The North Carolina Tar Heels fell victim to a colossal beat-down on Saturday at Kenan Memorial Stadium, as the team suffered a 35-7 rout courtesy of the NC State football team.
Redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett showed off his speed in State’s opening drive, as the West Palm Beach, Florida, native rushed for 45 yards in just three attempts, which included a 17-yard touchdown scurry to take the early 7-0 lead over the Heels.
“We asked Jacoby to run the football today because we knew they’d have a problem with it, and he did a great job,” said head coach Dave Doeren.
The remainder of the first quarter was controlled by both defenses, as each drive came up short due to efforts made by both defensive lines.
The Tar Heels (6-6, 4-4 ACC), failed to capitalize on their first red-zone opportunity after shooting wide right on a 35-yard field goal attempt.
NC State (7-5, 3-5 ACC) took advantage of Carolina’s costly mistake by organizing a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, which was marked by a 58-yard dash down the sideline by junior running back Shadrach Thornton, and capped off by a 2-yard bullet to wide-open redshirt sophomore tight end David Grinnage for the touchdown.
Midway through the second quarter, Brissett recognized a wide gap at the line of scrimmage and ran the ball up the gut and past the Tar Heel secondary for a 44-yard gain. Thornton followed with a 5-yard push into the end zone to give the Pack an unanswered 21-point advantage.
Carolina seemed to gain some momentum on the ensuing drive, as costly penalties and spotty defense up front allowed the Heels to advance to the red zone. Redshirt junior cornerback Juston Burris glued himself to his man, as junior quarterback Marquise Williams’ pass toward the end zone was picked off at the 5-yard line to seal the shutout half.
Brissett led the team in rushing with 115 yards at the halfway mark, which was paired with Thornton’s 106.
“[UNC] never stopped [talking trash],” Thornton said. “It was more so about us beating them between the whistles than after. Anybody can talk, anybody can win, anybody can throw a cheap shot after the whistle. Guys are riled up and they obviously didn’t expect to be down that much going into the half.”
Williams left the game early in the second half after enduring a rock-solid hit by senior defensive tackle T.Y McGill in an 11-yard loss.
Williams, who made headlines last week due to prophetic criticisms made by redshirt junior safety Hakim Jones, was heavily pressured and ultimately dispirited by the undaunted Wolfpack defense. Williams rushed for only 11 yards in 16 attempts, which included three sacks. Carolina’s struggles lingered following their quarterback’s injury.
The ensuing Wolfpack drive was all Brissett, who once again showed off his pairing of speed and aggressiveness, rushing 44 yards on two keepers. Brissett capped off the drive with another short, wide-open throw, hitting graduate student fullback Tyler Purvis.
The onslaught continued to the end of the third quarter. After a rare stop made by the Tar Heels defense, a roughing the kicker penalty allowed the Pack to score yet again off another short pass to Purvis, boosting its lead to 35-0.
Carolina avoided the shutout in the final minutes of the game after redshirt freshman quarterback Mitch Trubisky threw a short pass to junior wide receiver Quinshad Davis, who ran in for the score.
Brissett was 9 for 11, passing for 66 yards and rushing for 167 in 14 carries. Thornton rushed for 161 yards on 28 carries. The Wolfpack offense accrued 388 total rushing yards.
Brissett’s red-hot running game broke the school record for most QB rushing yards, passing Johnny Evans’ 126 yards against Clemson in 1976.
The big bad Wolfpack defense held Carolina’s offense to just 30 yards rushing and 177 yards passing, combining for a Tar Heel season-low 207 total yards.
“We all needed this win. We really wanted to end the season off with a bang,” Brissett said. “We wanted to send the seniors out in the right way. Everybody deserved this one and everyone put in their part to get us this win.”
NC State looks to receive a bowl game bid after the team’s dominating win. The Wolfpack’s bowl destination will be announced on Sunday.
