UNC vs. James Madison - Player of the Game: Mitch Trubisky

Against James Madison, North Carolina’s defense struggled for much of the game. However, UNC was able to pull away in the second quarter because the offense did not have the same issues. The rushing game played a part, but a whole lot of that was down to Mitch Trubisky.

Five of UNC’s eight touchdowns came on the ground, but the passing game was mostly what moved Carolina down the field. Trubisky threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns before being pulled early in the fourth quarter, with the game out of hand.

The most impressive aspect of his game against the Dukes was Trubisky’s efficiency. He racked up those 400+ yards with 24 completions on 27 attempts. Two of those incompletions came on the very first drive. The third came on the first play of the second quarter. After that, he was able to move the ball in the air without trouble, and that added up to a record-setting day.

(He later broke those records.)

Trubisky’s most prolific target on the day was Ryan Switzer. The pair connected five times, including a 75 yard flea flicker touchdown that elicited celebrations from Mack Hollins before the ball was even in the air.

In all, Trubisky completed a pass to eight different players, with Switzer, Hollins, and Bug Howard all catching a touchdown. Trubisky also rushed for 26 yards on five attempts. Most of that came on a 14-yard rush early in the third quarter.

Future games will provide sterner tests than FCS James Madison. While this game was a little more interesting for Carolina fans than we would like, that was hardly due to Mitch Trubisky and the offense. They did plenty.

After his sub-standard performance in the Georgia game, Trubisky has looked a little more settled since, which is good. To get wins against Pitt and Florida State, North Carolina will need both facets of the offense working.