No. 5 North Carolina has yet to trail this season thanks, in part, to the fact that it has scored a touchdown on its opening possession in each of its three games. It's not by chance or that the Tar Heels have been set up nicely by a turnover or long return.
UNC coach Mack Brown says it's the scheme and game plan. Sophomore quarterback Sam Howell said it's all about their mentality. Truth is, it's a little bit of both, which is why Howell likes to get the ball and score instead of deferring to the second half when they win the coin toss.
"That's kind of what we talked about right before we go out onto the field, just setting the tone for the game," Howell told reporters on a video call. "And after that, if we score on the first drive, it kind of gives our offense like a sign of confidence knowing that we can go down and put a drive together and score."
Against Syracuse, it was an 11-play, 65-yard drive. Against Boston College, the Heels went 83 yards in 12 plays. And against Virginia Tech, they completed a 75-yard drive also in 11 plays.
There hasn't been a common play-calling thread that would sum up how the Heels have been able to be consistent. What has been common is that they haven't hurt themselves during their opening drives. Out of those 34 total plays, only two have resulted in negative yardage from sacks against the Orange and the Eagles. Another two times, the Heels were called for holding penalties including one that wiped out senior running back Michael Carter's 41-yard run against the Orange.
