Michael Carter scored three touchdowns and No. 17 North Carolina breezed to a victory in its only nonconference game of the season, whipping visiting Western Carolina 49-9 on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Sam Howell threw for two touchdowns, completing 20 of 23 passes for 287 yards -- all in the first half.

Moving the ball was much easier for the Tar Heels (7-3) in their home finale than in their previous game -- a loss to undefeated Notre Dame.

This concluded an abbreviated fall season for Western Carolina (0-3), which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Catamounts were held to 253 yards of total offense compared to the Tar Heels' 540.

North Carolina had a trio of first-quarter touchdowns, with Carter running in from 17 and 22 yards out and Antoine Green making his first catch of the year for a 22-yard scoring play. Carter added a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left in the second quarter before Howell's 26-yard touchdown pass to Dazz Newsome with 49 seconds to play in the half.

Western Carolina scored in the first quarter for the first time this year when Paxton Robertson connected on a 40-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 7-3 at the time. The Catamounts were unsuccessful on a fake field goal in the third quarter.

Western Carolina's Nigel Manns scored on a 42-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter.

Javonte Williams and D.J. Jones also had touchdown runs for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina, with a matchup against Top 10 foe Miami next week, was playing the middle game of a three-game stretch that began with last week's 31-17 setback to No. 2 Notre Dame.

The Catamounts are set to launch a spring-semester Southern Conference schedule beginning in February. They also met nationally ranked Liberty this season.

This Western Carolina-North Carolina game wasn't on original schedules. It was added this fall as the Tar Heels' lone nonconference game after a Charlotte-North Carolina game was wiped off the September schedule because of Charlotte's coronavirus issues.

--Field Level Media