At the half, the North Carolina football team has struggled to find an answer for Pittsburgh running back James Conner and the Panthers, who lead 21-13.
In the first half alone, Conner has accumulated 14 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Chad Voytik is 6-for-8 with 143 yards and a touchdown. UNC quarterback Marquise Williams is 11-for-23 with 91 yards, and has rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
Conner and the Panthers started quickly. Just two minutes and 33 seconds into the game, he came up with a 56-yard run for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The Panthers scored again with 2:33 remaining in the first quarter from Conner again, this time on a 16-yard run to make it 14-0.
Conner’s 122 rushing yards on the afternoon made his total 1,064 on the season, which is good for the most rushing yards in 10 games by a sophomore in ACC history.
The Tar Heels finally found the scoreboard three minutes into the second quarter, when a 23-yard from Williams cut Pitt’s lead to 14-7.
But the Panthers went back up about five minutes later when Voytik connected with Tyler Boyd for a 50-yard touchdown.
Williams struck again with 17 seconds remaining in the half, rushing in for the two-yard touchdown. Mitch Trubisky attempted the two-point conversion, but the Tar Heels failed to capitalize and the score remained 21-13.
The Tar Heels will receive to open the second half.
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