North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell. Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Howell after loss to Virginia Tech: North Carolina 'deserves better from me'

By Erin Walsh | Last updated Sep 4, 2021 11:35 AM ET

North Carolina's 2021 season opener against Virginia Tech did not go as planned for Sam Howell, who is expected to be a Heisman Trophy favorite this year.

The Tar Heels quarterback, considered one of the best in college football, struggled mightily in North Carolina's 17-10 loss to Virginia Tech on Friday night. After the game, he was particularly hard on himself.

"We just made a lot of mistakes, and I feel like I was trying to do too much at times," Sam Howell said.
— Lauren Brownlow (@lebrownlow) September 4, 2021

"My team deserves better from me," Sam Howell says, "and I'm going to give it to them."
— Lauren Brownlow (@lebrownlow) September 4, 2021

"I think our defense played well enough for us to win the football game," is a thing Sam Howell just said that even after that first half is somehow true
— Lauren Brownlow (@lebrownlow) September 4, 2021

Howell finished 17-of-32 for 208 yards and one touchdown against a whopping three interceptions. He also ran for 35 yards, was sacked six times and was tackled nine times for a loss.

Howell entered Friday's game with the fifth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy behind Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma), Bryce Young (Alabama), JT Daniels (Georgia) and CJ Stroud (Ohio State).

If Howell doesn't have a better performance against Georgia State next weekend, his Heisman odds will likely take a further dip.

Erin Walsh

Erin Walsh is a Boston sports fan through and through. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bridgewater State University and currently is in pursuit of her Master's Degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Follow her on Twitter @ewalsh90

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