If you were wondering how long it would take for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to storm back to the Heisman Trophy discussion in 2017, the answer was two games.
After a close call in Indianapolis a week ago against Purdue, Lamar Jackson accounted for six touchdowns to help No. 17 Louisville (2-0, 1-0 ACC) pull away for a road win against North Carolina (0-2, 0-1 ACC). The Cardinals and Tar Heels went back and forth for much of the afternoon, but a 20-7 fourth quarter saw the Cardinals pulls away for the 47-35 victory.
Jackson passed for 393 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also finished the day with 132 rushing yards and three more touchdowns. While he had some questionable moments, Jackson proved once again that when he is at his best, he is incredibly good.
UNC switched quarterbacks in the second half, moving on from Chazz Surratt in the first half to LSU transfer Brandon Harris in the second. Surratt played well in the first half, completing 12 of 14 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, but a possible ankle injury left him on the sideline after halftime. Haris had a fine afternoon with 216 passing yards and a touchdown. UNC receiver Austin Proehl‘s eight catches for 120 yards was impressive, but Louisville receiver Jaylen Smith led all players with 183 receiving yards, including a 75-yard bomb from Jackson.
Louisville will finally get to play a home game next week, and it will be a big one. The Cardinals welcome Clemson to town in a big time ACC Atlantic Division matchup. Clemson took last year’s meeting en route to the ACC and national championship, although Jackson piled up big numbers against the Tigers.
UNC will be on the road next week to play at Old Dominion of Conference USA.
