UNC Football: Sam Howell named Maxwell Award Player of the Week

UNC football standout Sam Howell has been named the Maxwell Award Player of the Week following his five-touchdown performance against Virginia.

Sam Howell is the Maxwell Award Player of the Week recipient following his outstanding performance against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday night. The junior quarterback led the Tar Heels to victory — their second of the season and first in conference play — in blowout fashion, 59-39.

Howell threw for 307 yards on a 14-for-21 passing performance, and got the ball into the end zone five times. He did throw one interception, his fourth of the season, but still recorded a QBR of 93.9 in one of his best career performances. Along with his handful of passing touchdowns, Howell ran the ball 15 times for 112 yards as part of a 392-yard rushing performance by the Tar Heels.

A week ago, Howell became just the second Tar Heel ever to accumulate 300 or more passing yards and at least 100 yards rushing in a single game. He was also just the second to throw for three touchdowns and run for two in the same game. In both cases, the other North Carolina player was Marquise Williams, who led the Tar Heels to the 2015 ACC Championship.

Howell further added to his legend against the Cavaliers when he became the first Power 5 quarterback since Lamar Jackson to throw for 300 yards and run for 100 in back-to-back games, something that even Williams — one of the most talented dual-threat QBs in UNC history — never accomplished.

Sam Howell and the Tar Heels will continue their trek through the ACC season with a matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of the game, all the latest on Sam Howell and everything UNC football.