University of North Carolina Athletics
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Lucas: Miami Rapid Reactions
December 12, 2020 | Football, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from perhaps the biggest Carolina football win in our generation.
By Adam Lucas
1. Wow.
2. There's not much else to say. Carolina put together one of the most dominant games in program history on a big stage, showing off one of the best offenses in the country--and a solid defense--to a national audience on the way to a 62-26 victory, the biggest in program history over a ranked team (the previous high was a 2001 38-3 win over #13 Clemson).
"You have to credit the offensive staff and the offensive linemen and the quarterback and those great backs," Mack Brown told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "This was the first time against a really good team that we've played 60 minutes in the two years that I've been here."
3. And the running game...it was hard to know whether it was more fun to watch Javonte Williams and Michael Carter run in open space, or run over Miami defenders. Both Tar Heel tailbacks went over 200 yards, making them just the seventh pair of teammates in college football history and the first in ACC history to crack the 200-yard mark in the same game. They also posted the highest combined total (544) in a game in college football history.
4. As you know, of course, Carter and Williams have been doing it the entire season. They both went over 1,000 yards for the season, making them the fifth pair of Carolina running backs in school history to crack that mark in the same season.
5. The numbers are staggering. Carolina racked up a school record 778 yards of total offense, which also was the most ever allowed by Miami. The Tar Heels' 554 rushing yards were the second most in school history. Carter's 308 rushing yards were the second most in school history and his 12.8 yards per carry average is the single-game record, breaking a mark held by Giovani Bernard. With three touchdowns, Javonte Williams broke Don McCauley's single-season touchdown record, as Williams now has 22 scores in 2020.
6. How good was the running game? Dyami Brown had four catches for 167 yards and will barely be mentioned. Sam Howell was a solid 13-for-18, accumulating 213 yards, with a passing touchdown, a rushing score and--this is not a misprint--a receiving score on a beautiful pass from Toe Groves. The last Tar Heel to pull off the touchdown trifecta was Marquise Williams.
7. While the veterans were lighting up the offensive scoreboard, youth was showing a very bright future on the defense. Tony Grimes, who should be thinking about his high school prom date, had an interception. Ja'Qurious Conley, another freshman, had six tackles, two of them for loss. The message was clear: come play for Carolina and you'll play if you can contribute, no matter what year in school you might be (over on offense, freshman Kamari Morales added a late touchdown reception).
8. That was a nice complement to some terrific linebacker play by Chazz Surratt and Jeremiah Gemmel. That duo combined to make 18 tackles, 2.5 of them for loss, break up two passes, and record half a sack. They were part of a very good defensive effort that limited Miami quarterback D'Eriq King, an explosive player, to a relatively pedestrian 239 yards in the air and 53 yards on the ground.
9. How quickly things change. In 2018, the year before Mack Brown's return, Carolina lost by 37 points to 16th-ranked Miami. Two seasons later, the Tar Heels hung a 36-point defeat on the Canes. "To get where we want to go, which is the Orange Bowl, and for us to be a top 10 team, you've got to beat top 10 teams," Brown said.
10. By the way, Carolina closed the regular season continuing their fourth quarter dominance, a huge credit to Brian Hess and the rest of the strength and conditioning staff. The Tar Heels outscored the Canes 21-8 in the fourth quarter, which means they finished the year +64 in the fourth quarter. Carolina was third in FBS last year at +69.
11. So what does this mean for Carolina football? The Tar Heels showed significant improvement from the loss two weeks ago to Notre Dame (especially on the offensive line, which was dominant on Saturday). Given the chance to play a big-stakes game in the final regular season game of the year, Carolina made a national statement. Sam Howell is back next year, as is the entire offensive line. Wednesday's signing day will ink one of the best classes in school history. In year two of Mack Brown 2.0, Brown has Carolina approximately where they were in year nine of Mack Brown 1.0.
"Nobody gave us any chance to win tonight," Brown said. "The College Football Playoff show already had Miami and Texas A&M marked in for the Orange Bowl. I did show that to the team, and I told Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit I appreciated them doing our pregame talk. This team will get some national recognition now, and deservedly so."
12. We already know that Brown can recruit and build a program while selling hope, a great education and a 40-year decision. Now imagine Brown recruiting while selling a top-15 and climbing program and a possible major bowl berth. We'll find out exactly where Carolina is headed when bowls are made official on Dec. 20. Until then, Tuesday's CFP rankings release will be very important to the Tar Heels. You'd assume Carolina will leap Miami, but never assume anything with human-generated rankings. Without a doubt, Saturday's win was essentially a three-hour nationally televised commercial for Tar Heel football. There will be time to discuss this in the weeks to come, but Saturday's win goes on the list of most significant wins in Carolina football history.
