4. North Carolina gave it a phenomenal run
Yeah there were teams this bowl season that got hammered after not having a slew of their main guys around – Florida and San Jose State were two of the obvious ones who just weren’t the same.
North Carolina was missing its two star running backs and leading receiver – Michael Carter and Javonte Williams from the backfield, and Dyami Brown from the passing game – against the best defense in the SEC, and the offense still managed 324 yards of total offense and was in the game up until the final six minutes.
Yeah there were puzzling losses to Florida State and Virginia, but losing to Notre Dame and Texas A&M was totally acceptable – especially, again, after missing too many key guys against the Aggies.
The running game couldn’t overcome the missing parts with just 90 yards, and QB Sam Howell kept pushing the deep plays and did enough to keep the game alive, but it just wasn’t enough.
This is a fun team with a phenomenal quarterback and a style that’s going to be a problem for the rest of the ACC next season.