The Tar Heels hosted NC Central for the first time in program history on Saturday afternoon in Kenan Stadium and got a much more competitive game than they signed up for. Entering the 4th quarter, a sluggish offensive performance had the team in a one possession game, but they were able to pull away in the end for a more comfortable victory. Here are our five biggest takeaways from a frustrating 45-10 win.
Quarterback Battle Rages On
The most important thing that came out of this game came in the postgame when Mack Brown discussed the quarterback position. “We’ll play both of them,” he said when pressed by the media in the postgame about the situation. While this isn’t shocking considering we saw both Conner Harrell and Jacolby Criswell into the second half, it should be the case. Similar to his Week 1 performance, Harrell struggled to move the football on the first two drives of the game, prompting the staff to put Criswell into the game, a move that was part of the plan according to ESPN sideline reporter Ashley Stroehlein. Criswell looked good, completing 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 161 yards and a touchdown and added 16 yards on the ground on three carries. Harrell on the other hand was just 2-6 for 22 yards, forcing a couple of passes that could have been intercepted and made this a much different outcome. Criswell simply looked more comfortable and decisive, especially in the pocket and was much more accurate than Harrell in the intermediate passing game. Even though Brown says we should see both quarterbacks next week, this should be Criswell’s job moving forward until he proves otherwise.
Penalties Are a Big Concern Once Again
It started on the first play from scrimmage when Des Evans jumped offsides and was a problem the rest of the night. The team took 16 penalties that accounted for 102 yards, including ten in the first half for 72 yards. That penalty yardage was more than Eagles had passing (91) or rushing (76) and was the main reason this was a one possession game entering the second half. After taking just three penalties for 45 yards in the season opener, the team has taken 24 penalties for 169 yards in the last two weeks. That is simply unacceptable and must be cleaned up starting next week.
Omarion Hampton Carries the Offense Again
There were concerns about Hampton health coming into the game, but he showed you early on in this one that there was nothing to worry about. He made up for the carries and yards that he lost last week, toting the ball 25 times for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Even though it came against an FCS opponent, this type of performance justifies his billing as one of the best running backs in the country and shows he is capable of single-handedly carrying this offense up and down the field.
Tight Ends Carrying the Passing Game
The hope was that this game would be able to create separation at wide receiver, but the room once again struggled to make an impact. Receivers caught just five of the 16 completions from quarterbacks in the game and including just four catches for 47 yards on nine targets. The tight end room stepped up amidst their struggles, with both John Copenhaver and Bryson Nesbit making big contributions. Copenhaver led the team in receiving, catching six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, while Nesbit had three receptions for 42 yards. Those tight ends will be relied on heavily until some of these receivers can start stepping up.
Kaleb Cost Bounces Back
The secondary put together their best performance of the season and no one shined brighter than Kaleb Cost. After allowing another explosive play on the first drive, he responded by failing to allow another catch the rest of the night while pulling down an interception and registering two pass breakups. His eight tackles were also a team-high and even had a half a sack to round out a career performance. This was a performance that was sorely needed from Cost after his struggles in the first two games of the season. Let’s hope this now becomes the norm for him with better passing games lurking in the coming weeks.
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