UNC’s Marquise Williams thriving after early-season benching

At the time the decision prompted scrutiny and questions – nearly 10 minutes worth during one of Larry Fedora’s weekly press conferences – and it ignited, for a week, anyway, the specter of a quarterback controversy at North Carolina.

And now, about a month and a half later, Fedora looks like something of a genius for making the move – for pulling quarterback Marquise Williams amid a mediocre performance in what turned out to be a 41-14 runaway victory on Sept. 26 against FCS opponent Delaware.

“Maybe I’ve made one good decision in my life,” Fedora said on Monday, smiling, a couple of days removed from his team’s eighth consecutive victory, and its most thorough – a 66-31 romp against Duke. “Who knows?”

Fedora knew. At least he was confident he knew, when he benched Williams against Delaware, that the decision would work out for the best. For the Tar Heels. And for Williams.

All these weeks later, Fedora has been proven correct. Williams, who threw four interceptions in UNC’s first three games, hasn’t been the same quarterback he was earlier season – or the same one he was at times last season. He has been better.

He was the best he’s ever been against Duke this past Saturday, when in less than three full quarters he passed for a school-record 494 yards and four touchdowns. By halftime, Williams had passed for 404 yards, which set a school record for one half.

He threw touchdown passes of 89 (to Ryan Switzer), 74 (to Mack Hollins) and 49 yards (to Bug Howard). And in the process, put on a kind of passing display that Fedora, who has coached successful offenses at Southern Miss, Florida, Oklahoma State and elsewhere, had never before seen.

“That display Saturday was as good as I’ve seen anywhere,” Fedora said. “If you looked at every one of those deep balls that he threw, I don’t think anybody broke stride. I don’t think anybody slowed down, I don’t think anybody sped up. It was pretty phenomenal.”

Williams’ performance against Duke contrasted ones earlier this year in which he forced passes to receivers who were well-covered and had difficulty throwing accurately to other receivers who were open. He started off that way against Delaware before Fedora made a quarterback change.

Out came Williams. And in came Mitch Trubisky, who passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns. All of a sudden the question emerged: Did UNC have a quarterback controversy? Was the offense better off with Trubisky leading it?

Fedora tried to quell the drama two days after that game, when he stood at the same podium as he did on Monday and said, definitively, that Williams would remain the team’s starter. That week in practice, his teammates said, Williams was a bit quieter. He appeared more focused.

He knew that a mediocre – or worse – game at Georgia Tech on Oct. 3 would only increase speculation that he risked losing his position. And when UNC found itself trailing 21-0 late in the second quarter of that game, things didn’t look good.

Then Williams helped ignite a rally. The Tar Heels completed the largest come-from-behind victory in school history, winning 38-31, and, four games later, Williams has accounted for more touchdowns – passing, running and receiving – than any player in school history.

The Delaware game, and his benching, provided a turning point. Fedora said Monday that “it’s hard to say” whether Williams would have turned his season around if he had not been taken out against Delaware.

“I don’t know that,” Fedora said. “But good and bad, every good and bad experience he’s had is an experience and it’s something that you learn from.”

Williams on Monday said he eventually would have figured it out. That in time he would have gone back to what made him successful last season – playing with more instinct and feel instead of trying to force plays.

What happened against Delaware, though, and the conversation that followed with Fedora might have accelerated the process. That, and the phone calls he kept getting from his father.

“My dad started talking to me about, ‘Man, can you just play your game and stop worrying about the other things? And just go out and have fun and do what you’ve been doing,’ ” Williams said. “I was eventually going to get back to myself.”

After throwing four interceptions in UNC’s first three games, Williams has thrown three interceptions in the Tar Heels’ past six games – a stretch that began when he watched the second half against Delaware from the sideline. His performance against Duke was arguably the best by a quarterback in school history.

Though he was more focused and quieter, Williams’ overall demeanor didn’t change in those days after the Delaware game, offensive guard Landon Turner said. Williams’ personality “is definitely still the same,” he said with a laugh.

“He’s just more and more confident, as each week goes on,” Turner said. “I think he’s getting more comfortable in the position. He prepares, he does everything he needs to prepare, both physically and mentally. So I think if anything’s changed it’s just his confidence level.”

That was clear enough on Saturday, when time after time Williams threw long. And, time after time, those throws settled into a receiver’s hands. Williams credited the timing and precision to post-practice throwing sessions with his receivers.

They remain, Williams said, until after they’ve successfully completed five consecutive long passes – the kind Williams often completed against Duke. Two months ago Williams was having difficulty with those throws. About a month and a half ago, for a half, at least, he lost his starting position.

Now he’s attempting to build on the best passing performance Fedora could remember witnessing.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "UNC’s Marquise Williams thriving after early-season benching."