By Bob Sutton, Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Omarion Hampton rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns to lift North Carolina past stubborn North Carolina Central in a 45-10 victory Saturday night.

The last of Hampton’s 25 carries was a 4-yard touchdown run as North Carolina (3-0) scored two TDs in less than a four-minute stretch early in the fourth quarter and went up 31-10.

North Carolina’s sputtering offense earlier resulted in starting quarterback Conner Harrell and back-up Jacolby Criswell both playing in various stretches.

Walker Harris threw for 88 yards on 7-for-15 passing for NC Central (1-2), which had 167 yards of total offense.

The Tar Heels racked up 28 fourth-quarter points.

NC Central, a Football Championship Subdivision team, kept the ball for almost 7½ minutes on the game’s first possession, scoring on J’Mari Taylor’s 5-yard run. The Eagles drove into North Carolina territory on their next drive, but they were unable to add to their lead.

NC Central was about to get the ball back again, but a muffed punt altered the momentum. The Tar Heels cashed in on Hampton’s 11-yard run in the first minutes of the second quarter.

He scored from 2 yards out on North Carolina’s next drive.

With Harrell unable to get the Tar Heels’ offense moving on their first two possessions, he was pulled in favor of Criswell. Harrell returned after the team’s first possession of the second half ended on downs.

Liam Boyd, filling in for injured kicker Noah Burnette, booted a 36-yard field goal on his first career attempt.

North Carolina was dinged for 10 penalties in the first half. Neither team scored in the third quarter.

NC Central snapped six plays inside the North Carolina 10-yard line after the first-half two-minute warning, reaching the Tar Heels’ 1, and came away with Juan Velarde’s 35-yard field goal.

The Takeaway

N.C. Central: The Eagles stayed in the game after suffering a 22-point loss a home to Elon a week earlier. But the lack of sustained offense eventually caught up to the Eagles, who didn’t score in the second half and were probably worn down by North Carolina.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels were playing the middle game of a three-game homestand and they had unexpected struggles on offense and defense. It looks like there could be questions regarding the quarterback position as they try to sort out the offense after starter Max Johnson suffered a season-ending injury in the opener at Minnesota.

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Source: wralsportsfan.com