University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Andy Mead
GoHeels Exclusive: A Deserving Record For Sam Howell
November 24, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Leading up to Saturday's 56-7 win over Mercer, Sam Howell had heard the rumblings that he was on the cusp of breaking the North Carolina single-season record for touchdown passes.
But he didn't know, he insisted, how many he needed.
So, when the freshman rolled out to his right and connected with Jake Bargas for a 4-yard score early in the second quarter, he acted no differently than he had after any of his previous 30 touchdown passes. Neither did his teammates. That, however, didn't last long.
Moments after returning to the sideline they looked up at the videoboard, which displayed a graphic stating that Howell had just passed Mitch Trubisky's school record of 30 touchdown passes. And they immediately mobbed him.
"It's a cool feeling," said Howell postgame of his teammates' reaction. "I just have so many good guys around me. My guys up front just gave me time all year and I have really good playmakers. They make my job really easy."
Howell ultimately finished with three touchdown passes Saturday, bringing his season total to 32. Those are believed to be the most by a true freshman in FBS history, surpassing Trevor Lawrence's 30 for Clemson last season.
What Howell has done isn't just impressive for a freshman, though.
Howell is only the seventh player in ACC history to throw at least 32 touchdowns in a single season. The list of other quarterbacks who have accomplished the feat is quite outstanding, consisting of Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Tajh Boyd; Florida State's Jameis Winston, Chris Weinke and Danny Kanell; and NC State's Philip Rivers.
"He's got a career of touchdown passes in this season," Mack Brown said. "I think the thing that's so impressive about Sam is you get the same guy every day and you get him every week. You'd think a freshman might be a little off his game tonight or flat, thinking about the game next week (against NC State) and all that, but he had fun. He likes to play and he's up in Coach (Phil) Longo's office every day.
"That's just Sam; not much changes. But I also saw him tonight going down and congratulating the defense and picking people up on the sidelines, so I think he's learning to become a better leader and part of that comes with success."
That hasn't gone unnoticed by Howell's teammates, either. Their reaction to Howell's 31st touchdown pass spoke to that and was almost as notable as anything that happened Saturday.
"I'm proud of him, really, because he puts the work in and nobody sees it," said Michael Carter, who rushed for a season-high 159 yards. "Like hours and hours. He meets with Longo like all day, every day. In the summertime, most quarterbacks will just drop back, take their steps and throw the football. He's working on rollouts, he's working on evading defenders, everything like that. … He works at it every single day. Big credit to him. We had to show love."
Watson's 41 touchdown passes in 2016 are the most by any ACC quarterback. The former Clemson and current Houston Texans quarterback reached that total in 15 games. Should the Tar Heels beat NC State next Saturday to qualify for a bowl, the most games Howell will get will be 13.
But as Howell has said repeatedly throughout this season, he isn't concentrated on setting records. He reiterated that Saturday.
"Things like that are always pretty cool," Howell said. "But it's really not my goal. I just want to come out here and win games."
Although Howell won't brag about himself, his teammates will. They did again Saturday.
"He's had a tremendous season as a freshman," Bargas said. "There are not too many guys who are doing that as a true freshman. It's pretty remarkable. We're very proud of him and he's done a great job and handled it really well. There's been a lot of adversity and it's been a very emotional season, and I think he's done a great job handling it. So, for him to get that and get rewarded for it, I think he deserves it."
Leading up to Saturday's 56-7 win over Mercer, Sam Howell had heard the rumblings that he was on the cusp of breaking the North Carolina single-season record for touchdown passes.
But he didn't know, he insisted, how many he needed.
So, when the freshman rolled out to his right and connected with Jake Bargas for a 4-yard score early in the second quarter, he acted no differently than he had after any of his previous 30 touchdown passes. Neither did his teammates. That, however, didn't last long.
Moments after returning to the sideline they looked up at the videoboard, which displayed a graphic stating that Howell had just passed Mitch Trubisky's school record of 30 touchdown passes. And they immediately mobbed him.
"It's a cool feeling," said Howell postgame of his teammates' reaction. "I just have so many good guys around me. My guys up front just gave me time all year and I have really good playmakers. They make my job really easy."
Howell ultimately finished with three touchdown passes Saturday, bringing his season total to 32. Those are believed to be the most by a true freshman in FBS history, surpassing Trevor Lawrence's 30 for Clemson last season.
What Howell has done isn't just impressive for a freshman, though.
Howell is only the seventh player in ACC history to throw at least 32 touchdowns in a single season. The list of other quarterbacks who have accomplished the feat is quite outstanding, consisting of Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Tajh Boyd; Florida State's Jameis Winston, Chris Weinke and Danny Kanell; and NC State's Philip Rivers.
"He's got a career of touchdown passes in this season," Mack Brown said. "I think the thing that's so impressive about Sam is you get the same guy every day and you get him every week. You'd think a freshman might be a little off his game tonight or flat, thinking about the game next week (against NC State) and all that, but he had fun. He likes to play and he's up in Coach (Phil) Longo's office every day.
"That's just Sam; not much changes. But I also saw him tonight going down and congratulating the defense and picking people up on the sidelines, so I think he's learning to become a better leader and part of that comes with success."
That hasn't gone unnoticed by Howell's teammates, either. Their reaction to Howell's 31st touchdown pass spoke to that and was almost as notable as anything that happened Saturday.
"I'm proud of him, really, because he puts the work in and nobody sees it," said Michael Carter, who rushed for a season-high 159 yards. "Like hours and hours. He meets with Longo like all day, every day. In the summertime, most quarterbacks will just drop back, take their steps and throw the football. He's working on rollouts, he's working on evading defenders, everything like that. … He works at it every single day. Big credit to him. We had to show love."
Watson's 41 touchdown passes in 2016 are the most by any ACC quarterback. The former Clemson and current Houston Texans quarterback reached that total in 15 games. Should the Tar Heels beat NC State next Saturday to qualify for a bowl, the most games Howell will get will be 13.
But as Howell has said repeatedly throughout this season, he isn't concentrated on setting records. He reiterated that Saturday.
"Things like that are always pretty cool," Howell said. "But it's really not my goal. I just want to come out here and win games."
Although Howell won't brag about himself, his teammates will. They did again Saturday.
"He's had a tremendous season as a freshman," Bargas said. "There are not too many guys who are doing that as a true freshman. It's pretty remarkable. We're very proud of him and he's done a great job and handled it really well. There's been a lot of adversity and it's been a very emotional season, and I think he's done a great job handling it. So, for him to get that and get rewarded for it, I think he deserves it."
Players Mentioned
Tight End
/ Football
Running Back
/ Football
Quarterback
/ FootballCarolina Stories: The Reese Brantmeier Project
Wednesday, November 05
UNC Field Hockey: Tar Heels Clip Cards in ACC Tourney Opener, 2-1
Tuesday, November 04
Rapid Reactions pres. by Modelo – Men’s Basketball vs. Central Arkansas – November 3, 2025
Tuesday, November 04
Players Pre-Stanford Press Conference
Tuesday, November 04