Brown, Carter continue to flourish against Western Carolina

In a season defined by gloom, two players in particular have been consistent bright spots for the North Carolina football team: running backs Michael Carter and Jordon Brown. 

Coming into the year, there were question marks all over the offense for the Tar Heels — no more so than at running back after the departure of dynamic duo Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan. But Carter and Brown have performed admirably after being thrust into prominent roles in head coach Larry Fedora’s system.

The two underclassmen have combined for over 1,100 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 11 games, including 172 combined yards and a touchdown apiece in Saturday’s 65-10 demolition of Western Carolina. They’ve also done all of this while having to deal with a carousel at quarterback that has made it difficult for the team’s offense to find its rhythm all year.

Brown, a returning sophomore, has the upper hand in experience of the two, despite having only 21 total touches last season. He came into the year with many expecting him to take up the lead back role, but while he leads the team in carries with 130, Fedora has been spreading out touches pretty evenly all season.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Durham native is a true all-purpose back, as evidenced by Rivals.com ranking him as the No. 7 all-purpose back in the nation coming out of high school two years ago.

His breakout game came back in Week Three against Old Dominion, when he rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn’t broken 100 yards since then, but he’s been a consistent performer and hasn’t gotten less than ten touches since Week Two, showing Fedora’s faith in him.

"I think we complement each other well, so when he comes in or I come in, I feel like we don't really miss a beat," Carter said of his teammate. "I feel like it's been good this season, both of us have work to do though."

Carter, on the other hand, has perhaps been the surprise of the season on offense. The first-year from Navarre, Fla., has looked excellent from right out of the gate, putting up 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against California. 

“He was solid throughout — he really was,” Fedora said after that game. “He wasn’t big-eyed or overwhelmed by anything. He was pretty calm and ran the ball hard and made some nice plays.”

Since then he’s had some ups and downs, but with 530 total rushing yards going into the last game of the season, the player nicknamed “The Scientist” has undoubtedly shown flashes of potential.

In games where Carter has gotten 10 or more carries, he has stood out in a big way, with 422 of his 530 rushing yards and seven of his eight touchdowns coming in those four games alone. But interestingly, Fedora has varied his number of carries a lot from week to week. After getting 14 carries against Old Dominion, he was called upon only 15 times in the next three games combined.

Carter, however, says there’s no frustration when he isn’t seeing as much of the ball. 

“It’s not about me,” he said after Saturday’s game. “It’s about our team. Whatever puts us in a better position to win, I’m all for.” 

Despite Brown and Carter’s best efforts, those wins just haven’t been coming for this year’s Tar Heels. Sitting at 3-8, and having been mathematically eliminated from bowl eligibility since October, the Tar Heels travel to Raleigh next weekend to end their season against N.C. State with not much else to play for besides their teammates and pride.

In an injury-plagued and disappointing season, these two young players have managed to provide something that’s been all too difficult to find recently for Tar Heel football: hope for the future.

@sam_jarden

sports@dailytarheel.com