Junior receiver Mack Hollins led UNC in receiving yards and touchdowns

Mack Hollins is too quick for luck.

Two years removed from walk-on status, the North Carolina receiver — once dubbed “the Unlucky Kid” — has nestled into the role of playmaker for the nation’s 10th-ranked scoring offense.

For Hollins, playing time is hardly a birthright. Despite earning a team-high eight receiving touchdowns in 2014, the junior entered Saturday’s game with just eight catches through five games, fighting for every snap.

But with three receptions — all for touchdowns — in UNC’s 50-14 dismantling of Wake Forest, Hollins left nothing up to chance.

“When you catch the ball, you might not get another opportunity to get it,” he said. “So try to score — whatever it takes.”

Hollins’ first opportunity came at the onset of the second quarter, his team devoid of a score and desperate for a spark.

With the Tar Heels trailing by seven, the wideout surveyed the Wake Forest defense — packed in the box with a safety creeping in.

Hollins knew what was coming. He had studied it all week on film and on the field. He exchanged a glance with Williams, another with the end zone.

“We knew it was open before the ball was even snapped,” he said.

Moments later, Hollins split the secondary and hauled in a 57-yard strike to knot the score at 7, shrugging as he sauntered through the end zone. Who could stop him?

“All he needs is the safety to step up about two steps and he’s going to be by them,” sophomore tailback Elijah Hood said. “That guy can fly.”

But Hollins, 6-foot-4, is more than just a downfield threat.

At the close of the third quarter, Williams turned to his trusted target for a corner fade from four yards out. But the underthrown ball hurtled into a Demon Deacon defender’s helmet, bouncing into the air and behind Hollins.

“Honestly, I couldn’t see off their helmets,” said Hollins, who was interfered with on the play. “I just heard it, and (thought), ‘If I get lucky, let’s see what happens.’”

Hollins put his nimble reflexes on display, pirouetting to the loose ball and tapping his toes in the corner of the end zone.

Lucky bounce? Not a chance. He had prepared for this.

“We call it ‘League Feet,’” he said, laughing. “Always getting that two feet (in bounds).”

Two catches. Two touchdowns. But not enough for Hollins.

Minutes later, the Tar Heels’ resident speedster fooled his matchup with a deceptive double-move and sprinted down the sidelines, snagging another underthrown ball at the Wake Forest 12-yard line.

But his sights were set higher.

“I could see before I caught the ball that I was going to go inside …” Hollins said. “I knew I was going to score.”

The junior cradled the ball and darted past the inside shoulder of the safety for the score. The catch put Hollins over 100 yards receiving and secured his third trip to the end zone — making him the first UNC receiver with three touchdown receptions in a game since Dwight Jones in 2011.

“That’s one of the reasons we were so explosive tonight…” Coach Larry Fedora said. “He’s a pretty phenomenal athlete. And he can really run.”

Hollins’ signature speed has earned him a gaudy 24.5 yards per catch this season, tops among all Tar Heel receivers. And despite recording just 11 receptions thus far, the junior once again leads his squad in receiving touchdowns with five scores — three more than his next closest teammate.

Yet as the one-time walk-on knows, his job — like his scholarship before — is never secure. There is no room for complacency, not within UNC’s stacked receiving corps.

“All those guys could easily have done the same thing as me,” he said. “But I just happened to be the lucky pick.”

But Hollins has no time for luck. He’s already on to the next score.

@CJacksonCowart

sports@dailytarheel.com