The phrase “second-half team” has two slightly different meanings for North Carolina football this season.
Last year was the year of the TV Tar Heels, they of the thrilling game-winning drives and last-second finishes, not all of which were in their favor. That, of course, culminated in a 6-6 regular season in which the surprising highs canceled out the expected lows. There’s been a fair amount of drama this year, too; take as evidence a pick-two on a game-tying conversion attempt to book a 26-22 win over Boston College or three straight dropped passes to end a final drive and a furious, oh-so-close rally in last week’s loss to Florida State.
But Saturday’s commanding 48-21 win over N.C. State was a different kind of win for UNC, one that, if the trajectory of the program and its forthcoming recruiting classes are any indication, could become more and more common as the second Mack Brown tenure rolls on.
This time, Tar Heels were a second-half team in that they simply dominated the second half against the Wolfpack, rushing for 178 yards and scoring three touchdowns in a four-minute span — all courtesy of junior running back Javonte Williams — to put a bow on their most dominant stretch of football since (at least) a season-opening 31-6 win over Syracuse. No theatrics necessary.
“We never want to lose, but the loss last week gave us a little boost this week," Williams said. "We knew we had to come out and play hard the whole game.”
North Carolina held a healthy 17-7 lead at the half, but N.C. State was suddenly posing a threat with the mid-game insertion of true first-year Ben Finley. Finley replaced Bailey Hockman — who got the nod after usual starter Devin Leary suffered a broken fibula last week — and impressed in his first two drives. The first ended with a fluke play, an interception after a bobbled pass to a wide-open receiver in the end zone. The second ended with a touchdown.
Then came a trip to the locker room and the requisite flipping of the switch, starting with a Sam Howell touchdown pass to Josh Downs to stretch the lead to 17. After that, Javonte Williams did Javonte Williams things, running through, over, around and past defenders on the way to 160 rushing yards.
“Every time I hand him the ball, I definitely snap my head around to look and see what he’s doing,” Howell said. “He’s gonna put someone on the ground every single time he has the ball in his hands. It’s definitely fun watching him do what he does.”
It was proof, if you needed any more, of North Carolina’s ability to dominate on the ground. Despite the preseason buzz for Howell as a Heisman candidate, it might be Williams — who leads the nation in touchdowns among non-quarterbacks — who is playing his way to national acclaim.
