Marquise Williams leads North Carolina to second-half comeback against Georgia Tech

ATLANTA — There was no room for error for North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams when he took the field late in the second quarter against Georgia Tech on Saturday.

After the fifth-year senior was benched one week ago following a poor performance against Delaware, Williams needed to provide a spark for the Tar Heels, who trailed 21-0 when they started their third drive of the game with less than 4:34 left in the first half.

So what did he do when his team needed him the most? It was simple. Williams did everything.

“He took a lot of criticism last week. Everyone questioned him,” Coach Larry Fedora said. “And (tonight) he did what he can do.”

Behind their renaissance man, the Tar Heels completed their largest comeback in program history, stunning the Yellow Jackets to the tune of 38-31.

In danger of heading into halftime down by a seemingly insurmountable margin, the Tar Heels, led by Williams, mounted two touchdown drives in the final minutes of the first half.

On the second drive, the Charlotte native threw for 37 yards and scampered into the end zone from seven yards out to cut the score to 21-14 just before intermission.

And as UNC headed into the locker room at the break, Williams took charge as the vocal leader of the team, pleading with his fellow players to keep the momentum.

“I told the guys, ‘Let’s go,’” he said. ”‘It’s not over. There’s still football left to be played.’”

The Tar Heels were unable to turn the tide completely in the third, but they did move within four points of Georgia Tech, setting up a chance for Williams to lead the team in the fourth quarter to its first victory in Atlanta since 1997.

One of those opportunities presented itself with 11:35 left in the final quarter. After the North Carolina offense took over in Yellow Jacket territory following a fumble, the UNC coaching staff pulled out their bag of tricks.

After receiving a handoff from Williams, junior running back T.J. Logan flipped the ball to receiver Quinshad Davis on a reverse. But as the defense bit on the run, Williams broke free near the sideline. Davis lofted the ball his way, and now all the redshirt senior had to do was haul it in.

“The ball was in the air for a long time,” Williams said. “And I’m thinking, ‘If I drop this I’m not allowed to go back to Chapel Hill.’”

But Williams made the grab, and with no one within five yards of him, he walked into the end zone to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the night.

The Tar Heels had the lead, but for the team to earn a victory, Williams needed to be the focal point of the offense.

With less than five minutes remaining and facing fourth down on the Yellow Jacket 27-yard line, the quarterback called his own number, rumbling down the field for a touchdown and effectively icing the game.

After a week filled with doubt from fans and the media, Williams put together a truly complete performance against Georgia Tech.

When the final whistle blew, he led the team in passing (134 yards), rushing (148 yards) and receiving (37 yards).

“Everyone had started doubting him,” Davis said. “For him to come out here in the ACC opener and show out like he did, and show that toughness that he has, I think that says a lot about his character.”

But at the end of the day for Williams, the stats simply do not matter. Whatever the Tar Heels need him to be going forward, he said he is prepared to fill that role.

“It was a team victory today, and that’s what we need to continue to win games,” he said. “And whatever helps this team to win football games, that’s me.”

On Saturday, North Carolina needed Williams to be everything. And when it mattered most, the fifth-year senior delivered.

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com