'Only O can do this': Another record night for Omarion Hampton defies expectations

Quarterback Jacolby Criswell handed the football to Omarion Hampton for the 33rd time.

It was second-and-goal from the 6-yard line. UNC led Wake Forest, 24-17, with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter.

“He knew that we had a chance to put the game away,” head coach Mack Brown said. “They were all on the line of scrimmage. We weren’t going to throw it. They knew it. We knew it.”

The ball was always going to be in the hands of No. 28. The Wake Forest defensive line ducked low and cut the UNC offensive line. The junior running back recognized it in a split second. He leaped over the collection of bodies piled on the turf at the line of scrimmage. At the four-yard line, he met Wake Forest defensive back Nick Andersen. Hampton powered forward and carried Andersen with him into the end zone.

“I’m like, ‘Only O can do this,’” Criswell said. “He’s the only running back that can do that.”

The six-yard touchdown run capped a historic night for Hampton and sealed North Carolina’s 31-24 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday at Kenan Stadium. Hampton set career highs in both carries and yards on the play. He finished with 244 yards on 35 attempts. 

With the performance, Hampton passed Tar Heel legends Don McCauley and Kelvin Bryant to move up to fifth all-time on UNC’s career rushing list. He is only the third Tar Heel to record three games with 200 or more rushing yards, joining Amos Lawrence and Mike Voight. He is tied for third in career rushing touchdowns with 35. Hampton’s eight consecutive games with 100 yards on the ground is a new school record.

He has run for 1,422 yards this season, the fourth most in a season all-time. He still has two games to play.

The accolades and records go on and on and will likely continue to come. 

“He’s one of the best players and people that I’ve ever been around,” Brown said. “Really, really proud of what he has accomplished.”

It became clear early in the game Saturday that Hampton was in for a special night. On UNC’s second drive early in the first quarter, he rushed for 72 yards to lead the Tar Heels down to the Wake Forest 3-yard line. 

On the next two plays, Criswell dropped back to pass and was sacked. Brown became frustrated with his offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey.

“You got Omarion,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t be dropping back.”

Hampton rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter, marking his second straight game with a 100-yard quarter. With 10:33 left in the second quarter, he had 136 total yards to North Carolina’s 129 as a team. Hampton out-gained Wake Forest, 153-117, by himself in the first half.

The Demon Deacons made adjustments to try and give Hampton some difficulty in the third quarter. They stacked the box and brought safeties down. He lost yardage for the first time with 6:05 to play in the third. On his last five carries in the quarter, he only gained one yard.

Hampton is close with the offensive line, often going out to eat with them. As the Tar Heels struggled to move the ball, he went to every offensive lineman on the sideline and encouraged them with a tap on the head.

“That was just a mindset thing,” Hampton said. “We knew we had to get through it regardless. I feel like we all just had to bring it up a level.”

Hampton finished with 63 yards on 12 carries and the touchdown in the fourth.

Brown said the running back is consistent with everything he does in life, from eating right to being a good student. He is a quiet leader.

“He’s so powerful,” Brown said. “He gets better in the fourth quarter than he does in the first. He’s got 4.4 speed at 220 pounds, and that’s freakish. But to be unselfish, to be a team guy that the players all love and admire, it’s just a very unique quality that makes him special.”

Late in the game, Brown didn’t realize his star had carried the ball over 30 times. He asked running backs coach Larry Porter, “Why is he out of the game?” Porter told him Hampton ran it so much that he needed a break.

Hampton is the only player Brown would call a timeout for to get him back in the game. 

While Saturday was the best game of Hampton’s career, Brown was not surprised. He’s never surprised anymore.

“I’m getting to that point now,” Brown said, “I just expect it.”

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