Tar Heels too much: UNC pounds rival NC State into submission

Javonte Williams and Michael Carter delivered another hefty double-barreled rushing effort and the 14th-ranked Tar Heels forced four turnovers on defense during the course of a 48-21 pounding of the 23rd-ranked Wolfpack in Atlantic Coast Conference football Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.

These rivals squared off with both holding national rankings for the first time in 27 years. And for the second time in as many seasons, North Carolina reduced the rivalry to a rout. The Tar Heels led 38-7 late in the third quarter and 45-14 less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

Williams rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns — the punishing junior has accounted for 12 touchdowns in five games this season — while Carter added 106 rushing yards and a score. North Carolina’s offense amassed 578 total yards, with 326 yards churned out on the ground, in what became the Tar Heels’ largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in 19 years.

“They’re tough, they’re smart, they protect the ball,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said of Williams and Carter. “They run with power. They both have patience. And really, no one has tackled them on a consistent basis all year. When we get them going, the rest of it works.”

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell’s efficient passing complemented the duo’s rushing production. He threw for 252 yards and one touchdown, connecting regularly with Dyami Brown, who hauled in seven catches for 105 yards.

Afterward, Howell, answering a question about the rivalry and a confident hype video put out by the Wolfpack the day before the game, made sure to clarify that Saturday’s final score could’ve been more lopsided had the Tar Heels not subbed out their starters early in the fourth quarter.

The N.C. State video asked during one elevated moment, “what’s a ram to a wolf?” Then the word “prey” appeared in red lettering.

“That’s more for them, just to give them some false confidence before the game,” Howell said. “We don’t really care about them. We know what a ram is to a wolf, I think we saw that out there. It could’ve been a lot worse than it was, so I’m not going to say anything else about that.”

Bailey Hockman resumed the starting quarterback duties for N.C. State with Devin Leary lost to a broken leg, but the Wolfpack pulled him during the first half in favor of third-string freshman Ben Finley.

His 42-yard touchdown strike to Emeka Emezie had N.C. State within 14-7 in the final minute of the first half. The Wolfpack could’ve been in even better position had Dylan Parham been able to come down with a pass from Finley in the end zone earlier in the second quarter.

Instead, the fullback Parham, finding himself wide open but stumbling as the situation unfolded, bobbled his attempt to catch the pass twice, ultimately batting the ball into the air. That allowed North Carolina defensive back Don Chapman, hustling to the scene, to pluck a diving interception that pulled the plug on the prime opportunity for N.C. State.

The Tar Heels came up with four takeaways, picking off Finley twice and Hockman once, a significant increase in an area that Brown had identified as lacking during recent weeks. North Carolina’s defense had generated just two turnovers in four games prior to collecting four Saturday.

“They come bunches, so we just had to get our hands on one and just go out and play,” Chapman said.

“Coach Brown has been talking a lot about trying to get the ball back to our offense,” North Carolina linebacker Chazz Surratt said. “Getting turnovers is a big swing of the game. Getting those points off turnovers is big. It’s a big momentum shift in the game.”

N.C. State managed just 34 rushing yards, the fewest allowed by a Tar Heels defense in nine years, since September 2011.

North Carolina had turned its 17-7 halftime lead into a 38-7 bulge by the end of the third quarter, after Williams punched in a touchdown from a yard out to polish off a 99-yard drive. Fewer than two minutes of game time later, he scored again on a 5-yard rumble.

That powerful run featured Williams at his tackle-breaking best. He darted through a grabbing try by N.C. State defensive back Devan Boykin, then plowed over Wolfpack defensive back Jakeen Harris and his own blocker, tight end Garrett Walston. He reached the end zone on his feet, with a trail of bodies littered in his wake.

Williams wasn’t done. His 27-yard touchdown scamper 49 seconds into the fourth quarter increased the Tar Heels’ lead to 45-14, a wide margin reminiscent of North Carolina’s 41-10 blowout of N.C. State that closed the regular season last year in Raleigh.

“We just didn’t play good enough to win, didn’t give ourselves a chance with the turnovers,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “Like I told them in the locker room, if you don’t stop the run and you turn the football over, it’s a really hard day. And that’s what happened.”

Williams said North Carolina’s upset loss last week at Florida State provided motivational fuel Saturday, in addition to the showdown against the rival Wolfpack.

“We never want to lose, but the loss last week gave us a little boost this week,” Williams said. “We knew we had to go out and play hard the whole game. I felt like last week we waited a little too long and didn’t have enough time to come back. The main thing was coming out and playing hard early and doing what we have to do to win.”

Brown picked up his seventh straight victory against N.C. State, while Doeren, who’s in his eight year, lost in Chapel Hill for the first time. Doeren’s teams had been 3-0 here.

“We did the things that you need to do to win ball games, in some cases that we haven’t been doing,” Brown said, taking inventory on the afternoon. “We protected the ball. We were able to run the ball well, and we forced four turnovers. That’s how you win games.

“When you run the ball like that and you stop the run, you’ve got a chance to win every week.”

This article originally appeared on Times-News: Tar Heels too much: UNC pounds rival NC State into submission