Much of the discussion of crazy stats in this decade of college football comes from the passing game, but sometimes, a team will just run all over their opponent. That’s absolutely what the UNC Tar Heels (#17 in the CFP rankings, #20 in the AP poll) did Saturday in a 62-26 win over the Miami Hurricanes. Both of UNC’s lead backs, Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, averaged over 10 yards per carry, with Carter rushing 24 times for 308 yards (12.8 yards per carry) and two touchdowns and Williams running 23 times for 236 yards (10.3 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. Each had a longest run of 65 yards, they combined for 544 yards, and UNC picked up 554 total rushing yards on 55 carries (10.1 yards per carry). Carter (seen at right above) and Williams (seen at left above) together set a record:
Here are some of the best runs from Carter and Williams on the day, starting with a remarkable one from Williams that saw him jump over one defender, bounce off a second, spin by another and keep going:
Vonte goes over 200 yards for the first time!
pic.twitter.com/XhzNNxf2jy — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) December 12, 2020
Here’s another look at that play:
Here’s one of Carter’s best runs, featuring several open-field shifts of direction to make tacklers miss before he scored:
Fancy footwork by Carter on the score!
@TarHeelFootball | #ACCFootball
https://t.co/N5k5mBmMyR pic.twitter.com/ecb9HUSDqu — ACC Football (@ACCFootball) December 12, 2020
And here’s his other touchdown run, from a career-long 65 yards out:
Here’s another early run from Williams, which saw him bounce off several defenders and keep going:
Williams and Carter sure had a heck of a day, as did UNC’s team as a whole. The Tar Heels are now 8-3 on the year, and they showed that they’re great at running the ball.
[Photo from ACC Network on Twitter]