UNC Football: North Carolina outlasts Syracuse in opening day game

UNC football gets off to slow start, but blows out Syracuse on opening day in Chapel Hill

Sam Howell completed 25-of-34 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown, as the North Carolina Tar Heels topped the Syracuse Orange by a final score of 31-6 on opening day at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

Howell wasn’t perfect on the day, tossing a couple of interceptions, though one was a tipped pass that could have gone either way. He was still able to move the North Carolina offense down the field enough to put up 31 points, 24 of which came in the game’s second half.

Howell got some help from his defense, which continually came up with big plays against the Orange. They did so despite three turnovers — two by the offense and one by the special teams unit — defending the short side of the field multiple times and not relinquishing a single touchdown on the game.

The North Carolina ground game was effective, too, running 35 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Those three touchdowns came from Javonte Williams, who ran the ball 14 times for 57 yards. His three scores on Saturday are just two short of his season total (5) each of the last two years. His running mate, Michael Carter, had seven rushes for 78 yards, an average of 11.1 yards per carry.

Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito completed 13-of-31 passes for 112 yards, struggling to take advantage of multiple possessions that began with favorable field position. The Syracuse ground game wasn’t any better, rushing 35 times for just 68 yards. The Orange mustered just 202 total yards against the Tar Heels’ 463.

North Carolina will face off with the Charlotte 49ers in a Saturday afternoon game in Chapel Hill.