No. 13: 2015
Our series ranking the 20 best UNC football teams of all time continues today. Once this series concludes, we will rank the best UNC basketball teams of all time:
No. 13: 2015
Record: 11-3 (8-0)
Bowl: Russell Athletic Bowl, Lost 49-38 to Baylor
Ranking: No. 15
Coach: Larry Fedora
All-Americans: Landon Turner, OG, Ryan Switzer, Return Specialist.
First-Team All-ACC: Elijah Hood, RB; Landon Turner, OG.
Honors: None.
What’s To Know: Everything came together for the 2015 Tar Heels. With new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik on hand, the Heels were much better on that side of the ball, allowing 100 fewer yards per game in the regular season than in 2014. It balanced out a unit that ranked No. 18 nationally in total offense and No. 9 in scoring at 40.7 points per game, the most ever in UNC history.
The Tar Heels lost the opener to South Carolina in Charlotte in part because quarterback Marquise Williams was intercepted three times in the red zone. But he rebounded to lead the Heels to 11 straight wins, the most in the same season in program history. Williams proved to be one of the great leaders in Carolina history. The Tar Heels won the ACC’s Coastal Division clinching it with an overtime win at Virginia Tech (great catch by Quinshad Davis) in Hokies' coach Frank Beamer's last home game. UNC then took eventual national runner-up Clemson to the wire in the ACC championship game.
Perhaps the game that really got things going was at Georgia Tech in week five. The Tar Heels overcame a 21-0 deficit in the second quarter to win 38-31. Williams scored three TDs that day, including a receiving score completing the comeback.
In addition to the scoring record, Carolina set 61 other team records that season, including most total yards of offense per game in a season (486.9), most total yards per play in a season (7.3), most touchdowns in a season (73), most first downs in a season (335), most rushing yards in a season (3,142), most passing yards in a season (3,675), most passing touchdowns in a season (31), most points scored in back-to-back games (125 - 66 vs. Duke; 59 vs. Miami), most points scored in one quarter (35 at NC State - first quarter).
Carolina was loaded with playmakers, as six Heels made All-ACC second team and six more made third team. The Heels weren’t ranked until November but found themselves at No. 8 heading into the ACC title game.