Tag: 2024 UNC Football Season

UNC football going with storm trooper uniforms for final 2024 road game

What uniforms will the North Carolina Tar Heels wear in their 2024 road football finale?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are on a football high right now, winning their past three games and clinching bowl eligibility by beating Wake Forest.

UNC (6-4, 3-3 ACC) won’t know its bowl opponent until sometime in early December, after conference championships are played, but we currently know that UNC has two more chances to improve its bowl standing.

North Carolina’s next chance to do so will be on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 12 p.m., when it faces Boston College for the first time since 2020.

When the Tar Heels take the field, they’ll be doing so with fresh, all-white uniforms. Good thing there’s no snow in the forecast for Chestnut Hill.

UNC donned its all-Carolina Blue uniforms on Saturday, Nov. 16 against the Demon Deacons, which panned out pretty well. North Carolina withstood a late charge from Wake, winning 31-24 and recovering a scary onside kick in the closing minutes. Omarion Hampton set a career-high with 244 rushing yards and climbed up the Tar Heel history books, scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown.

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Regardless of how UNC plays on the football field, there’s one thing we can always count on: players having fresh uniforms. There’s 27 different combinations – and North Carolina is going with one of my personal favorites this Saturday.

What will Boston College (5-5, 2-4 ACC) be wearing come game day? The Eagles rock garnet, gold and white as their primary colors.

Regardless of what Boston College wears, it’ll be focused on making a bowl game for the second-straight year. The Eagles are 1-4 in their past five games after a 4-1 start, which included an early ranking in the AP Poll.

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Which UNC running back will redshirt remainder of 2024 season?

What is running back Caleb Hood’s future with the UNC football program?

The North Carolina Tar Heels have a thing for developing star running backs. Some might even call UNC “Running Back U” – all you have to do is look at the extensive list of 1,000-yard rushers.

Over the past two seasons, Omarion Hampton is the star in question. He’s continuing to climb up North Carolina’s record books – and is in the midst of his second-consecutive 1,000-yard campaign.

Because of Hampton’s immense talent, it’s difficult for other Tar Heel running backs to find playing time.

Such is the case in particular for Caleb Hood, the in-state senior from Rockingham, who UNC head coach Mack Brown said plans to redshirt the remainder of 2024.

Hood, initially recruited as a quarterback out of Richmond High School, only has 391 rushing yards through three-and-a-half seasons. Hood found limited success as a 4-game starter in 2022: 250 rushing yards, 119 receiving yards and one touchdown, but an injury shortened his season.

In just three games this year, Hood has one rushing yards and 29 receiving yards. Hampton is undoubtedly the clear top back, but the emergence of freshman Davion Gause has also pushed Hood down the depth chart. USC transfer Darwin Barlow is also in the mix, but like Hood, he’s finding a tough path to playing time.

I truly hope Hood decides to stay at North Carolina for the 2025 college football season, as the team will certainly need him. Hampton is likely heading to the NFL, while Barlow exhausts his eligibility, leaving Gause as the only other back with extensive game experience.

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Start time announced for UNC’s final 2024 road football game

The UNC football season sure is winding down quick. North Carolina now knows its final road kickoff time.

You have every reason to be optimistic about how the North Carolina Tar Heels are playing football right now.

UNC (5-4, 2-3 ACC) has consecutive wins in its back pocket, dominating both Virginia and Florida State on the road. North Carolina broke its 4-game losing streak with a 41-14 thumping of the Cavaliers, then continued to play exceptional football when it overwhelmed the Seminoles, 35-11.

The Tar Heels next match up with Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. under the lights at Kenan Stadium, then ship up to Boston College on Nov. 23 for their road finale.

UNC just learned the start time for its clash with the Eagles (5-4, 2-3 ACC), as both teams will kick off at 12 p.m. ET next weekend.

North Carolina hasn’t played Boston College since 2020, when North Carolina won an extremely-close, 26-22 battle in the infamous COVID season. Sam Howell led the Tar Heel offense in that win, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown.

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UNC and the Eagles are in very similar positions ahead of their Nov. 23 matchup, with a win by either squad possibly clinching bowl eligibility. That is, of course, if North Carolina doesn’t beat Wake Forest Saturday and Boston College loses at SMU.

