MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Instead of getting down on himself and his situation after not winning the starting quarterback job, Conner Harrell chose to stay sharp, focused, and ready.

If his time came, the third-year sophomore wasn’t going to let his North Carolina teammates down one for all and all for one.

So when starter Max Johnson went down with an apparent ugly injury, Harrell was summoned to the field. The mission: win the game.

“I’ve just got to go out there and do what I know what to do and win the game for the guys…,” Harrell said following the contest. “I’ve got to muscle up and do what I got to do.”

It wasn’t Harrell’s job to put forth heroics in leading the Tar Heels in their 19-17 victory at Minnesota on Thursday night. The mantra was to not screw up, move the chains, and score a few more points. And he did just that.

The Alabama native and former Valedictorian guided the Heels to a pair of field goal drives, including a 45-yard conversion by Noah Burnette with 1:44 remaining that proved to be the winning points at Huntington Bank Stadium.

"I told Conner, 'you're really, really good. It came down to the end where we didn't know which one to start. Go win the game,’” UNC Coach Mack Brown said. “And you know, some kids would have pouted. They didn't start. Some kids would have had a chip on their shoulder the whole game. I was looking for him fast and he was warming up by himself. And then he came out and said, 'we're good coach.'”

The key play in the game-winning drive offered a glimpse of what may be coming with Harrell as UNC’s QB1.

He rolled to his left in a read option, deked a couple of Golden Gopgrrs before finding J.J. Jones for a 32-yard gain and putting the Tar Heels in field goal range.

“I saw him a little late but got it to him,” Harrell said, smiling.

Now likely Carolina’s quarterback provided however long Johnson is out, Harrell has the job he battled for all offseason until recently.

With home games against Charlotte, NC Central, and James Madison in tap for the next three weeks, Harrell has time to corral the keys to engineer the rest of Carolina’s season.

“We've got to figure out exactly what he does best,” Brown said. “But that play he made, where he could run and throw, is who he is. And he can do that.”

Looking ahead, Harrell will have his chances.