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Javonte Williams ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 14 North Carolina beat No. 23 North Carolina State 48-21 in Saturday’s renewal of the longtime state rivalry.
Michael Carter ran for 106 yards and a score of his own for the Tar Heels (4-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who used a run-through-and-over-tacklers ground game that helped them take control in the third quarter.
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“I said it earlier in the year and they reinforce it every week: I think they’re probably the best combination of two backs in the country,” UNC coach Mack Brown said, adding: “When we get them going, the rest of it works.”
UNC ran for 326 yards and finished with 578 overall, bouncing back from an upset loss at Florida State to beat the Wolfpack (4-2, 4-2) by a lopsided margin for the second straight season.
Williams had three touchdowns in last year’s 41-10 win, then had a pair of short TD runs as UNC ran off 21 straight points after leading just 17-7 at halftime. He punctuated another big rivalry performance by blowing through a huge hole up front, then cutting past multiple defenders to the pylon for a 27-yard score that made it 45-14 with 14:11 left.
Sam Howell threw for 252 yards and a TD for the Tar Heels, while Dyami Brown had 105 yards on a career-best seven catches.
The Wolfpack had little go right offensively in the first game without injured starting quarterback Devin Leary. Bailey Hockman started but was pulled after three series for true freshman Ben Finley, only to see the Wolfpack go back to Hockman in the third after Finley threw two interceptions — one off a bobbled pass by Dylan Parham in the end zone that should’ve been a first-half touchdown -- and lost a fumble on a sack.
Finley threw for 143 yards and a 42-yard score to Emeka Emezie, while Hockman scored on a short keeper and threw for a TD after returning with the Tar Heels up big. But N.C. State managed just 34 yards rushing and had four turnovers.
“We just didn’t play good enough to win, didn’t give ourselves a chance with the turnovers,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “Like I told them in the locker room, if you don’t stop the run and you turn the football over, it’s a really hard day. And that’s what happened today.”
This was the first meeting with both teams ranked in the AP Top 25 since 1993.
THE TAKEAWAY
N.C. State: Three straight wins had pushed the Wolfpack to a surprisingly strong start for a team picked to finish 11th in the league. But N.C. State fell behind 14-0 by early in the second quarter and was stuck in catch-up mode nearly all day, finishing with 358 yards while losing starting running back Ricky Person Jr. to a first-half injury. Now the Wolfpack must sort out their QB situation.
UNC: The Tar Heels had won six straight games before last weekend’s loss at FSU. The offense responded with another big game while the defense had the four takeaways after managing just two all year coming in.
“We just came out ready to go today and everyone did their job, all four quarters,” Howell said.
BIG HOLES
N.C. State had allowed an average of 101 yards rushing during its three-game winning streak, but the Tar Heels averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 55 attempts behind Williams (8.4) and Carter (6.2).
“They just outplayed us. There’s no excuses,” Wolfpack linebacker Isaiah Moore said. “We’ve got to tackle and get them to the ground, and we didn’t do that today.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Tar Heels could inch back up after taking a huge slide from No. 5 — their highest ranking since 1997 — after the FSU loss. The Wolfpack could end up out of the poll after a one-week stay.
UP NEXT
N.C. State: The Wolfpack’s schedule hits an open date next weekend before hosting No. 11 Miami on Nov. 6.
UNC: The Tar Heels visit Virginia next Saturday.
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