SAM HOWELL

LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Running backs and kickers — kickers? — were a focus in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. So maybe it shouldn't be surprising that LSU placekicker Cade York went to Cleveland at No. Of course, it can't be ignored that the Patriots once had some luck with a late-round QB. The philosophy of taking running backs deeper into proceedings is nothing new, and several highly accomplished ball carriers were taken in Round 4.

In Las Vegas, which bills itself as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” an NFL draft bereft of star quarterback prospects wouldn’t seem a fit.

Senior Bowl Football American Team quarterback Malik Willis, of Liberty, throws a pass during the first half of the NCAA Senior Bowl college football game, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) (Butch Dill)MOBILE, Ala. — (AP) — The pass rushers did their best to steal the show from quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Kenny Pickett in the Senior Bowl. Cincinnati's Ridder threw two touchdown passes and the National team had eight sacks in a 20-10 victory over the American team Saturday. Winfrey wore a jersey signed by teammates and got to follow in the Senior Bowl footsteps of Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, a 2014 alum of the game. “I've been dreaming about being in the Senior Bowl since I was a little kid,” Winfrey said. “I saw Aaron Donald dominate the Senior Bowl and I wanted to be the next to do that.”Pickett and Liberty's Malik Willis were among the Senior Bowl passers vying with Mississippi's Matt Corral to be the first quarterback picked.

Pickett and Liberty's Malik Willis were among the Senior Bowl passers vying with Mississippi's Matt Corral to be the first quarterback picked. He led Cincinatti to 44 wins in his career and to the College Football Playoffs this season, ending with a semifinal loss to Alabama. He collected a wide snap and ran left for a 2-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Then Ridder rolled right and hit Colorado State tight end Trey McBride for a 6-yard touchdown late in the second. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and the National team’ had eight sacks in a 20-10 victory over the American team in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.

The pass rushers did their best to steal the show from quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Kenny Pickett in the Senior Bowl. Cincinnati's Ridder threw two touchdown passes and the National team had eight sacks in a 20-10 victory over the American team Saturday. “We didn't come out here to lollygag through it," Minnesota defensive lineman Boye Mafe said.

The NFL announced that 73 underclassmen have been granted special eligibility for the draft, the fewest in the last seven years.

Dukes Mayo Bowl Preview Football FILE - North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell (7) rolls out while being chased by North Carolina State defensive tackle Davin Vann (45) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File) (Chris Seward)CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — (AP) — North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Howell's decision was not surprising, but he made it official Saturday with a video posted on North Carolina football's official Twitter account. Howell thanked teammates, coaches, North Carolina fans and God during his goodbye video. Howell leaves after a disappointing season for the Tar Heels, who started the season ranked No.

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer had a bucket of mayonnaise dumped over his head Thursday, putting a memorable and messy finish on the Gamecocks' 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Juju McDowell added a 35-yard TD run in the second quarter as South Carolina averaged 11.6 yards per play while opening a 25-13 lead in the first half. Sam Howell threw for 205 yards and a touchdown for the Tar Heels (6-7), and reserve running back British Brooks had a bowl record 63-yard touchdown run for the Tar Heels. South Carolina rotated Joyner and Noland under center, and both were effective. A lot of that has to do with former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler's decision to transfer to South Carolina.

Devin Leary threw two touchdown passes in a 26-second span, with No. 24 North Carolina State recovering an onside kick in between, to stun North Carolina 34-30 on Friday night and remain alive in the ACC Atlantic Division title chase.

APTOPIX North Carolina Pittsburgh Football North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, left, is sacked by Pittsburgh linebacker SirVocea Dennis during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, in Pittsburgh. 25 Pittsburgh's defense did the rest as the Panthers held off North Carolina 30-23 in the rain Thursday night. The Tar Heels were looking to beat a ranked opponent for the second time in five days. Pitt and North Carolina struggled to reach half that total as Howell and Pickett spent a significant portion of the night under heavy duress. Howell bulled his way over from 1-yard out on fourth down with 5:34 remaining to pull North Carolina within three.

Kenny Pickett hit Lucas Krull for an 11-yard touchdown pass in overtime as No. 25 Pittsburgh held off North Carolina 30-23.

That was the final blow for the Tar Heels (5-4) as they rallied from a huge third-quarter deficit to beat the Demon Deacons (8-1, No. He helped the Tar Heels post 546 yards and set up a tiebreaking 25-yard field goal by Grayson Atkins with 2:12 left. The Demon Deacons stalled out on downs on the ensuing drive, then Chandler took it all the way on the ensuing play. It didn't help that injuries in the secondary wore on the Demon Deacons as this game went on, making it tougher to slow down the Tar Heels as their offense picked up momentum. UNC: The Tar Heels have a short week and visit Pittsburgh on Thursday in what will be another high-profile quarterback matchup with Kenny Pickett.

