A trip to Norfolk, Va. turned out to be a fruitful one for the North Carolina football team. Behind a dominant rushing attack, the Tar Heels (1-2) came away with a 53-23 win over Old Dominion. Here are a few more game-specific and season-long stats you may have missed from UNC’s first win:
- UNC is averaging 39.3 points over three games, tying them for 30th in the country. Their 450.7 yards per game average ranks 49th. Under head coach Larry Fedora’s 68-game tenure, the Tar Heels have scored 40 or more points in 27 games and 50 or more points in 11 games.
- Sophomore tailback Jordon Brown had more carries against ODU (18) than UNC had rushing yards against Louisville (17). North Carolina ended the game with 252 rushing yards, more than 14 times its total from last week. The six rushing touchdowns — two from Brown, two from Michael Carter and two from Chazz Surratt — tied for the most ever under Fedora.
- After a first-quarter touchdown, UNC lined up in its classic extra-point formation. It features most of the blockers lined up to one far side of the field and one unblocked player standing behind the snapper in a shotgun-like formation. North Carolina almost always audibles out of this formation and kicks a normal point after touchdown. But on this play, backup quarterback Manny Miles, who holds the ball for kicker Freeman Jones, took a direct snap, rolled to his right and found the end zone on a rush. They were the first points Miles had ever scored for the team and the first two-point conversion for UNC since 2015, when punter Joey Mangili threw one to tight end Brandon Fritts against Wake Forest.
- Senior defensive lineman Tyler Powell blocked the first field goal of his career on Saturday against ODU. He made the block from the middle of the line, and cornerback M.J. Stewart nearly scooped it up for a touchdown. UNC blocked three kicks in 2016. Two came from defensive linemen (Jeremiah Clarke against Florida State and Jalen Dalton against Miami), and one came from a defensive back (D.J. Ford against Georgia Tech).
- Through three games, North Carolina’s defense is allowing 35 points per game, tied for 108th in the country. The 23 points allowed to ODU are a season best. The Tar Heels are allowing 496.7 yards per game to opponents, making them 120th in the country. Not surprisingly, the 316 total yards allowed to ODU are also a season best.
- Redshirt first-year Myles Wolfolk had an interception against ODU in his first career game. He is the third Tar Heel to record an interception this year (linebacker Andre Smith and safety Donnie Miles, both against California).
- UNC’s three interceptions have been returned for a total of 73 yards. All of those came on Smith’s interception against California, in which he cut in front of a drag route. North Carolina’s other two picks have been dead-ball turnovers and returned for zero yards.
- Wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams leads the team with 400 all-purpose yards (333 kickoff-return yards, 67 receiving yards). Brown and wide receiver Austin Proehl are next on the list with 261 and 255 total yards, respectively.
