3 Stars: Georgia State-UNC

North Carolina picked up its first win of the 2021 football season by defeating Georgia State, 59-17, on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.

The Tar Heels were a bit sluggish in the first half leading just 24-10 at the intermission. That changed after halftime, as they exploded in the third quarter to pull away. UNC finished with 607 total yards, with 403 coming in the second half.

The No. 24 Tar Heels improved to 1-1 on the season while the Panthers dropped to 0-2.

Here are out 3 Stars from UNC’s win over Georgia State:

Howell turned in a spectacular performance by completing 21 of 29 pass attempts for 352 yards and three touchdowns while also running the ball 11 times for 104 yards and two more TDs. One of the scoring runs went for 22 yards on Carolina's first possession, and the other was on a 62-yard dash in the third quarter.

He became just the second Tar Heel to ever pass for 300-plus and run for 100-plus in a game, joining Marquise Williams, who accomplished it in a loss at Notre Dame in 2014.

Green made a couple of outstanding catches among his three on the night for a total of 117 yards and a touchdown, as he gave Howell another big-time target. Green hauled in a 31-yard reception displaying his ability to turn and catch the ball, and on his 57-yard TD catch and run, he fought off physical play from the defensive back to catch the ball and race into the end zone.

After hauling in nine passes for 132 yards and a score last week at Virginia Tech, Downs, clearly a marked man by the Panthers, grabbed eight more passes Saturday night for 73 yards and a score. His ability to get past the defense with his impressive speed is understood, but Downs has proven he can serve in a move-the-chains role as well, which was the case at times versus GSU.

A close fourth: The UNC defense allowed only 271 yards on the night, the second consecutive week the Heels’ opponent failed to amass 300 yards. And, if you remove the 17-play, 75-yard drive Georgia State had, Carolina surrendered just 196 yards on 58 plays the rest of the way, which is an average of only 3.8 yards per snap.

Also receiving votes: Cam Kelly; the student section.