‘His presence is a game-changer’: Tez Walker erupts for three touchdowns against Miami

Hands up straight, with his thumbs locked to form a "U," Tez Walker stood in the end zone. Mimicking Miami’s iconic hand sign was something he had always thought about doing as a kid.

And, when the UNC junior receiver caught his third touchdown of the night, he finally got his chance. After scampering over the line and releasing the ball, Walker faced the Hurricane fans’ section and pointed his joined hands to the ground, turning the 'U' upside down.

“Growing up, you hear about Miami, you see teams playing them all over and throwing the ‘U’ down,” he said. “I saw the orange in front of my face, might as well.”

In his second appearance as a Tar Heel, Walker torched the Hurricanes for 132 yards and three touchdowns on just six catches in No. 12 UNC's 41-31 win over Miami. In the Tar Heels’ first ranked matchup of the year, Walker’s breakout performance all but confirmed that he’s finally doing what he was brought to UNC to do: excel as a primary receiver.

Given that sophomore wide receiver Kobe Paysour — who led the team with three touchdown receptions heading into Saturday — is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, the timing of Walker’s synergy with the offense couldn't have been better for the Tar Heels.

“We were 4-0 without him,” head coach Mack Brown said. “Obviously we have a chance to be much better with him. Now that people have seen him, it’s going to change the way people play defense against us. His presence is a game-changer.”

Walker made his UNC debut last week against Syracuse, but Brown made it clear that the wideout was slowly easing into the rotation, after not practicing with the offense for the previous three weeks. The Charlotte native also admitted that he felt “jittery” that game, in which he caught six passes for 43 yards.

Throughout the week, Walker made sure to learn every play in UNC’s book. On Thursday, he gathered his fellow receivers and redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Maye for additional preparation.

“[Walker] was the one asking to go in there and watch some extra film,” Maye said. “It’s a testament to the guy he is and how much he wants to win.”

Against Miami, any signs of uncertainty on Walker’s part had vanished.

The Kent State transfer showed his lethality in UNC’s air-raid offense and ability to make explosive plays — all of his touchdown passes were of 18-yards or more.

 But Walker’s impact on opposing defenses didn't stop there.

According to Brown, Walker’s impact put less pressure on the Tar Heels’ ground game against Miami, who entered the contest boasting the country’s best rush defense. Walker’s abilities helped open up lanes for sophomore running back Omarion Hampton, who finished with 197 yards on 24 carries along with a pair of touchdowns — one rushing, one receiving.

“It’s gonna be hard to play [Walker] with one guy,” Brown said. “And if you put two out there, that means you’re gonna have to have fewer inside for the run."

Brown also joked that Walker "doesn’t say very much," which was reinforced by the receiver’s muted postgame press conference. Contrary to what his 'U-down' antics in the end zone may imply, Walker is rather soft-spoken. 

But, on a night when the star wideout finally got to display his full form, there evidently wasn’t much left to say at the podium.

“He’s so humble,” Brown said. “I said, ‘Are you excited about tonight?’ And he’ll go, ‘Mhm.’ I mean, that’s about all you get."

That, and maybe a little bit more on the field.

@danielhwei

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com