Both programs are tied at 5-4 overall, 2-3 in the ACC and arguably better than their records show.

The Tar Heels started with three straight wins, lost four straight, then won their past two. The Eagles started unranked, briefly climbed into the AP Poll after victories at then-ranked FSU and against Duquesne, plus are now back in the win column after breaking a 3-game slide against Syracuse.

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Where does Jacolby Criswell stack up amongst fellow ACC quarterbacks?

Jacolby Criswell’s breakout season has him ranked amongst the ACC’s best quarterbacks.

If you’ve been watching college football all season long like us, you’ve likely noticed that quarterbacks are shaping their respective team’s success.

That’s particularly true in the ACC, where several quarterbacks have their teams on the edge of CFP contention.

Cam Ward is leading Miami (FL) with his Heisman Trophy campaign, while Kevin Jennings has ACC newcomer SMU undefeated in the conference. Tyler Shough just helped Louisville to a massive upset of Clemson, while Eli Holstein is near-unstoppable for Pitt.

There’s another top ACC quarterback that isn’t getting talked about enough: North Carolina Tar Heels gunslinger Jacolby Criswell, who was recently ranked Top-8 in the conference quarterback by ESPN CFB analyst Tom Luginbill.

For reference, there are 32 qualifying quarterbacks in the ACC – and 17 teams.

Criswell is a spot behind Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, two behind Holstein, three behind Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord (Syracuse), four behind NC State’s CJ Bailey, five behind Shough, six behind Jennings and seven behind Ward.

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For a guy who’s patiently waited his turn to start for UNC – four seasons as a backup, two transfers and two injuries later – Criswell is thriving.

Criswell has 1,871 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns to just three interceptions, 172 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Criswell threw for nearly 500 yards against James Madison, then was lucky to play turnover-free football throughout October.

I saw Criswell primarily as a pocket passer earlier in the season, but he’s grown in the past few weeks, using his legs to extend plays and pick up major first downs. That’s a characteristic that NFL scouts look for, as so much of the professional game today focuses on mobile quarterbacks.

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UNC defensive line duo amongst college football’s best Week 10 edge rushers

Kaimon Rucker and Beau Atkinson give UNC not one, but two, imposing pass rushers for opposing defenses to deal with.

When you talk about the best defensive lineman in college football for over the past two weeks, look no further than the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC generated 10 sacks in a 41-14 road blowout of Virginia, led by three from star edge rusher Kaimon Rucker. Reserve lineman Beau Atkinson added two, while Antavious Lane, Amare Campbell, Alijah Huzzie, Jahvaree Ritzie and Des Evans all added one each

In a 35-11 road stomping of Florida State on Saturday, North Carolina tacked on seven more sacks – led again by Atkinson and Rucker. Atkinson generated a game-high 3.5, while Rucker added one.

Particularly for their performance in the FSU game, Atkinson and Rucker were two of the country’s highest-graded edge rushers.

PFF College graded Rucker at 88.8, while it gave Atkinson a grade of 83.6.

Rucker was fourth amongst Power Four edge rushers, behind Stanford’s David Bailey (90.9), South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart (89.8) and NC State’s Devin Vann (89.8).

Atkinson landed sixth amongst Power Four edge rushers – behind Kentucky‘s Tre’Vonn Rybka, but ahead of Indiana’s Mikail Kamara and Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmeilen.

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There was some offseason concern Rucker might elect for the NFL Draft, but his return bolstered a unit that severely underperformed for the Tar Heels in 2023. Rucker missed time earlier this season while recovering from an injury, but he’s shined since fully healthy, notching 17 tackles, four sacks and an interception.

Atkinson, a sophomore from Raleigh, increasingly looks like the future leader of UNC’s defensive line. Atkinson recorded 3.5 sacks in 2023 – and already surpassed that total in two 2024 games.

If North Carolina wants to continue its recent hot streak, more big games from its D-line duo are a crucial key.

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Blowout victory helps Tar Heels climb in USA Today’s latest CFB re-rank

UNC continues climbing the USA Today’s football re-rankings. Check out where the Tar Heels landed this week.

