Jackets lose to Tar Heels

ATLANTA — Sam Howell threw four touchdown passes and North Carolina suffered no letdown from it narrow loss to the nation’s No. 1 team a week before, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 38-22 victory at Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Howell, a freshman making his sixth start, completed 33 of 51 passes for a season-high 376 yards as North Carolina piled up a season-high 587 yards of total offense and Javonte Williams ran 17 times for a career-high 138 yards and a touchdown.

The Tar Heels (3-3, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won the game convincingly, going up 24-7 early in the final period on Howell’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown in the left corner of the end zone and 31-15 on the next possession when tight end Garrett Watson caught a short pass near the right sideline and scored a 16-yard touchdown.

Georgia Tech (1-4, 0-2) has lost three straight with the nation’s lowest-scoring offense and had gone seven quarters without a touchdown before cutting the lead to 17-7 in the third quarter.

Redshirt freshman James Graham made his first start for the Yellow Jackets and shared early snaps with Tobias Oliver. The offense took a big blow early in the second when Graham threw a deep interception to Don Chapman at the Tar Heels’ 32. North Carolina scored its first touchdown on the ensuing drive.

North Carolina led 17-0 at halftime on Noah Ruggles’ 32-yard field goal, Dazz Newsome’s 20-yard touchdown catch and Beau Corrales’ 6-yard scoring reception.

Outside linebacker Tomon Fox had a sack in the second and nose tackle Aaron Crawford had a sack in the third.

The Tar Heels were coming off a one point loss to then-No. 1 Clemson, which was displaced in the polls by Alabama.