UNC Football: What you need to know ahead of the Military Bowl
By Luke Tucker
UNC football will take on Temple today in the Military Bowl in Washington, DC.
For the first time since 2016, UNC football is back in a bowl game. In Year One of Mack Brown’s return to Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels went 6-6 on the year and 4-4 in the ACC. Carolina nearly knocked off Clemson in September, but came up empty on a late two-point conversion attempt. UNC is back in the postseason and will face off with the 8-4 Temple Owls for the first time in school history. You can catch the game at 12 o’clock noon on ESPN.
UNC quarterback Sam Howell will look to build on the records he has already broken in 2019.
November 23rd was quite a day for UNC quarterback Sam Howell, as he not only passed former Tar Heel great Mitchell Trubisky for most touchdown passes in a single season in program history, but he also broke Trevor Lawrence’s record for most passing scores by a freshman in FBS history. The previous record in both categories had been 30. Howell’s 35 passing touchdowns rank fourth in the country ahead of Friday’s contest, and perhaps just as impressive, he has thrown just seven interceptions all year.
Howell entered this season as the crown jewel of Brown’s first recruiting class since returning to Carolina. In his first season at the collegiate level, the true freshman completed 234 of 388 passes for over 3,300 yards and the aforementioned 35 touchdowns. No player in the ACC passed for more yards or touchdowns than Howell did in 2019. He also tacked on a score on the ground as well. His successes ultimately earned him ACC Rookie of the Year honors, as well as cemented himself as a finalist for the national Freshman of the Year award.
The Tar Heels ranked inside the top 50 both offensively and defensively in 2019.
Following two atrocious offensive seasons, Howell has truly reversed the school’s fortunes on that side of the ball. UNC is averaging more than 31 points per game—good enough for 47th in the nation. Howell is obviously the team’s leader through the air, however, Michael Carter and Javonte Williams each have more than 800 yards rushing. On the receiving end, the Tar Heels are led by Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown—each of whom have exactly 947 receiving yards this season. The two have combined for more than 40% of UNC’s offensive touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, former quarterback-turned-linebacker Chazz Surratt has developed into quite an impressive player. In his first year since making the switch to defense, Surratt led both the team and the conference in tackles with 110 on his way to being named first team All-ACC. As a unit, Carolina gave up just 24.6 points per game, marking its lowest opponent point total since 2015, and good enough for 49th in the country.
Game Prediction
Despite Temple’s 8-4 record, their best win came at home against Memphis. Even in a Group of Five conference, the Owls haven’t been dominant on either side of the ball, and on paper, their offense won’t be able to keep up with UNC’s. For Temple to have any chance, Re’mahn Davis is going to have to have a monster performance. Unfortunately for the Owls, Howell is just too much for an average defense to handle. Look for the Tar Heels to be in control from the opening kickoff and get Mack his first bowl win at Carolina since 1996.
Final Prediction: UNC 38, Temple 20