University of North Carolina Athletics
#TarHeel25: No. 6
July 13, 2016 | Football
Once again this July, GoHeels.com will count down the top 25 wins of the school year. Check back around noon EDT each weekday for the latest update before No. 1 is revealed on July 20. To catch up on previous entries, click here.
No. 6: No. 11 Carolina 45, North Carolina State 34 - Football, Nov. 29, 2015
It was almost too perfect, wasn't it? Not quite one year removed from a 35-7 Senior Day loss that was the low point of a rough stretch run, Carolina had turned the tables on its old rival. And the Tar Heels had done it in just 15 minutes of action, thoroughly dominating the Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
That first quarter was a blur of Carolina Blue and white, through the air and on the ground. Mitch Trubisky of all people got things started, coming on for one play after Marquise Williams lost his helmet to find Quinshad Davis for a 5-yard score. T.J. Logan had not one but two touchdown runs of 40-plus yards, Williams connected with Mack Hollins for a 53-yard bomb and Elijah Hood put the exclamation point on it with his first of two TDs from one yard out.
NCSU controlled the ball fairly comfortably the rest of the way, running 17 more plays than Carolina and holding a 12-minute advantage in time of possession. UNC even turned the ball over three times over the final three quarters, but it didn't matter. Not with Hood pounding the line of scrimmage to the tune of 21 carries for 220 yards, the most ever gained by a Tar Heel in the series.
The sophomore from Charlotte and his teammates remembered the embarrassment of 2015 and had plenty of motivation to prevent a repeat of history.
"We know what happened last year," Hood said. "They kind of took it to us for sure. We knew we had to make a statement and come out here and play a different type of game, bring a totally different mindset — had to show we aren't the same team as we were last year."
They certainly proved that, as Hood's second touchdown of the day restored the lead to three scores in the fourth quarter after the Wolfpack had pulled within 12. They also capped the first 8-0 conference record in program history and matched the school record of 11 wins, which hadn't been threatened in nearly two decades.
It was a fitting finish to a regular season for a team that won't soon be forgotten in Chapel Hill and a player in Hood who is back in 2016 with some unfinished business to take care of.
No. 7: Carolina 15, Syracuse 14 (OT) - Women's Lacrosse, May 1, 2016
No. 8: Carolina 2, Syracuse 1 (OT) - Field Hockey, Nov. 8, 2015
No. 9: No. 1 Carolina 4, No. 3 Virginia 3 - Men's Tennis, April 1, 2016
No. 10: Carolina 4, Miami 2 (ACC Championship) - Women's Tennis, April 24, 2016
No. 11: Carolina 2, Duke 0 (NCAA Semifinals) - Field Hockey, Nov. 20, 2015
No. 12: Carolina 13, Notre Dame 9 (NCAA Quarterfinals) - Men's Lacrosse, May 22, 2016
No. 13: Carolina 83, Syracuse 66 (NCAA Semifinals) - Men's Basketball, April 2, 2016
No. 14: Carolina 12, Penn State 11 (NCAA Semifinals) - Women's Lacrosse, May 27, 2016
No. 15: Carolina 6, Longwood 4 (NCAA Harrisonburg Regional) - Softball, May 20, 2016
No. 16: Carolina 3, No. 3 Stanford 0 - Volleyball, Sept. 10, 2015
No. 17: No. 13 Carolina 15, No. 2 South Carolina 0 - Baseball, April 13, 2016
No. 18: No. 2 Carolina 4, No. 16 Georgia Tech 3 - Women's Tennis, April 17, 2016
No. 19: No. 9 Carolina 2, No. 15 Notre Dame 1 - Women's Soccer, Oct. 22, 2015
No. 20: No. 3 Carolina 4, No. 2 Notre Dame 2 - Men's Soccer, Sept. 18, 2015
No. 21: Selmon, Ward Earn All-America Honors - Wrestling, March 18, 2016; Track and Field, June 10, 2016
No. 22: Carolina 2, No. 10 Georgia 1 (8 innings) - Softball, April 6, 2016
No. 23: Carolina 77, Syracuse 73 - Women's Basketball, Jan. 7, 2016
No. 24: Carolina Qualifies For The NCAA Championships - Women's Golf, May 7, 2016
No. 25: Tar Heels Sweep Hoosiers, Vols & Wildcats - Swimming and Diving, Oct. 30, 2015
Players Mentioned
