CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ When North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell emerged from the home locker room at Bank of America Stadium Saturday night, about an hour after he won his first-ever college game, he appeared calm.
Howell became the first true freshman to start a season-opener at quarterback for UNC, and finished it with a 24-20 win over South Carolina. Howell threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns and scored a two-point conversion to help the Tar Heels overcome an 11-point deficit.
After the game, a group of about 30 reporters surrounded him with cameras and microphones. Still, he looked undisturbed.
"I trusted myself, I trusted my teammates," Howell said Saturday night, when asked if he felt any pressure. "I was just trying to seize the moment, take advantage of this opportunity."
Howell, the hometown kid, who set state records at nearby Sun Valley High School, did not let the moment get the best of him.
He finished the afternoon 15-of-24 for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
"He has great composure," UNC coach Mack Brown said Monday. "Not much bothers him. The way y'all see him is the way we see him everyday."
His composure _ especially when down two scores in the second half _ is what helped Howell and UNC pull off the upset, breaking a 22-year losing streak of season-openers against Power 5 opponents.
Two years before Howell arrived at UNC, former quarterback Mitchell Trubisky left school early for the NFL draft, and the Tar Heels struggled to find a solid quarterback. And barely managed to throw the ball deeper than 10 yards throughout last season.
But Howell showed Saturday that those issues are a thing of the past.
North Carolina's coaching staff chose to be conservative early in the game. At a press conference Monday, UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo said he chose to go conservative because he knew he had a freshman at quarterback and wanted to make sure Howell got into a rhythm. In the Tar Heels' first 12 plays inside the red zone, they ran it 10 times and kicked two field goals.
But after trailing 20-9 in the third quarter, they knew that approach wasn't working and decided to let Howell loose.
Howell was 7-of-11 for 94 yards and no touchdowns at the break. After the half, he was 8-of-13 for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He completed his last seven passes, and six of those went for 17 yards or more.
He threw a 22-yard touchdown pass on a fade route to sophomore wide receiver Dyami Brown early in the fourth quarter, capping a 98-yard drive. Brown, who had a defender holding one arm on him, initially bobbled the catch. But he secured it as he reached the ground.
Six minutes later, the Tar Heels scored again. This time, Howell threw a 17-yard pass on a fade route to junior wide receiver Beau Corrales, who caught it over his right shoulder. That touchdown gave UNC the 24-20 lead, which turned out to be the game-winning score.
"Sam, for a true freshman, who was sitting in a high school class in December and had to face an SEC defense on opening day, I mean, I think we're all pretty happy about his overall performance," Longo said.
Howell did make a few mistakes early on. In the third quarter, he got away with a pass that went through a South Carolina defenders' hands, and was somehow caught by UNC junior wide receiver Dazz Newsome. And when scrambling, he took some unnecessary hits.
"The No. 1 thing is he needs to learn to get down," Brown said of Howell. "Coach Longo will be teaching him to slide today, I'm sure."
He also fumbled it twice. In the second quarter, he attempted to run and lost control of the ball as he was tackled. Fortunately for the Tar Heels, UNC senior offensive lineman Charlie Heck jumped on the football.
The Tar Heels were not as fortunate on the second fumble. Late in the third quarter, Howell was sacked by South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn, and lost control of the ball. The Gamecocks recovered it at the UNC 42, but did not convert it into points.
As the Tar Heels move on to face a talented Miami defense, which forced three turnovers against Florida two weeks ago, Longo said taking care of the football will be the focus in practice for Howell.
Does that mean UNC will take a conservative approach again?
"I think we're kind of over that now," Longo said. "I think the first game of your career, butterflies are gone, and he's our quarterback and he's going to run the offense and we're going to run it the way we do with any veteran."
