were the most UNC has ever scored in a game and tied for the second most ever scored by an ACC team.

Entering the matchup, UNC was just looking to become bowl eligible in its second to last game of the season.

“Going in, we were concerned,” said offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, who has been with the team since 2012. “They had a really explosive offense. They had done a nice job on defense. They took chances all over the place with special teams.”

The Monarchs, who were in their first season as an FBS team, did pull ahead of the Tar Heels in the first quarter. Approaching the 10th minute of the game, ODU led, 10-7.

UNC took the lead by the end of the first quarter, setting up one of the most incredible 15 minutes in the school's football history.

It went like this: T.J. Logan one-yard touchdown run. Marquise Williams to Ryan Switzer for a 43-yard touchdown pass. Williams to Switzer again, this time for a 57-yard score. Logan on another one-yard run. Williams to Kendrick Singleton for another passing touchdown.

Those 35 points set a UNC record for most points scored in a quarter. And if the names above sound familiar, they should.

All 11 touchdowns that day were scored by either first-years or sophomores. Players such as Logan, Switzer, Williams, Quinshad Davis, Bug Howard and Lucas Crowley were budding young talents who would come to define the program over the next four years.

“Switz and Q and Bug all look like these skinny little freshman out there,” Kapilovic reminisced. “T.J. Logan and Lucas Crowley, all those guys. That was at the end of the season. Those guys had finally gotten a season under their feet, and they started performing at a higher level.”

One more familiar name on the box score that day was Kanler Coker. He came in at quarterback at the end of UNC's 80-20 win, which was shortened by five minutes by mutual agreement of the coaches.

Coker would later go on to play for the basketball team, winning a championship as a senior in 2017. The rest of the football team had basketball on its mind that day as well.

The basketball team had defeated Richmond, 82-72, the same afternoon. Williams, aware of the basketball game score, implored head coach Larry Fedora to call for a field goal in the dwindling moments of the game to push the football team over that 82-point mark. But Fedora refused.

“I wish we could have gotten 83,” Williams said after that game. “So we could have bragged with the basketball boys.”

@James_Tatter

sports@dailytarheel.com