1. Wow.
2. There's not much else to say. Carolina put together one of the most dominant games in program history on a big stage, showing off one of the best offenses in the country--and a solid defense--to a national audience on the way to a 62-26 victory, the biggest in program history over a ranked team (the previous high was a 2001 38-3 win over #13 Clemson).
"You have to credit the offensive staff and the offensive linemen and the quarterback and those great backs," Mack Brown told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "This was the first time against a really good team that we've played 60 minutes in the two years that I've been here."
3. And the running game...it was hard to know whether it was more fun to watch Javonte Williams and Michael Carter run in open space, or run over Miami defenders. Both Tar Heel tailbacks went over 200 yards, making them just the seventh pair of teammates in college football history and the first in ACC history to crack the 200-yard mark in the same game. They also posted the highest combined total (544) in a game in college football history.
4. As you know, of course, Carter and Williams have been doing it the entire season. They both went over 1,000 yards for the season, making them the fifth pair of Carolina running backs in school history to crack that mark in the same season.
5. The numbers are staggering. Carolina racked up a school record 778 yards of total offense, which also was the most ever allowed by Miami. The Tar Heels' 554 rushing yards were the second most in school history. Carter's 308 rushing yards were the second most in school history and his 12.8 yards per carry average is the single-game record, breaking a mark held by Giovani Bernard. With three touchdowns, Javonte Williams broke Don McCauley's single-season touchdown record, as Williams now has 22 scores in 2020.
6. How good was the running game? Dyami Brown had four catches for 167 yards and will barely be mentioned. Sam Howell was a solid 13-for-18, accumulating 213 yards, with a passing touchdown, a rushing score and--this is not a misprint--a receiving score on a beautiful pass from Toe Groves. The last Tar Heel to pull off the touchdown trifecta was Marquise Williams.
7. While the veterans were lighting up the offensive scoreboard, youth was showing a very bright future on the defense. Tony Grimes, who should be thinking about his high school prom date, had an interception. Ja'Qurious Conley, another freshman, had six tackles, two of them for loss. The message was clear: come play for Carolina and you'll play if you can contribute, no matter what year in school you might be (over on offense, freshman Kamari Morales added a late touchdown reception).
8. That was a nice complement to some terrific linebacker play by Chazz Surratt and Jeremiah Gemmel. That duo combined to make 18 tackles, 2.5 of them for loss, break up two passes, and record half a sack. They were part of a very good defensive effort that limited Miami quarterback D'Eriq King, an explosive player, to a relatively pedestrian 239 yards in the air and 53 yards on the ground.
9. How quickly things change. In 2018, the year before Mack Brown's return, Carolina lost by 37 points to 16th-ranked Miami. Two seasons later, the Tar Heels hung a 36-point defeat on the Canes. "To get where we want to go, which is the Orange Bowl, and for us to be a top 10 team, you've got to beat top 10 teams," Brown said.
10. By the way, Carolina closed the regular season continuing their fourth quarter dominance, a huge credit to Brian Hess and the rest of the strength and conditioning staff. The Tar Heels outscored the Canes 21-8 in the fourth quarter, which means they finished the year +64 in the fourth quarter. Carolina was third in FBS last year at +69.
11. So what does this mean for Carolina football? The Tar Heels showed significant improvement from the loss two weeks ago to Notre Dame (especially on the offensive line, which was dominant on Saturday). Given the chance to play a big-stakes game in the final regular season game of the year, Carolina made a national statement. Sam Howell is back next year, as is the entire offensive line. Wednesday's signing day will ink one of the best classes in school history. In year two of Mack Brown 2.0, Brown has Carolina approximately where they were in year nine of Mack Brown 1.0.
"Nobody gave us any chance to win tonight," Brown said. "The College Football Playoff show already had Miami and Texas A&M marked in for the Orange Bowl. I did show that to the team, and I told Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit I appreciated them doing our pregame talk. This team will get some national recognition now, and deservedly so."
12. We already know that Brown can recruit and build a program while selling hope, a great education and a 40-year decision. Now imagine Brown recruiting while selling a top-15 and climbing program and a possible major bowl berth. We'll find out exactly where Carolina is headed when bowls are made official on Dec. 20. Until then, Tuesday's CFP rankings release will be very important to the Tar Heels. You'd assume Carolina will leap Miami, but never assume anything with human-generated rankings. Without a doubt, Saturday's win was essentially a three-hour nationally televised commercial for Tar Heel football. There will be time to discuss this in the weeks to come, but Saturday's win goes on the list of most significant wins in Carolina football history.
Players Mentioned
Wide Receiver
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Defensive Back
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Quarterback
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Tight End
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Linebacker
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Running Back
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