Williams' Career Effort Adds To UNC's Victory
ATLANTA - North Carolina sophomore running back Javonte Williams had an afternoon to remember in the Tar Heels’ 38-22 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday at Historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Williams finished with a career-high 144 rushing yards and one touchdown against the Yellow Jackets. The Wallace, NC, native did so on just 20 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush, with his longest of the day going for 32.
Prior to Saturday’s victory, Williams had rushed for over 100 yards one time in UNC’s first five games, which came in the season-opening victory over South Carolina where he finished with 102.
It wasn’t just the Williams show, however, as the Tar Heels’ offense had their best game of the year, finishing with a season-high 587 total yards, 211 of which came on the ground. Freshman quarterback Sam Howell said Williams’ success running the ball helped free up the passing attack, which ended up benefitting the entire offense as a whole.
Despite his career day, Howell wasn’t at all shocked by Williams’ performance. He saw it coming.
“I see it every single day, Javonte comes and works his ass off,” Howell said. “I’m not surprised he’s been having a lot of success.”
Junior wide receiver Beau Corrales, who finished with five catches for 54 yards and one touchdown, also credited Williams’ work ethic with his impressive display in Atlanta.
“Javonte is a hard-nosed football kind of guy,” Corrales said. “His effort goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen before, whether it’s on the field or off the field. I love being able to see him grow as a player and as a person.”
While his teammates we’re quick to give Williams all the praise, UNC head coach Mack Brown was not. He also made sure to mention the offensive line, a group that is one of the team’s youngest, fielding only one upperclassman starter in senior Charlie Heck.
“I’ve been really happy with Javonte and Michael Carter throughout the year,” Brown said. “And, as they’ve gotten better, that means the offensive line’s gotten better. They took a lot of heat early.”
Sophomore offensive tackle Jordan Tucker said Williams’ production wasn’t simply down to them. It was a joint effort.
“We make each other look good,” Tucker said. “Coach (Robert) Gillespie, our running backs coach, said it before the game, ‘we’re one,’ they do the same thing. They’re trying to block and they're trying to help us out as much as we’re trying to help them out. We see each other as equals and we’re just trying to put points on the board.”
UNC picked up only its second win in Atlanta over the Yellow Jackets since 1997 and Williams’ career-best performance, in part due to the improved play of the offensive line, had a lot to do with it.