Sept. 17, 2006

By David Droschak

CHAPEL HILL - Cam Sexton's experience in his first collegiate start at quarterback ran the entire spectrum of emotions.

His first pass went for a touchdown, which had him racing around the field like a little kid. About three hours later, the redshirt freshman was in the huddle trying to calm down upperclassmen as he engineered a fourth-quarter rally to beat pesky Furman 45-42 Saturday night for North Carolina's first win of the season.

Brian Chacos, a sixth-year senior offensive lineman, called Sexton's 265-yard passing effort "Darian Durant-like." That's some praise for a guy who won the starting QB job from Joe Dailey just six days ago.

"I was getting emotional, yelling at the guys," Chacos said of the close fourth-quarter drama. "He was telling me to relax and get our minds right and to keep playing well. I'm really proud of him."

Sexton likes to tell jokes in the huddle to break the mood, but with Furman up 35-31 with 12:09 left, it was no joking matter. However, he threw a screen pass for 13 yards to open UNC's next drive, and four plays later, hooked up with Jesse Holley for a go-ahead 50-yard scoring pass.

It was a down-the-field pass and reception that UNC's offensive players have said all along that they're more than capable of producing.

"I was calm on the outside, but my heart was racing," Sexton said of the team's fourth-quarter comeback. "I won't lie, but you get a sense of calm when you're locked into the play."

Sexton wanted to keep a secret after the game, but confessed.

"You guys can't tell anybody, but I called the wrong play on the touchdown to Jesse," Sexton said. "Sometimes things happen like that. I have no idea what the play was supposed to be, but I'm sure I'll find out Sunday. If it works, it works."

Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti made it work for his young QB, protecting Sexton in the first half with a series of screen passes that allowed the freshman to gain confidence, including his first pass of the game in which Ronnie McGill ran 58 yards with for a TD.

Sexton raced to the sideline and slapped coach John Bunting five, then ran to the end zone to greet McGill in a nice moment between freshman and senior.

"I was all over the place," Sexton said. "I'm still young so I get to run around a little bit. It was exciting."

There's nothing like youthful exuberance, especially in a victory.

That screen pass was the only time Sexton was hit all game as the offensive line, led by Chacos, gave the young QB time to maneuver in the pocket and look downfield with success.

The numerous screens were a smart move by Cignetti, while Sexton proved he could put some touch on a throw that is more difficult than most folks think.

"I love screen passes and the guys did a good job with it," Sexton said. "I guess the screen pass is a quarterback's best friend. I don't do a lot of work, but it looks good on my stats."

"We've never run that many screen lefts since I've been here," added Chacos. "But the first one went for a touchdown so we kept going back to it."

Sexton completed his first four third-down conversions to get off to a remarkable start for a guy who should have been nervous.

"We talked about getting the lead and when you play with the lead it makes everything easier," Sexton said of UNC's quick 14-0 cushion.

Sexton's stats were hard to ignore: 14 of 20 for two TDs, but more importantly, only one interception. And like a seasoned veteran, he deflected the credit to his offensive line.

Talk about settling into a starting slot.

"The key to today's game was I got hit just one time in a college football game," Sexton said. "When you get hit one time it's easy."

But it was anything but easy as the UNC defense was shredded for 30 first downs and 521 total yards against a Division I-AA team that had scored just a combined 41 points in opening wins over Jacksonville State and West Georgia.

"When you go 0-2 you've got to start somewhere," Sexton said. "Hopefully, this will right the ship for us."

Sexton started strong and ended even stronger, giving his team hope that he could be a future star under center.

"He's going to keep getting better every week," Chacos said. "We just let it rip. We opened up the playbook."