TALLAHASSEE, FL - ‘Feed the hot hand’ is a decades old adage.
It can oftentimes apply on the basketball court, but, on Saturday, Chip Lindsey and the North Carolina offense brought it to the gridiron.
With 6:27 remaining in the third quarter, Florida State converted a 4th-and-3, as quarterback Brock Glenn connected with Ja’Khi Douglas for a 28-yard touchdown, trimming UNC’s lead over the Seminoles to 21-11.
The Noles were suddenly making things interesting, putting Carolina on its heels, and it needed to answer.
Omarion Hampton, who had the hot hand in the first half, continued his historic day, willing UNC to the endzone on a personal 7-play, 75-yard drive.
Hampton burst out into space on the opening play, rushing for 43 yards and drawing a horse collar penalty.
The All-American back toted the rock on the next five plays, tallying 16 yards to bring the Tar Heels within one yard of a back-breaking score. North Carolina also found itself one negative play away from its second turnover on downs at the FSU 1-yard line.
Either way, the drive for the Tar Heels was going to end in seven plays, and with the game at a pivotal point, the solution was simple: feed the hot hand in Hampton.
“I just knew if it was fourth-and-one and we were at the goal line, I had to get it in,” said Hampton. “I wasn’t thinking about tiredness. I was just trying to get it in the endzone.”
Hampton bulldozed his way across the goal line on the ensuing play, ending a 7-play drive that resulted in seven consecutive carries.
It extended the Tar Heels’ lead to 28-11 and reminded UNC Coach Mack Brown of his team’s bread and butter, and that the decision to hand it off to Hampton was an easy one.
“He’s our best player, and if you can beat them with your best player then that’s what you need to do,” said Brown.
In the second half, the Tar Heels relied on the arm of quarterback Jacolby Criswell just twice, turning to the legs of Hampton, who rushed for 115 yards on 17 carries after halftime.
Brown credits the philosophy of offensive line coach Randy Clements for Hampton’s breakout performance.
“When we hired Randy Clements, it was because he had a hat on that said, ‘Run the damn ball,’” said Brown. “I should wear it every day at practice and wear it to every game.”
Hampton finished the afternoon with 35 total touches, amassing 265 total yards, and five touchdowns. He eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark for his career and secured 100 or more rushing yards for the eighth time this season. He also passed Natrone Means and Ethan Horton into seventh all-time at UNC in rushing yards now with 3,082.
And, despite being one of the best running backs not only in the ACC, but in the country, Hampton lets his play do the talking.
“He’s not a guy that’s going to talk too much, but when he’s on the football field, you want to have him out there,” said Criswell.
The final score reflects a dominating win for the Tar Heels, but for a brief moment in the third quarter, the outcome was in jeopardy. By feeding the hot hand and putting Hampton’s ability on display, UNC earned its second-straight win and improved to above .500.
“This was a box night for him,” said Brown. “He checked all the boxes and he’s really, really happy about it.”
A man of few words, but a man of many yards, Hampton turned in a career day, but most importantly, orchestrated a 75-yard trip to the endzone when North Carolina needed it most.
