North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh Postgame Notes

Posted Nov 15, 2019
North Carolina falls to 4-6 this season and 3-4 in ACC play. UNC is now 10-4 all-time against Pitt and has its six game winning streak snapped against the Panthers. The Tar Heels are 4-7 all-time in overtime games, including 1-3 on the road. All three losses have come in the last two seasons.

• Earlier this season, UNC and Virginia Tech played six overtimes in the longest game in ACC history that was won by the Hokies, 43-41.

• Carolina has now played in four overtime games in the last two seasons spanning 16 games. L, 40-37 (2OT) at Syracuse in 2018; L, 34-28 vs. NC State in 2018; L, 43-41 (6OT) at Virginia Tech in 2019; L 34-37 at Pitt in 2019. Game captains: Myles Dorn, Marcus McKethan, Dominique Ross, and Jason Strowbridge.

• Carolina drops to 0-41 over the last 15 seasons when trailing by 14 or more points in a game. The Tar Heels trailed 24-10 entering the fourth quarter.

• Nine of UNC’s 10 games this season have been decided by seven points or less. That is the most by any team in the AP Poll era going back to 1936.

• Sam Howell’s three touchdown passes gives him 29 for the season, the third most ever by an ACC freshman quarterback. Only FSU’s Jamies Winston (40, 2013) and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (30, 2018) had more in a season.

• Howell's 29 touchdown passes are the second most ever by a Tar Heel QB, trailing only Mitch Trubisky’s 30 TDs in 2016.

• Howell entered the game 183 yards away from setting the single-season passing record for a UNC freshman quarterback. His 26-yard pass to Beau Corrales in the third quarter allowed Howell to move past T.J. Yates, who had 2,655 yards passing in 2007.

• Howell threw multiple touchdowns for the 10th straight game to begin his career. That is the longest active streak in FBS moving past Ohio State's Justin Fields, who sits on nine straight entering Saturday’s game at Rutgers.

• Howell tossed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He is tied with SMU’s Shane Buechele for the national lead with 10 TD passes in the fourth quarter.

• This game marked Howell’s fifth game with three or more passing touchdowns in his true freshman campaign.

• Howell recorded his fifth game with 300 or more passing yards this season, and the fourth occurrence in the last five games. He finished the game 27 for 43 for 322 yards and three touchdowns against one interception.

• WR Beau Corrales caught his sixth touchdown pass of the season, a 21-yard strike from Sam Howell in the first quarter. Corrales set a new career high with 92 receiving yards on five catches.

• WR Dyami Brown hauled in his ninth receiving TD of the season in the fourth quarter. He ranks second in the ACC in receiving touchdowns and his season total is the fourth most in a single season at Carolina, tied with Marcus Wall (1994). Hakeem Nicks (12 in 2008), Dwight Jones (12 in 2011) and Quinshad Davis (10 in 2013) are the only three players ahead of Brown.

• WR Dazz Newsome set new career highs with 170 receiving yards and 11catches. It marks the third time in four games he has gone over 100 receiving yards this season. He also had 110 yards receiving against Pitt last year in Chapel Hill.

• Newsome’s 11 catches are the most by a Tar Heel receiver since Ryan Switzer had 13 catches against NC State in 2016.

• Dyami Brown (9), Dazz Newsome (7) and Beau Corrales (6) have combined for 22 TD receptions this season.

• RB Antonio Williams’ 59-yard rush in the second quarter was the longest of the season for the Tar Heels and the longest for Williams at Carolina. After rushing for 114 yards against Pitt in 2018, Williams went over 100 yards for the third time in his career with 107 yards on 12 carries.