DURHAM — As the running back carousel went round and round for the North Carolina football team, Anthony Elzy remained for the whole ride.
The senior tailback bided his time at UNC after being passed over time after time during the last three seasons. On Saturday against Duke, Elzy put together the best game of his career statistically by racking up 116 yards on the ground, 21 in the air and a touchdown to boot.
And that was mostly in just three quarters. But when his team needed him on a third-and-inches after Duke suddenly made it a five-point game, Elzy rejoined the huddle from the first time in more than a quarter of play and delivered the much-needed first down.
He had suffered from cramps since before halftime, causing him to miss a large portion of the second half as the coaches rested their new No. 1 tailback. Yet when the situation called for him, Elzy said there was no chance he wouldn’t buckle his chinstrap again.
“No way,” he said. “Last season, last game. That’s something that I wanted.”
Quarterback T.J. Yates, also playing in his final game against Duke, said feeding the running game fueled the Tar Heels and kept the offense balanced.
“We know that going into the last game, especially us seniors, we’re going to give it our all, and we weren’t going to let anything stop us,” Yates said.
Hungry would be the operative word. After finally getting his chance to start, Elzy has chewed up 531 all-purpose yards during the last three games.
To begin the season, Elzy couldn’t be found on the depth chart at tailback. Shaun Draughn, Ryan Houston and Johnny White all topped him on the depth chart before the Sept. 4 match against Louisiana State.
