North Carolina Football: 3 takeaways from thrilling victory over Miami

Mack Brown found a way to pull out another victory in his second game back as head coach of North Carolina football. What can we take from this victory?

North Carolina had the lead for the majority of this game. They came out firing on all cylinders and took a 17-3 lead in the first quarter. Late in the fourth Miami made a push and finally claimed their first lead in the game.

Freshmen Sam Howell took the Tar Heels down the field and punched in the game winner with a little over a minute in the game.

So, what did we learn from this game?

3. Sam Howell is the real deal

Sam Howell won the hearts of the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 1 with a win over SEC foe South Carolina. He walked into his first home start with the powdered blue crowd behind him 100 percent, and he didn’t disappoint.

Howell continued to show his poise in the pocket with a great Miami defensive line breathing down his neck the entire night. Howell completed 66 percent of his passes. Freshmen quarterbacks in the power five typically have issues going through their progressions and finding the open receiver. Howell has no issues looking to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th receiver if needed.

Sam did go on to throw for two touchdowns in the game and none were bigger than the one that came at 1:10 left in the game. Howell stepped up in the pocket when the pressure came down on him. He looked a defender off and threw a perfect pass over the cornerback and safety. Newsome came up with the grab for the game winner.

This freshman quarterback is playing great football and looks like he is poised to have a big season for the North Carolina Tar Heels.