Sam Howell’s Heisman Trophy hopes are likely dashed, but he showed why he’s UNC’s MVP
In those split seconds in the fourth quarter of North Carolina’s 58-55 win over Wake Forest on Saturday when quarterback Sam Howell stayed down after a run, doomsday scenarios rolled through the minds of everyone watching.
Did all that running finally catch up to him? He had a career-high 21 carries against Wake, and the last one was what had him on the synthetic grass at Kenan Stadium looking at the sky. Howell has taken a lot of hits this season from being sacked 34 times and from more designed quarterback runs in the game plan.
Was it his shoulder? The replay showed Howell seemed to land on his right shoulder while being tackled by Wake senior defensive tackle Miles Fox and all of his 6-foot-1, 297-pound frame.
Would he come back for the game or even the season? All the Tar Heels have known for the past three seasons is Howell’s consistency at quarterback. His 29-yard touchdown pass to Antoine Green against the Deacs extended his nation-leading streak to 34 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass. Or, for those counting at home, he’s thrown one in every game he’s played for UNC.
Luckily for Carolina, he was just out of breath.
Howell said the same thing happened last year in their loss at Virginia, but he got up and was going to play through it. He came off the field late and UNC ended up taking a delay of game penalty while trying to get quarterback Jacolby Criswell in the game to run a play. So he stayed down on Saturday and conceded he’d be out for a play.
“I just fell on the ball and got the wind knocked out of me,” Howell said. “It’s something where I really didn’t want to have to lay down. But I just couldn’t breathe at the time and just had to kind of let the air get back to me.”
Rolling up more than 10,000 total yards from scrimmage will do that to you. Howell is in rare air after passing for 216 yards and a touchdown and running for 104 yards with two more scores. He surpassed former UNC quarterback Marquis Williams (2012-15) to become the school’s career leader in total yards with 10,515 and counting.
“Sam Howell again, plays great,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “He ends up being the all-time leader in total yardage at the University of North Carolina, which is a special, special tribute to him and accomplishment by him. And only in three years — less than three years.”
Howell transformed from just being a pocket passer into more of a dual-threat because the team needed him to do so. Consider, his first two seasons combined Howell gained just 181 yards rushing. He averaged 1.0 yards per carry and 7.2 yards per game.
This season, Howell’s rushed for 699 yards and eight touchdowns. He could very well add his name to a short list of major college quarterbacks to pass for more than 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the regular season.
“I’m not huge about records, but it’s definitely something I don’t take for granted,” Howell said. “I’m just super, super blessed to be in this position. There’s been so many, so many players that have helped me get to this point. And credit Marquise for being a phenomenal player and role model to me, one of my biggest supporters. So, you know, it’s just an awesome, awesome thing to accomplish.”
Brown presented Howell the game ball in Carolina’s locker room after the game. Although he’s no longer mentioned as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, there’s no question who the Tar Heels most valuable player is.
“He’s a great quarterback, great leader,” running back Ty Chandler said. “He gets us all on the same page and keeps us in tune and that’s what he does every day. He comes to work every day so I’m not surprised to see it pay off.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Sam Howell’s Heisman Trophy hopes are likely dashed, but he showed why he’s UNC’s MVP."