The North Carolina football team dominated Mercer in all phases of the game en route to a 56-7 blowout win in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will now face N.C. State with bowl eligibility on the line.
What happened?
UNC (5-6) started the game how it was supposed to, scoring at will and shutting the Bears (4-8) down. The Tar Heels went up 21-0 after the first half alone thanks to touchdowns from Antonio Williams, Michael Carter and a 66-yard Sam Howell pass.
In the second quarter, the North Carolina offense doubled its lead to 42-0. This time with two Howell touchdown passes and a Carter rushing touchdown. Howell’s second touchdown of the game made history. He threw his 31st touchdown pass of the season to surpass Mitch Trubisky as UNC’s all-time leader for passing touchdowns in a season.
In the third quarter, the game of firsts continued. First-year quarterback Vincent Amendola took the first snap of his career, as UNC decided to sit out Howell. Some other players that got in the game included sophomore running back British Brooks, who scored his first career touchdown. Brooks’ score, along with a 60-yard Carter touchdown, gave the Tar Heels a 56-0 lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, UNC closed out the game but didn’t score. However, the Bears scored with 3:38 remaining in the game to avoid a shutout.
UNC would close out its expected win, with a final score of 56-7.
Who stood out?
Howell was the standout for North Carolina, again. The first-year completed 10 passes on 13 attempts for 152 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, the only half that he played.