NORFOLK, Va. — The North Carolina offense was stuck at its own 12-yard line.
A pair of pre-snap penalties were to blame for the poor field position. It was third down on the Tar Heels' first possession of their first road game of the season. Eighteen yards separated them from moving the chains.
A patchwork, injury-ridden offensive line dug its knuckles into the turf. A redshirt first-year, who hadn’t quite claimed the starting quarterback job, set up in the shotgun. A sophomore running back, who hadn’t even carried the ball 50 times in his UNC career, lined up beside his quarterback.
And yet — despite the sub-optimal hand the team was dealt — North Carolina’s (1-2) third play from scrimmage proved to be emblematic of its 53-23 thrashing of Old Dominion (2-1) at Foreman Field. Running back Jordon Brown took a handoff from quarterback Chazz Surratt and cranked out a 21-yard gain for a Tar Heel first down.
The drive that ensued was capped off by a 35-yard field goal, but it sent a message to a sold-out ODU crowd that would ring clear throughout the game until the time on the scoreboard hit zeros: North Carolina wasn’t going to squander its size advantage up front.
“The offensive line did a nice job,” head coach Larry Fedora said. “I haven’t watched (the film), but again, to rush for that, to do that. I mean, we were getting the back to the second and third level quite a bit, so that was impressive.”
Jordon Brown had a career day, running for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts, and first-year Michael Carter ran for 67 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The two running backs returned after an abysmal showing against Louisville, in which the team had just 17 rushing yards.
“Chemistry is one of the biggest parts of an offensive line,” said Charlie Heck, a sophomore offensive tackle who played every down of Saturday’s game. “And I mean, that’s why we practice. It is different when you got different guys who you’re blocking, but we were able this week to work together and find that chemistry before the game.”
Surratt, who took all meaningful quarterback reps, also contributed to the Tar Heel rushing attack. He added 19 yards and two touchdowns and said his job was made “easy" thanks to the protection and playmaking around him.
