UNC Football: Four Tar Heels pick up ACC honors after win over UVA

The UNC Football program earned a big win on Saturday, coming from behind to beat Virginia at home to move to 2-1 on the year. UNC responded after the Cavaliers scored 21 second-quarter points to take a 28-24 lead at halftime.

But Mack Brown’s team answered the call by out-scoring the Hoos 21-3 in the third quarter, dominating on defense and offense to eventually win the game. And for their efforts, four Tar Heels earned Atlantic Coast Conference honors for the week.

Quarterback Sam Howell, running back Ty Chandler, wide receiver Josh Downs and offensive lineman Marcus McKethan earned ACC Player of the Week honors for their respected positions.

It’s no secret that the Tar Heels offense had a big explosion on Saturday, scoring 59 points in the win while putting up monster numbers. Howell had a career-high 112 rushing yards to go with his 307 passing yards and threw for five touchdowns in the game. Along the way, he passed Russell Wilson for sixth on the list of ACC passing touchdowns.

While Howell was beating the defense with his legs and arm, transfer running back Ty Chandler had his best game by far for the Tar Heels. Chandler rushed for a career-high 198 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Josh Downs got the scoring started early with two quick touchdowns in the first quarter. He finished Saturday’s game with six catches for 203 receiving yards.

McKethan earned co-offensive lineman honors with NC State’s Chandler Zavala. He had five knockdowns and two pins in UNC’s 699-yard outburst to earn the honors.

UNC returns to the field on Saturday night at Georgia Tech as they look to extend their two-game win streak and earn another ACC win this season. The Yellow Jackets have been a weird team to figure out so far, losing to Northern Illinois and then almost upsetting Clemson last week.

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