UNC quarterback update: Mack Brown shares the plan for Jacolby Criswell, Conner Harrell

North Carolina defeated NC Central 45-10 at home during Week 3 as the Tar Heels settle into their new two-quarterback system.

Last week, Conner Harrell earned the start and played the bulk of the game while Jacolby Criswell backed him up. In Week 3, Harrell made the start again but wouldn’t see the field until the fourth quarter after the third drive when Criswell entered the game and led the team into the end zone during his first series.

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Criswell passed for 161 yards and a touchdown during the win, while Harrell was left 2 of 6 for 22 yards during the contest. After Criswell’s performance against NCCU, Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown broke down where his quarterback rooms stands after Week 3.

“Jacolby hit some passes, Conner struggled a little bit early,” Brown said of his quarterbacks postgame. “I was glad that he came back in and hit a couple of passes at the end of the game, we’ll be playing both of them. We’re just going to look at it and see what we can do to find the hot hand and keep them out there.”

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It wasn’t that Harrell’s performance warranted him to be benched on Saturday, either, but was instead strategic on North Carolina’s part. After veteran transfer Max Johnson broke his leg in the season opener, UNC has been left to play their younger and less experienced players. They’re still testing out both of their backups.

“We decided during the week that we were going to put [Criswell] in the third series regardless,” Brown said. “And then he threw the ball, because we wanted to play both of them. And if you just put him in, and you don’t tell Conner you’re going to put him in, then Conner thinks you’re taking him out. So we’ve learned enough. We didn’t want to do that.

“And then when [Criswell] took it right down and scored, we wanted him to go back in. And then he played well. Conner, I was hoping we’d have a little more time at the end of the game. And when you put your second and third team in on defense, usually you don’t get them out like other defensive guys did. But I was glad Conner hit a couple of passes there at the end of the game.”

It’s clear that North Carolina is still trying to figure out who should be the full-time starter moving forward, and being able to play both quarterbacks against non-major conference opponents like Charlotte and NC Central, and win comfortably, is a luxury during the early season slate.