Fireworks boomed in Kenan Stadium again and again and again. So much so that rumors spread about the firework supply nearly running out.
Touchdown after touchdown after touchdown in an 80-point offensive outburst featuring performances that would make video games blush, and saw longstanding school records fall like dominos, eventually led to the coaches agreeing to shorten the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Marquise Williams was the star of the show early on, totaling 425 total yards of offense in the first half, including 379 yards passing, and a dizzying five touchdowns.
“It feels great,” Williams said. “It feels like we just clicked on everything.”
Williams would be supported by stellar performances from Ryan Switzer, who caught two touchdowns and scored on a 64-yard punt return, and T.J. Logan, who ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns and added a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
The most eye-popping statistic associated with these three players? They’re all underclassmen.
Williams is the old guy of the trio, a redshirt sophomore, and Switzer and Logan are both freshmen. These three are a part of an uprising of talented young Tar Heels who have grown from dim lights in the distance to stars on the field.
“I wish we could’ve got it rolling earlier in the season,” Switzer said. “But you know, better late than never.”
They aren’t alone. Of UNC’s last 47 touchdowns, freshmen and sophomores have scored 39, including 23 in a row and all 11 against ODU. But while these players might be freshmen and sophomores in the classroom, Williams says he doesn’t make that distinction when they step on the field.
