It was Senior Day this past Saturday in Chapel Hill, and Carolina was able to send out the seniors in a good way defeating Mercer 56-7. It was a record breaking day for Sam Howell, who surpassed Mitch Trubisky for most passing touchdowns in program history. He also surpassed Trevor Lawrence for most touchdowns as a true freshman. As successful as the passing game, Carolina rushed for 376 yards, along with 4 trips to end zone. Defensively it was easily the best performances, as they feasted on the over matched FCS opponent. All of that success wasn't possible unless they dominated up front. Here is your trench report from Mercer.
Offensive Line
The group up front, had no issues keeping Sam Howell on his feet for the first half. More importantly they opened holes for the running backs to find and earn big runs. It was neat to see Charlie Heck be able to win his final game in Kenan Stadium. as he's been the clear leader of the position group all year long. There wasn't a whole lot for Carolina to learn about themselves that they didn't already know.The biggest key was they left the game healthy, and that's important as they travel to N.C. State this weekend, and if they win they'll qualify for a bowl game.
Defensive Line
We've written at length the problems the guys have had as the season has progressed. They had success in the run game, yet still struggled to put constant pressure on the Mercer signal caller. Raymond Vohasek made the most of his playing time, as he appears to be a big part of the defense in the years to come. The biggest takeaway was the same as the group for the offensive line, no injuries were sustained. This is good news, as when they make the short trip to Raleigh, they'll do it being as healthy as they can be at this point in the season. It also helps that the Wolfpack's offensive line isn't the best, which should allow the defensive line to make some plays.
Comments