2018 Breakdown: Nathan Elliott

THI begins a series in which we break down the 2018 season numbers for most of the key returning Tar Heels. Some of these players may end up choosing to enter the NFL draft, transfer or stop playing football for whatever reason, so there’s a chance not all of these players will be at UNC next season.

We begin with rising senior quarterback Nathan Elliott:

*Elliott completed 201 of 325 pass attempts for 2,169 yards, 11 TDs and 9 INTs. His long pass on the season went for 80 yards and he passed for 300 or more yards in three different games.

*Elliott dropped back to pass 335 times this season while attempting 225 passes. He was sacked just five times, scrambled three times, had six passes batted down, threw away 13 balls and 17 of his pass attempts were dropped. So, if you exclude the drops and throwaways, Elliott completed 65.2 percent of his pass attempts.

*Elliott was blitzed just 78 times on the season. He completed 36 of 76 pass attempts when being blitzed (47.4 percent) for 452 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs. He was sacked twice, had three balls dropped, threw away five passes and picked up 22 first downs with his completions.

-90-97 with 648 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs on passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage.

-62-93 with 467 yards, 1 TD and 5 INT on passes thrown between 1-9 yards downfield.

-33-60 with 511 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs on passes thrown between 10-19 yards downfield.

-14-51 with 520 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield.

-Elliott was blitzed 78 times when dropping back, and he was 36-76 passing with 452 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs.

*Elliott ran the ball 39 times for 62 yards – he gained 97 yards but lost 35.

*His long run went for 12 yards and he did not score a touchdown.

*He picked up seven first downs running the ball and had three runs that went for 10 or more yards.

*Elliott fumbled five times on the season.

THI’s Take: Elliott was obviously limited, something he openly admitted. But he was good at managing the offense, getting the team into position to snap the ball quickly and they did move the ball a lot this season. There’s a reason the Tar Heels finished the regular season No. 35 in the nation in total yards per game.

And that Elliott passed for 300 or more yards three times despite playing just eight full games is a testament to him, the staff for putting in position to move the team and for UNC’s receivers as many of the yards came after the catch. But they still happened.

Elliott has some options regarding next season. He will graduate this month and could go somewhere else and play as a grad transfer, he could stay at UNC and learn a new system, which would help him down the road since he wants to be a coach, and compete for a job. Or, he could look for opportunities as a grad transfer. He may have one at UNC. Whatever he chooses, Elliott will be an asset to the QB room.