UNC’s Howell must get by without his top 3 playmakers
As he led the nation’s fourth-ranked offense to an average of more than 550 yards per game this season, North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell had help.
He had a pair of 1,000yard running backs in senior Michael Carter and junior Javonte Williams, the only duo from the same team to accomplish that feat this season. He also had a 1,000-yard receiver and go-to target in junior Dyami Brown.
He won’t have those luxuries Saturday.
When Howell and the No. 13 Tar Heels (8-3) take the field at Hard Rock Stadium against No. 5 Texas A&M (8-1) in the 87th Orange Bowl, they will be without their three All-American playmakers, all of whom opted out and are preparing for the NFL Draft.
Williams’ decision, one that came Saturday right before a team practice, forced the Tar Heels to regroup and figure out how to allocate what offensive coordinator Phil Longo estimated to be about 30 of the team’s 60 to 70 touches on offense. Williams was expected to receive the bulk of the carries with Carter already previously announcing his plan to sit out the bowl game.
“You go make your adjustments,” Longo said, “so we’ve got to take 30 reps and we’ve got to distribute them and spread them out to the other weapons that we do have.”
That, in turn, likely puts the onus on Howell to consistently move the Tar Heels down the field if they want to pull off the upset and potentially finish the year as a top-10 team for the first time since
1997 — coincidentally the final year of coach Mack Brown’s first tenure with the Tar Heels.
Does Howell feel the pressure?
“For me,” Howell said, “it’s nothing different.”
But, he admits, there are still challenges.
“I don’t have very many game reps with the younger running backs,” Howell said. “I know I’ve thrown to the younger receivers a couple times, but really, we just don’t really have the same chemistry.”
Howell has shown that he can make big plays during his first two years at North Carolina. He was named second-team AllAtlantic Coast Conference by the Associated Press behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence after completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,352 yards and 27 touchdowns against six interceptions. He was one of 10 quarterbacks to play at least nine games this season and average at least 300 passing yards per game.
This comes after a freshman season in which he threw for 3,641 yards on a 61.4 percent completion rate with 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions through 13 games.
“The best thing he can do for our football team right now,” Longo said, “is to keep doing what he has been doing: Manage the offense and make plays when he has the opportunity to make plays. ... It’s business as usual right now offensively.”
Except the Tar Heels’ available personnel will likely dictate a passingheavy attack against Texas A&M.
The running game be
hind Howell, the one that averaged 249.1 yards per game and was tied with Alabama with a nationleading 35 touchdowns heading into bowl games? That’s nearly nonexistent now.
Carter and Williams accounted for 2,385 of the team’s 2,740 rushing yards — a staggering 87 percent of the team’s yards on the ground — and 28 of those 35 rushing touchdowns. Williams set a school record with 22 touchdowns this season (19 rushing, three receiving) in addition to his 1,140 rushing yards. Carter’s 1,245 rushing yards were the most by a UNC running back since Elijah Hood in 2015 (1,463 rushing yards).
UNC’s leading rusher on the season available for Saturday’s game with Carter and Williams sitting out is Howell, who has 121 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
North Carolina’s three available running backs for Saturday — freshman Elijah Green, sophomore Josh Henderson and junior British Brooks — have combined for 31 carries, 147 yards and zero touchdowns. Longo said the trio has received enough reps in practice to be ready to take over in-game situations.
Brown on Monday said Henderson and Brooks will “carry the most of the load on Saturday night.”
“And,” Brown added, “it gives us a chance to watch them and see about who we are for next year. ... This is preparation for the opening game of next year, as well.”
With that said, Howell still has a few weapons in the passing game. Yes, Brown was the top target this year. His ACC-leading 1,099 yards on 55 catches, his eight touchdown receptions and his four 100yard receiving games — including an 11-catch, 240-yard, three-touchdown outing in a loss to Virginia — showcase that clearly.
But senior Dazz Newsome caught 48 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns this year as UNC’s primary slot receiver and has 2,367 career receiving yards over his four years with the Tar Heels. Freshman receiver Khafre
Brown (13 catches, 297 yards, two touchdowns), senior tight end Garrett Walston (15 catches, 223 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore receiver Emery Simmons (15 catches, 201 yards, one touchdown) will likely also get extended looks.
“There’s no pressure,” Newsome said. “We’ve got good players on the team still.”