NORFOLK, Va. — The North Carolina football team didn’t score 80 like the last time it played Old Dominion — but it fulfilled a self-assigned challenge to get back on track in its 53-23 win over the Monarchs on Saturday at Foreman Field.
What happened?
All week, these Tar Heels (1-2) have been answering questions about whether or not they could repeat the 2013 squad’s 60-point clobbering of the Monarchs.
And, for all intents and purposes, North Carolina took those expectations in stride.
It did so with a proficient run game. In the first half alone, the Tar Heels notched 139 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in what was an onslaught of offensive prowess.
On its first drive, North Carolina marched down the field behind two Jordon Brown rushes for 10-plus yards, but it ultimately had to settle for a 35-yard field goal.
The Tar Heels would cash out for touchdowns in their next five red-zone trips in the first half.
North Carolina was the beneficiary of several ODU missteps in the first half. Old Dominion's punting game did not do it any favors in terms of field positioning in the first half, giving UNC two drives starting in Monarch territory. ODU also threw an interception late in the second quarter, setting redshirt first-year Chazz Surratt and his offense up only 29 yards away from the canvas.
Not to mention, whenever the Monarchs seemed to be getting into a rhythm, the Tar Heels would make something happen. North Carolina blocked a field goal that would’ve put ODU on the board for the first time. And, right before halftime, Steven Williams Jr. (the third Old Dominion quarterback to enter the game) fumbled at the one yard line — deflating the sell-out home crowd.
