Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs North Carolina Tar Heels Match Player Stats On Nov 05, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 5, 2016

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Running back Elijah Hood ran for three touchdowns and 168 yards as No. 21 North Carolina drilled Georgia Tech 48-20 on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium, winning for the third game in a row.

The Tar Heels (7-2, 5-1 ACC) entered the day tied with Virginia Tech, which played later at Duke, for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division, though the Hokies own the tiebreaker.

Hood, who carried only 12 times, rushed for first-quarter touchdowns of 1 and 36 yards, the latter coming on a fourth-and-1 play. He had 114 yards on the ground by the end of the first quarter.

Hood tacked on a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarterback before teammate T.J. Logan's 20-yard touchdown run sent the Tar Heels to a 41-20 advantage.

Hood's big outing contributed to North Carolina's season-high 283 rushing yards.

North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed 20 of 32 passes for 329 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas ran for 82 yards and passed for 184, but he left with an undisclosed upper-body injury late in the third quarter and didn't return. He was shaken up on a 21-yard run.

Freshman running back Dedrick Mills racked up a season-high 132 rushing yards on 19 attempts for the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 2-4).

The first half had its share of wild moments, with the teams combining for 698 yards of total offense.

The Tar Heels led 27-17 at the break after Georgia Tech's Harrison Butker had a 37-yard field goal blocked by D.J. Ford in the final minute.

However, the Yellow Jackets were within 27-20 midway through the third quarter after Butker's 42-yarder.

North Carolina scored on the game's first possession, going 75 yards in less than two minutes. The first of Nick Weiler's two first-half field goals pushed the edge to 10-0. Weiler connected from 37 and 50 yards.

Georgia Tech stayed in it, partly because of big plays.

Thomas, a senior, connected with receiver Clinton Lynch for an 83-yard catch-and-run play. It was the longest touchdown pass in Thomas' career and the longest play from scrimmage for the Yellow Jackets in five years.

Mills scored on a 4-yard run for Georgia Tech with 3:06 to go before halftime, but the Tar Heels responded less than a minute later.

Trubisky hooked up with receiver Bug Howard for a 68-yard touchdown play with 2:24 left in the half.

NOTES: Big point totals are nothing new for these teams. In the previous four matchups, the teams combined to average 81.5 points. ... North Carolina has its first three-game winning streak in the series with Georgia Tech since 1992-94. ... North Carolina's defense is without an interception this season. ... After going 8-for-13 on third-down conversions against Georgia Tech, The Tar Heels have converted 27 of 48 third downs across their last three games. ... North Carolina won't travel more than 10 miles for four November games, including a road assignment Thursday night at Duke. ... Georgia Tech visits Virginia Tech next week.