UNC dominates Mercer on Senior Day, and is now one win from becoming bowl eligible
For the first time in a more than month, North Carolina fans did not have to hold their breath in the fourth quarter.
Because by then, in UNC’s game against Mercer, it was already over.
Mercer, an FCS program, was simply outmatched, and UNC cruised to a 56-7 victory at Kenan Stadium on Saturday.
“It was the perfect night for us,” UNC coach Mack Brown said after the game, adding that they came away from the game without any injuries.
The Tar Heels have five wins, which equals the number they had in the previous two seasons combined. They need to beat N.C. State (4-7, 1-6 ACC) next week to become bowl eligible for the first time since the 2016 season. N.C. State, which lost to Georgia Tech on Thursday, was eliminated from bowl eligibility and will be playing for pride.
For UNC (5-6, 4-4), this scenario was expected. Mercer has struggled for much of this season, while UNC’s year has been filled with highs and lows.
Entering Saturday, nine of the Tar Heels’ 10 games had been decided by a touchdown or less. Against Mercer, that was far from the case.
On Mercer’s first possession, UNC forced a fumble and recovered it at Mercer’s 19-yard line. Four plays later, UNC running back Antonio Williams scored on a 11-yard rushing touchdown.
The domination continued all afternoon, as UNC scored touchdowns on each of its first six possessions and led at halftime, 42-0.
“It felt good to be able to relax a little bit at the end of the game, instead of being on your toes as much,” said senior running back Antonio Williams, who finished with 65 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Sam Howell only played in the first half, but he had another quality game. He completed 10 of 13 passing attempts for 152 yards and three touchdowns.
Junior running back Michael Carter rushed for 159 yards on nine carries and three touchdowns, his first rushing scores of the season.
After the first possession of the second half, which ended with one of Carter’s rushing touchdowns, UNC pulled the majority of its starters. The Tar Heels ran it on all but two plays in the second half.
First down
The Tar Heels’ defense hadn’t forced a turnover in its previous two games. But on the first play of Saturday’s game, UNC defensive back Don Chapman tackled Mercer’s David Durden and jarred the ball loose.
UNC linebacker Chazz Surratt recovered it deep in Mercer territory, and a few plays later, the Tar Heels turned it into points.
Later in the first quarter, freshman defensive back Storm Duck intercepted a pass on a fourth down fake.
“It actually started earlier this week in practice, we had went over it a little big,” Duck said of the interception. “I saw the fake coming, so I knew I had to line up over the tight end. If he released, I was going to take him. So I took him, he threw the ball up, and I made the play.”
UNC scored 14 points off Mercer’s two turnovers.
Touchdown
The Tar Heels handled business on both sides of the ball. The defense allowed only seven points.
The offense scored touchdowns on its first six possessions. And the red zone touchdown issues the Tar Heels had in their previous games were not a problem Saturday.
UNC was 4-for-4 in the red zone. All were touchdowns.
“We did that better tonight, but we’ve got to continue to do it against a stronger opponent,” Browns said of the redzone offense.
Penalty
But before the game, UNC announced that its leading receiver, Dazz Newsome, was suspended for the game.
According to a team source, Newsome overslept and missed a practice this week.
Newsome was on a tear in recent weeks. He had three 100-yard receiving games in his last four games, and won ACC receiver of the week honors for his performance against Pittsburgh. Against Pitt, he had 11 receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown.
With 817 receiving yards, Newsome was on pace for a 1,000-yard season.
ICYMI
UNC honored 20 seniors on Senior Day, including junior linebacker Jake Lawler, who will graduate early despite having another year of eligibility left.
Key numbers
32 The number of touchdown passes Howell has thrown this season. He broke Mitch Trubisky’s single-season record of 30 touchdown passes. Howell is also the first true freshman quarterback to throw for 31 or more passing touchdowns in a season. The previous high was 30 by Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence in 2018.
0 sacks for Mercer. UNC’s offensive line was dominant. It did not allow a sack and opened up running lanes for its running backs.
100 UNC linebacker Chazz Surratt, who converted from quarterback to linebacker in the spring, has 100 tackles this season. He finished with five tackles against Mercer.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 6:32 PM.
