SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 6, 2014
No. 23 North Carolina 31, San
Diego State 27: Marquise Williams passed for 255 yards and two scores
as the host Tar Heels rallied in the fourth quarter to edge the
Aztecs.
Williams was 20-of-29 and also
had a team-high 63 yards rushing for North Carolina (2-0), which
trailed by 10 in the fourth before storming back. Mack Hollins
had two catches for 110 yards, and Ryan Switzer had six catches for
62 yards.
Quinn Kaehler was 23-of-39 for
341 yards and a score for San Diego State (1-1) but threw three
interceptions, including one with the Aztecs at the North Carolina 5 and less than a minute remaining in the game. Donnel Pumphrey rushed 17 times for 100 yards and two scores, and Eric Judge had three catches for 94 yards and a
touchdown.
San Diego State looked like it
would score first, but Brian Walker returned an interception 100
yards for a score less than five minutes into the second quarter. The Aztecs responded with two touchdowns กช Kaehler to Judge for a
56-yard score and Pumphrey's 12-yard scoring run กช in the next four
minutes to take the lead into halftime.
Pumphrey ran it in from the 3 to push the San Diego State lead to 14 early in the third, but
Williams had touchdown strikes of 11 and 91 yards around a Donny Hageman field goal to cut the lead to three. Hageman
upped it to six with a 40-yard field goal, but Elijah Hood ran it in
from 2 yards and Nick Weller kicked a 23-yarder to give the Tar
Heels the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Walker's
interception return tied the UNC school record for longest return,
achieved twice, most recently in 1994 by Reggie Love. กญ The Aztecs
outgained the Tar Heels in total offense, 509-394. กญ Hollins'
91-yard touchdown reception was the third-longest pass play in Tar
Heels history.