North Carolina Football: 3 takeaways from Tar Heels’ Military Bowl win

North Carolina football restored some ACC pride as the Tar Heels routed Temple on Friday afternoon. Here are three takeaways from the Military Bowl.

North Carolina arrived in Annapolis a six-point favorite against Temple. The Tar Heels exceeded even the wildest expectations as they overwhelmed the Owls en route to a 55-13 victory to cap the 2019 season. Victory allowed Mack Brown’s team to finish above .500 in his first season back at the helm in Chapel Hill since the 20th century.

At halftime, the Tar Heels were up by two touchdowns and looked to have control over the game. They maintained that momentum in a third-quarter surge, scoring 21 unanswered points before Temple lit up the scoreboard again. By the start of the fourth quarter, UNC boasted a 28-point lead that allowed them to celebrate early in Annapolis.

This is the type of result that could give North Carolina a huge bowl bump in the 2020 preseason polls. With a slew of talent returning to the Tar Heels next season, pollsters are going to look at UNC and see a team that could contend for the ACC Coastal next year.

What should we take away from the huge North Carolina victory in the Military Bowl on the last Friday of 2019? Here are three things to hold on to as the Tar Heels head into the offseason following their blowout over Temple.