CHAPEL HILL — Marquise Williams passed for 211 yards and accounted for three touchdowns to help North Carolina beat North Carolina A&T 53-14 on Saturday night.
Elijah Hood rushed for 56 yards and two scores for the Tar Heels (1-1), who won their home opener for the fifth consecutive year.
North Carolina improved to 4-0 under coach Larry Fedora against Football Championship Subdivision competition, winning those games by an average of more than 47 points per game.
The Tar Heels scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions while racing out to a 36-0 lead at halftime.
They led 53-0 until Kwashaun Quick scored on a 1-yard touchdown run for North Carolina A&T (1-1) late in the third quarter.
Quick was 7 of 19 for 78 yards and two interceptions for the Aggies, who dropped to 0-3 all time against Football Bowl Subdivision foes.
Hood rushed for 138 yards on just 13 carries in North Carolina’s season-opening loss to South Carolina, prompting questions about why he didn’t get the ball more. His workload wasn’t an issue against the Aggies.
Hood had eight carries in the first quarter, including a pair of bruising 1-yard touchdown runs that bookended a 47-yard touchdown catch by Kendrick Singleton.
Tight end Brandon Fritts added touchdown catches of 2 yards and 1 yard, the first two receptions of his career, in the second quarter.
Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky threw the first of those scoring strikes, and he added a 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The Aggies had some success moving the ball against North Carolina’s retooled defense, but the Tar Heels came up with key takeaways as they built their lead.
Sam Smiley recovered a fumble and returned it 52 yards to set up Hood’s second touchdown, and Shakeel Rashad intercepted a pass to thwart the Aggies’ most promising drive of the first half. M.J. Stewart also had an interception for the Tar Heels.
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