UNC win over Georgia Tech - Player of the Game: Elijah Hood

For a lot of this season, Elijah Hood hasn’t produced at quite the same level as last season.

He hasn’t been bad. Other than the Pitt game, and the Florida State game where he was injured right before halftime, he’s put up mostly good numbers. He’s been pretty good for most of the year. It’s just the expectation were for him to be great, and he hasn’t quite been that. Against Georgia Tech, he was great.

Hood ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets, helping the Tar Heels to a 48-20 win over Georgia Tech. He did all of that on just 12 carries, averaging 14 yards per carry

His first touch of the game came on Carolina’s second play from scrimmage. He took that for a 45-yard gain, starting what would be a big day for the Tar Heel running back. Three plays after that, he punched it in from the one yard line, capping an efficient first drive for the UNC offense.

Carolina had opened up a 10-0 lead when Georgia Tech responded with a touchdown. On the following drive, UNC got into Yellow Jackets’ territory, before Tech forced a fourth down. The Tar Heels gave the ball to Hood on 4th & 1 on the 36, and Hood picked up the first down, and then 35 more yards. Hood’s second touchdown put Carolina up 17-7, and gave him over 100 yards in the first quarter alone.

His third touchdown capped off a drive that put Carolina up 34-20. After that, the Yellow Jackets never answered back, and the Tar Heels cruised to a 28-point win.

Hood put up all those numbers while getting no touches in the second quarter and just one on the first drive in the fourth.

Elijah Hood’s 2016 season has been far from bad. It may not have been what people were expecting coming into the season, but he’s been fine. But he turned it up a level today. If this Elijah Hood shows up for the final three games of the regular season, the Tar Heels should be in pretty decent shape.