Patient Elzy finally gets breakout game for UNC

DURHAM — As the running back carousel went round and round for the North Carolina football team, Anthony Elzy remained for the whole ride.

The senior tailback bided his time at UNC after being passed over time after time during the last three seasons. On Saturday against Duke, Elzy put together the best game of his career statistically by racking up 116 yards on the ground, 21 in the air and a touchdown to boot.

And that was mostly in just three quarters. But when his team needed him on a third-and-inches after Duke suddenly made it a five-point game, Elzy rejoined the huddle from the first time in more than a quarter of play and delivered the much-needed first down.

He had suffered from cramps since before halftime, causing him to miss a large portion of the second half as the coaches rested their new No. 1 tailback. Yet when the situation called for him, Elzy said there was no chance he wouldn’t buckle his chinstrap again.

“No way,” he said. “Last season, last game. That’s something that I wanted.”

Quarterback T.J. Yates, also playing in his final game against Duke, said feeding the running game fueled the Tar Heels and kept the offense balanced.

“We know that going into the last game, especially us seniors, we’re going to give it our all, and we weren’t going to let anything stop us,” Yates said.

Hungry would be the operative word. After finally getting his chance to start, Elzy has chewed up 531 all-purpose yards during the last three games.

To begin the season, Elzy couldn’t be found on the depth chart at tailback. Shaun Draughn, Ryan Houston and Johnny White all topped him on the depth chart before the Sept. 4 match against Louisiana State.

Then the NCAA investigation hit, stripping UNC of Draughn and Houston for the season opener. When Draughn finally returned, White had taken the reins at tailback. But when White went down with a season-ending collarbone injury against Florida State, Elzy finally got his time to shine.

“He’s worked hard,” Draughn said. “To get him in and get him touches and the way he’s been playing, he’s helped the team out tremendously.”

He led the team in all-purpose yards in back-to-back losses to Virginia Tech and N.C. State before his break out game against Duke.

The Tar Heels piggybacked Elzy for their first scoring drive, using him for 48 total yards including the five-yard touchdown with 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The drive, which started from UNC’s own 6-yard line, immediately followed Duke’s first touchdown of the game.

“I have been patient for so long and now it’s paying off,” Elzy said. “I don’t feel any special way, I just feel like I’m doing my part. Patience is a virtue.”

Late in the fourth quarter, after most Blue Devil supporters had already found their way to the parking lot, the UNC contingent at Wallace Wade Stadium began chanting “Elzy” when the offense took the field.

It didn’t go unrecognized for the senior.

“I heard it,” Elzy said. “It really feels good. It feels like you have support as an individual. It shows me that the things we’re doing aren’t going unseen.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.