TALLAHASSEE, FL – Sixteen plays. Ninety-three yards. Eight minutes and 11 seconds.

That was the offensive drive for North Carolina on Saturday that set it apart from Florida State.

It was a masterpiece for a unit that has at times strung together lengthy drives, but this one came at precisely the right time springing forward the Tar Heels to an emphatic 35-11 victory over Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The best drive after perhaps the team’s best week of practice this season.

“One hundred percent,” UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell replied, when asked if that drive touched on their highest level thus far. “I think this week was probably the best week of practice, if I’m being honest. We just executed as an offense and knew the game plan thick-and-thin.

“We just knew coming in here it was going to be a dog fight, and we had to make sure we had all cleats in the ground and kept moving forward.”

The drive started modestly for the Tar Heels (5-4, 2-3 ACC). Omarion Hampton ran for four yards to the 11-yard-line followed by his two-yard gain. Then the first third-down conversion of the possession came courtesy of Criswell finding Christian Hamilton over the middle for a 10-yard gain.

The rest of the drive:

-Hampton seven-yard run

-Criswell pass to John Copenhaver for two yards

-Hampton inside run for three yards on third-and-one

-Davion Gause inside run for four yards

-Criswell two-yard gain

-Criswell pass to Paul Billups for five yards on third-and-four

-Criswell to Kobe Paysour for 17 yards to the FSU 37

-Criswell lost a yard

-Hampton inside run for 15 yards

-Hampton no gain

-Criswell to Paysour for 18 yards

-Hampton three yards to the FSU 2

-Hampton two-yard touchdown run

Six first downs, 3-for-3 on third downs, and a little bit of everything as the Tar Heels took control with a 14-3 lead with 1:57 left before halftime.

It was a near-perfect drive for a team that expects more to come.

"Yes,” Brown said on the drive being nearly perfect. “They get better every day.”

FSU (1-8, 1-7) Coach Mike Norvell’s defense was seemingly helpless on the drive, and too often in other aspects of the game. UNC was 11-for-16 on third down, ran the ball for 289 yards, and its longest drive of the day in snaps, yards, and time consumed served as an afternoon-long metaphor for how this game played out.

“I mean, they were 11 of 16. I think they were close to 80 percent most of the game there on third downs,” Norvell said. “When you have opportunities, whether it's a one-on-one, whether it's a chance to have a sack, have a takeaway, those things, they change the dynamics of games.

“When teams are able to sustain drives and do that, it has a huge effect. It has a huge effect on the number of plays that you're playing, the time of possession, field position, all those things. We had opportunities. We had opportunities on multiple 3rd downs to be able to get off the field, and we didn't. We weren't able to accomplish that throughout the night.”

FSU didn’t accomplish its objective but Carolina did. And that’s why it pulled away for the win.