North Carolina has had an elite quarterback group for most of the last decade.
We are officially 20 days away from game day. North Carolina will take on South Carolina in Charlotte for a chance to set the tone for the season. A big game for both teams, UNC is looking to start strong in a season that will have huge implications for the future of the team. With probably the greatest quarterback the program has ever seen, results need to be shown on the field.
UNC has had a span of four good-to-elite quarterbacks over the last decade. Marquise Williams, Mitch Trubisky, Sam Howell, and Drake Maye are a fortunate group of leaders for a program that needed them. However, the results haven’t always been great. With each, the team has had immense preseason hype at some point, only for something to go wrong. This season, things have to go right with a generational talent like Drake Maye at the helm.
2015
With Marquise Williams calling the shots, UNC started off with a loss to South Carolina in Charlotte. That was followed by 11 straight wins in one of the most fun stretches in North Carolina football history. Unfortunately, The Tar Heels would fall to Clemson in the ACC Championship game. Yes, there was a botched call, but if North Carolina had never gotten down by so many points, how would things have played out? The team then met Baylor in a bowl game, which was missing its top two quarterbacks. They ran all over the Tar Heels, and that ended the season with an 11-3 record.
Williams Statline: 3072 passing yards, 948 rushing yards, 37 total touchdowns.
2016
The next year, Mitch Trubisky took over a team loaded with talent. Starting the year ranked 22nd, the Tar Heels dropped their opening game, this time to Georgia. After four wins, they would play in a hurricane against Virginia Tech and be embarrassed. Another short win streak and then losses to Duke and NC State led them to a bowl game with Stanford. They would lose by two and finish the season 8-5. This team had impressive wins at Florida State and Miami but could never finish games that were must wins.
Trubisky Statline: 3748 passing yards, 308 rushing yards, 35 touchdowns.
2019/2020/2021
Sam Howell came to North Carolina and saved the program. After an abysmal two-year stretch in 2017 and 2018, Howell flipped from Florida State to stay home. In Mack Brown’s first season back, the team won seven games, including a beatdown of Temple in the bowl game.
Howell’s 2019 Statline: 3641 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. He rushed for 35 yards but was sacked for -220.
In 2020, the team won eight games, went to the Orange Bowl, and Howell was electric. That team played so well, and it built hype for the next year.
Howell’s 2020 Statline: 3586 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. He rushed for 146 yards but was sacked for -221.
In 2021, with all the hype around them, the team opened the season ranked 10th in the nation. They fell apart in game one at Virginia Tech. That loss ruined all momentum for the season, and the team only won six games and finished with a losing record.
Howell’s 2021 Statline: 3056 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Ran for 828 yards but was sacked for -276.
2022
With a generational talent taking over, the Tar Heels had a bit of hype. They started off great, going 9-1 in their first 10. Then, an inexplicable loss to Georgia Tech followed by a loss to NC State derailed the season. Maye was fantastic, carrying the team for most of the year. Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t stop giving up points. UNC met Oregon in their bowl game. In an amazing showing, the Tar Heels were beaten by one point.
Maye’s Statline: 4321 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. Rushed for 698 yards and seven touchdowns.
North Carolina will likely be ranked when the preseason poll comes out. They must avoid an early loss. They likely only have Maye for this last year and need to take advantage of that.
