Mercer Bears vs North Carolina Tar Heels Match Player Stats On Nov 23, 2019

Michael Carter ran for three touchdowns and Sam Howell threw three touchdown passes as North Carolina overwhelmed visiting Mercer in a 56-7 romp Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The home finale marked only the second game this season for the Tar Heels (5-6) that the final margin was greater than seven points.

North Carolina, which snapped a two-game losing streak, must win next Saturday at rival North Carolina State to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

Howell, a freshman who didn't play in the second half, set a single-season school record by throwing for 32 touchdowns, passing Mitch Trubisky's record of 30.

Howell was 10-for-13 passing for 152 yards. His biggest yardage play went for a touchdown of 66 yards to Dyami Brown late in the first quarter.

He also threw for scores of 4 yards to Jake Bargas and 33 yards to Emery Simmons.

Carter scored on runs of 45, 9 and 60 yards, the latter coming in the third quarter. He finished with 159 rushing yards on nine carries.

Antonio Williams' 11-yard run opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the game. British Brooks added a 12-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

The Tar Heels cranked out 376 yards on the ground.

North Carolina led 42-0 at halftime. The margin provided plenty of opportunities for reserves to log lots of playing time, something rarely feasible for the Tar Heels this season.

.

Mercer (4-8), a Football Championship Subdivision member, ended its season. The Bears managed less than 100 yards of total offense through three quarters.

Mercer scored on backup quarterback Harrison Frost's 2-yard pass to Kareem Rogers with 3:38 remaining to complete a 10-play, 90-yard drive.

It's the fourth year in a row that North Carolina defeated a Southern Conference team in the second-to-last game of the regular season.

North Carolina played without receiver Dazz Newsome, who was suspended after missing a practice during the week.

--Field Level Media