In an earlier-than-usual rivalry matchup, the No. 14 North Carolina football team (4-1, 4-1 ACC) handled No. 23 N.C. State (4-2, 4-2) on Saturday, 48-21. Up 17-7 at the half, the Tar Heels used a dominant run game to put the Wolfpack away, winning the rivalry game in a rout for the second straight year.
What happened?
The Tar Heels breezed downfield on their first drive of the game, with Sam Howell completing all five of his pass attempts and Michael Carter scampering 16 yards for a touchdown. UNC's next possession petered out after a holding penalty, but was followed by another methodical march to the end zone, culminating with a Howell rushing score to make it 14-0.
N.C. State, meanwhile — without starting quarterback Devin Leary, who suffered a broken fibula last week — had recorded just one first down to that point. The offense promptly kicked into gear after benching redshirt junior Bailey Hockman for true first-year Ben Finley, who led N.C. State to the red zone, before his tight end bobbled a wide-open touchdown catch and UNC's Don Chapman swooped in for the interception.
It seemed like it was going to be that kind of day for the Wolfpack, but the Tar Heels left the door open before halftime. After a missed Grayson Atkins field goal — his fourth miss in six tries this season — Finley responded by finding Emeka Emezie for a 42-yard touchdown.
Atkins kicked a 40-yarder to end the half, giving UNC a 10-point lead at the break that could've been a lot bigger; the Tar Heels had out-gained N.C. State to that point, 320 yards to 175, and held possession for 20:26 of the first 30 minutes.
In the second half, the Wolfpack again looked to be en route to the end zone before linebacker Chazz Surratt intercepted a tipped Finley pass. That set North Carolina up near midfield; then, a blown defensive assignment by N.C. State meant an easy 17-yard touchdown for receiver Josh Downs, making it 24-7.
From there, UNC went into finishing-touches mode, racking up three more scores in a span of four minutes, all from Javonte Williams. A pair of Wolfpack tack-on touchdowns in the second half wasn't nearly enough to merit a comeback, giving the Tar Heels their second blowout win against their rival in as many years.