Say what you want about Virginia and Florida State‘s football programs, but the North Carolina Tar Heels are suddenly exciting to watch after dominating both in consecutive weeks.

UNC (5-4, 2-3 ACC) smoked the Cavaliers two weeks ago in Charlottesville, 41-14, highlighted by a 10-sack performance from its defense. Staying on the road last weekend, North Carolina overwhelmed Florida State, 35-11, in a game decided by both its defense and star running back Omarion Hampton.

As a reward for their continued hot play last weekend, the Tar Heels rose three spots – to 60th – in USA Today’s re-rank of all 134 FBS college football programs.

UNC finds itself sandwiched between TCU (59) and West Virginia (61), a pair of historically successful Big 12 programs. The Horned Frogs are just two years removed from the CFP National Championship, but haven’t looked anywhere close to that level of talented.

North Carolina won’t find itself contending for a National Title – or even an ACC title – this season. The Tar Heels can, however, reach bowl eligibility with one victory in their final three games.

UNC enjoys another bye week this coming weekend, then hosts Wake Forest in a highly-anticipated in-state matchup on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. North Carolina then ships up to Boston College for its final 2024 road game on Nov. 23, then returns to Kenan Stadium and hosts NC State in its season finale on Thanksgiving Weekend.

There’s plenty of talented pieces on the Tar Heels’ roster, but just like seasons’ past, a cold stretch doomed any preseason excitement fans had. That excitement has slowly climbed back into the picture – and given those same fans a reason to watch UNC football again in November.

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Start time announced for UNC’s second-to-last home game of 2024 football season

Wondering when UNC’s next football game is? North Carolina recently released the start time for its upcoming matchup with Wake Forest.

After two blowout victories, the North Carolina Tar Heels quickly turned from ACC laughingstock to the fringe of bowl game contention.

UNC (5-4, 2-3) marched into Charlottesville and obliterated Virginia, 41-14, two weeks ago in a game highlighted by 10 sacks from its suddenly-resurgent defense.

This past weekend, North Carolina hit the road again for a battle with Florida State, the reigning ACC Champion which is amongst 2024’s biggest disappointments. The Tar Heels dominated the Seminoles (1-8, 1-7 ACC), 35-11, thanks to another defensive shutdown and 5-touchdown day from Omarion Hampton.

UNC now heads into its bye week, then hosts Wake Forest for another in-state battle on Saturday, Nov. 15.

You can now starting planning your Saturday night around UNC-Wake, as kickoff time for that matchup was recently announced for 8 p.m.

North Carolina’s next game will be its second nighttime kickoff of the year – and first in Kenan Stadium. The Tar Heels previously played Minnesota, in their season-opener, during a game in which start time was postponed to 9 p.m.

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The Demon Deacons (4-4, 2-2 ACC) are seeing a trajectory similar to UNC’s, winning their first game before consecutive losses. Wake recovered from those defeats, as it now has back-to-back victories entering Friday’s home matchup with conference newcomer California.

If you love watching football in cold weather, Nov. 16 is the perfect game for you to attend.

Not only will North Carolina be trying for its third straight victory, but it looks to reach bowl eligibility for the sixth-consecutive season. This would be the Tar Heels’ longest streak in program history.

If you weren’t on the hype train before, now’s the perfect time to hop on. UNC fans are finally excited about watching their football team again.

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Kaimon Rucker’s historic sack at FSU ties him with UNC legend for sixth all-time

Kaimon Rucker is a sack machine for the UNC football program. His latest sack tied him on the Tar Heels’ all-time list with a football legend.

The North Carolina Tar Heels dominated the Florida State Seminoles in ACC football action on Saturday, marching into Tallahassee and winning 35-11.

UNC’s highlight of the day was star running back Omarion Hampton, who scored all five of his team’s touchdowns. Hampton’s first four came on the ground, setting a career high, then he caught a fourth-quarter score from Jacolby Criswell.

North Carolina’s defense played like its early-2024 form, generating seven sacks against FSU. Kaimon Rucker, who led the Tar Heels with 8.5 sacks in 2023, added a sack of his own against the Seminoles.

What Rucker may not have initially realized, though, is that his lone sack put him in the same company as a football legend.

Rucker’s sack, the 21st of his career, tied him for sixth all-time with Lawrence Taylor. 

