Hampton Leads Tar Heels to Commanding Win Over Seminoles

© Robert Myers-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned a confidence-building road win over the staggering Florida State Seminoles (1-8, 1-7). With the dominant 35-11 win, the Tar Heels continue their recent positive momentum and are now just one win away from bowl eligibility.

North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton was the story of the day. He was unstoppable on offense, taking 35 touches for 265 total yards and scoring all five of the Tar Heels' touchdowns. As a result of 172 yards on the ground, Hampton has now rushed for over 3,000 yards in his college career.

In addition to Hampton's star performance, North Carolina's tenacious defensive front continued to shine. Defensive lineman Beau Atkinson led the charge with 3.5 sacks for a defense that combined for 7 sacks and allowed just 201 total yards on the day.

Game Summary

The Seminoles came out strong in a game that turned against them quickly. After taking an early field-goal lead, the Florida State defense stuffed the Tar Heels offense on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to swing the early momentum of the game in their direction. At the end of the first quarter, a motivated Seminoles team led 3-0.

The Tar Heels offense finally kicked into gear at the start of the second quarter. As a result of a physical run game and consistent success on third-down conversions, the Tar Heels began moving the ball with ease. Hampton bulldozed his way into the end zone to give the Tar Heels a 7-3 lead.

The Tar Heels were content to move the ball methodically as a result of their run game's success. North Carolina used a 16-play, 93-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock to wear down the Seminoles' defense. Hampton capped off the physical drive with another short TD run and the Tar Heels took a 14-3 lead into halftime.

The Tar Heels showed no signs of slowing down at the start of the third quarter. Hampton capped off an explosive opening drive with a resilient 31-yard TD for his third rushing score of the day. After Florida State briefly showed signs of life on offense and pulled within 10 points, North Carolina responded decisively. Hampton powered in for his fourth TD of the day on a drive that took less than four minutes to drain the life out of Florida State's comeback hopes.

Hampton's fifth TD put the finishing touches on an impressive 35-11 win for North Carolina.

Turning Point for Tar Heels

After Florida State scored on an explosive drive to pull within 10 points, it felt like the Seminoles had a chance to mount a comeback. North Carolina went on a 7-play, 75-yard drive that consisted of seven runs by Hampton. The star running back bulldozed into the end zone to shift the game's momentum back to the Tar Heels for good.

What it Means

The Tar Heels have now put together two impressive performances in a row to inject life into a season that looked like a lost cause. After losing four straight games because of a feeble defensive front, the Tar Heels are now dominating as a direct result of their havoc-wreaking defensive line. North Carolina is now full of confidence heading into its bye week and are just one win away from bowl eligibility.

© Robert Myers-Imagn Images

The Seminoles continue their frustrating season in which there have been few bright spots on either side of the ball. With the season well out of hand, head coach Mike Norvell has given some of the younger talent a chance to shine. Their struggles have been inevitable but somewhat concerning. Freshman quarterbacks Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek have shown flashes of talent but have generally stumbled at the helm of the offense, giving little hope of a brighter future in the coming seasons. Norvell will continue to try to turn things around when the Seminoles visit the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1) next week.