ATLANTA—North Carolina got two touchdowns from freshman running back Omarion Hampton in the final 16 minutes of action and won, 35-28, at Georgia State on Saturday afternoon at Center Parc Stadium.
Hampton rushed for 110 yards on the day. He scored on a 58-yard run with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter to tie the score at 28-28 after GSU had taken a 28-21 lead. A few minutes later, he added a two-yard rushing score to provide the winning margin.
UNC started strong and took a 21-3 lead by midway through the second quarter, then allowed 25 unanswered points by Georgia State as the Panthers took a 28-21 lead. Carolina turned up the defense and the running game in the fourth quarter to win the game.
Redshirt freshman Drake Maye continued the strong start to his first season as the UNC starter at quarterback, completing 19 of 24 passes for 284 yards and two scores with an interception.
Wideout Kobe Paysour had five receptions for 61 yards and a 28-yard touchdown, while tight end Kamari Morales added three catches for 71 yards, including a 55-yard score early in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead.
The Tar Heels improved to 3-0 with the victory. Georgia State fell to 0-2.
Carolina now enters a bye week before hosting Notre Dame in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Saturday September 24 at Kenan Stadium.