If you’re familiar with Taylor, he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in football history – both in college and the NFL. Taylor was the 1980 ACC Player of the Year, then generated 132.5 sacks across his 13-year career with the New York Giants.

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After missing five games earlier this year while recovering from a torn meniscus, Rucker’s return has breathed life into the UNC defense. North Carolina has 17 sacks in its past two games, plus it has limited Virginia and FSU to a combined 25 points.

Rucker made a much-welcomed decision to return for his fifth year, bringing 16 career sacks back with him. Rucker is quite the tackling machine, too, generating 170 over his 5-year career.

I’m hopeful Rucker will have a successful NFL career like Taylor, but for now, I’m going to enjoy him in his final games as a Tar Heel.

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Beau Atkinson sets career high, leads UNC defensive line in domination of Florida State

Beau Atkinson looks every bit of a leader along UNC’s defensive line, as evidenced by his career high in sacks at Florida State Saturday.

I can’t remember a North Carolina Tar Heels defensive line with more talent that its current group.

UNC has 2023 sack leader Kaimon Rucker leading the group, defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie anchoring the sack attack this year, plus a pair of former top-rated, 5-star recruits in Des Evans and Travis Shaw.

There’s another lineman in that group who, after today’s performance in a 35-11 domination of Florida State, should be getting plenty more attention.

That lineman is none other than Beau Atkinson, the in-state sophomore from Raleigh, who recorded a career, team and game-high 3 1/2 sacks against the Seminoles today.

All 3.5 of Atkinson’s sacks came in the first half, during which North Carolina held FSU to just three points and under 100 yards. Atkinson enjoyed another big game at Virginia last weekend, recording four tackles (three solo) and his first two sacks of the Tar Heels’ 2024 campaign.

With Atkinson bursting through FSU’s offensive line today for 3.5 sacks, he surpassed his 2023 total of – you guessed it – 3.5.

UNC’s defense historically isn’t great, but having new guys step up each week, are major reasons why UNC is starting to suddenly look like a competent program.

North Carolina’s defense couldn’t catch a break in losses to James Madison (70 points allowed), Duke (21 second-half points allowed), Pitt and Georgia Tech (1,000 combined yards). The Tar Heels also weren’t generating pressures in those games, with just five total sacks – and none against Pitt or Georgia Tech.

With Rucker and Ritzie both in their final year of eligibility, Atkinson looks primed to take over as UNC’s 2025 leader along the defensive line. Just how much more can Atkinson improve through North Carolina’s final three games?

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Omarion Hampton, defense carry UNC to dominant victory over Florida State

The Tar Heels marched into Tallahassee and destroy the Seminoles in ACC football action Saturday.

Where have today’s North Carolina Tar Heels been hiding throughout college football season?

For the second-consecutive week, UNC delivered a dominant, well-rounded performance that led it to victory. This time, it came against a preseason ACC Championship pick in Florida State, with North Carolina never trailing after the second quarter in a 35-11 win.

It wouldn’t be a Tar Heels victory without a big game from star running back Omarion Hampton, who scored all FIVE of UNC’s touchdowns and is now seven on the program’s career rushing yards list.

Hampton recorded four on the ground: his first giving North Carolina a 6-3, second-quarter lead it never relinquished, his second extending the Tar Heels’ lead to 13-3 two minutes before halftime, his third a 31-yard burst to open UNC’s second-half scoring (3:12 into the third quarter), then his fourth coming on fourth down with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

If you thought Hampton only contributed on the ground, think again. Hampton added North Carolina’s fifth and final touchdown, too, catching a third-down shovel pass from Jacolby Criswell and taking it 49 yards into the end zone. At that point, UNC led 35-11 three minutes into the fourth quarter.

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It was the Tar Heels’ defense, though, that made an initial impact on Saturday afternoon.

North Carolina generated SEVEN sacks against Seminoles quarterbacks Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, with five coming in the first half alone. UNC held FSU to under 100 first-half yards, after doing so the previous week at Virginia, then later ended the game with just 201 total yards allowed.

The Tar Heels won’t be going to the College Football Playoff this year, but they’re suddenly back in bowl game contention after a second-straight convincing win.

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