Ty Chandler ran for career highs of 213 yards and four touchdowns and North Carolina overcame an 18-point deficit to beat No. 10 Wake Forest 58-55 on Saturday, handing the Demon Deacons their first loss in a nonconference matchup of instate Atlantic Coast Conference teams.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett headline The Associated Press' list of midseason football honorees for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jordan Travis threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores as Florida State upset North Carolina for the second year in row, winning 35-25.

North Carolina hosts Florida State this week in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

North Carolina Virginia Tech Football Virginia Tech's Raheem Blackshear (5) runs while pursued by North Carolina's Ja'Qurious Conley (0) and Eugene Asante (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Blacksburg, Va. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP) (Matt Gentry)BLACKSBURG, Va. — (AP) — Braxton Burmeister ran for a touchdown and threw for another and Virginia Tech made Sam Howell look pedestrian in a 17-10 victory over No. 10 North Carolina on Friday night in the opener for both teams. Virginia Tech: The Hokies drove for two touchdowns and to the North Carolina 10 on their first three possessions, failing to score on the middle drive when Keshawn King fumbled the ball away. They then played conservatively until Howell's pass to Downs got the Tar Heels on the board at 14-7. UP NEXTThe Tar Heels will be at home to face Georgia State on Saturday.

Florida State transfer quarterback McKenzie Milton said he feels 100% recovered from a gruesome knee injury which kept him out college football the last two years and is ready to compete for the Seminoles starting job.

He also knows it’s not that easy when working out against Heisman Trophy candidate Sam Howell, and he makes sure to pull aside frustrated defensive teammates to tell them so. Maybe not, but the challenges likely won’t get much easier on game days either considering the wealth of starting experience returning at quarterback throughout the Atlantic Coast Conference. Besides Howell, Miami star D’Eriq King is back for a sixth college season after suffering a serious knee injury in last year’s bowl game. Coach Mack Brown has already indicated this will likely be the quarterback’s final season before pursuing an NFL career. “I’d like to say I don’t think about it, but I see it, I hear about it all the time," Howell said of Heisman Trophy talk.

North Carolina's Sam Howell is a Heisman Trophy candidate and the headliner of the Atlantic Coast Conference's class of experienced returning quarterbacks.

Texas A&M head coach Jumbo Fisher raises his hands during the trophy presentation at the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Texas A&M defeated North Carolina 41-27. 14 North Carolina 41-27 on Saturday night — capping a winless bowl season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina: The Tar Heels gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter, after allowing just 17 points in the first 45 minutes. North Carolina still could finish ranked for only the fourth time in the last 27 seasons. North Carolina: An ACC opponent likely awaits in Week 1 next season.

13 CFP) in the 87th edition of the Orange Bowl. “I always say this: The Orange Bowl is as good as it gets,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Friday. Thing is, neither of those running backs — Michael Carter and Javonte Williams — chose to play in the Orange Bowl. “That’s 4,000 yards worth of offense and our leading tackler on defense and two captains,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. With them gone, it means even more pressure will be on North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.

20 North Carolina embarrassed No. Sam Howell threw for a score, ran for a score and caught a TD pass for the Tar Heels. North Carolina scored on its first six possessions, a streak that was only stopped by the clock getting to halftime. And when those rankings are updated Tuesday night, the Tar Heels will more than likely jump the Hurricanes; Miami was No. 10 in those rankings this past week, seven spots clear of North Carolina.

Series record: North Carolina leads 12-11. North Carolina would get to eight wins for the first time since 2016 with a victory. North Carolina was one of the schools that tried to land Roche when he left Temple and entered the transfer portal last year. ... Miami coach Manny Diaz was the defensive coordinator for North Carolina coach Mack Brown when Brown was at Texas; Brown fired Diaz in the 2013 season. ... Of the current ACC football members, North Carolina is one of only three schools with an over-.500 head-to-head record against Miami.

23 North Carolina State 48-21 on Saturday in the first meeting with both rivals ranked in the AP Top 25 since 1993. And it came two weeks after Carter and Williams powered the Tar Heels to 399 yards rushing in a win against Virginia Tech. But N.C. State managed 34 yards rushing and had four turnovers. UNC: The Tar Heels had won six straight games before last weekend’s loss at FSU. UNC: The Tar Heels visit Virginia next Saturday.

Jordan Travis ran for two touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to help Florida State build a big first-half lead, and the Seminoles held off No. Travis guided an offensive that generated 434 yards for Florida State (2-3, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), but was shut out in the second half. The Tar Heels (3-1, 3-1) drove into Florida State territory but had drops on third and fourth down in the final seconds to end the comeback bid. Florida State ran for a season-high 241 yards on 36 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. STILL WINLESSUNC coach Mack Brown has never beaten his alma mater in 10 meetings with Florida State.

North Carolina running back Javonte Williams (25) scores a touchdown against Virginia Tech during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

19 Virginia Tech. 19 Virginia Tech 56-45 on Saturday. Khalil Herbert ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns for Virginia Tech (2-1, 2-1), which again played shorthanded due to coronavirus and injury issues. “North Carolina’s explosive on offense,” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. Things got closer, but the Tar Heels rolled with an offense that looked equally as prolific whether throwing or running.