Tag: 2024 UNC Football Season

Start time revealed for UNC-Florida State Week 10 ACC Football matchup

What time will UNC and Florida State kick off Week 10 ACC football action on Saturday?

When the North Carolina Tar Heels discovered their 2024 football schedule, I imagine players thought they’d be playing one of the country’s best teams in Week 10.

Instead, UNC (4-4, 1-3 ACC) will take on arguably the country’s greatest disappointment in Florida State (1-7, 1-6 ACC) on Saturday, Nov. 2.

North Carolina is coming off an emotional, dominant, 41-14 win over Virginia in which everyone played well. The Seminoles continued reeling, dropping a 36-14 contest to Miami (FL) for their fourth-consecutive loss.

The Tar Heels weren’t expected to contend for an ACC Championship this year, losing two of its top offensive producers, while FSU was expected to lead the conference.

All the unthinkables surrounding each program’s season makes for what should be an interesting game Saturday, with kickoff time recently being announced for 3:30 p.m.

After losing four straight games of their own, the Tar Heels are now suddenly just two wins away from reaching bowl eligibility. North Carolina’s offense played liked we all expected last weekend, but it was the defense imprinting its mark on the Scott Stadium field.

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What can the Seminoles do right? Seemingly nothing. There’s one pass I’ll give FSU: it’s played a tough schedule so far, with five of its seven losses coming against five ranked teams – or ones that were ranked.

The Seminoles, though, are historically one of the nation’s best programs. Good teams always find a way to win – and in 2024, FSU is just not good.

If there’s one thing working for the Seminoles heading into their matchup with UNC, it’s that the Doak Campbell Stadium crowd – under the lights – is always rowdy.

Can our Tar Heels move a step closer to bowl eligibility, or will they suffer yet another bad loss?

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J.J. Jones sets career high, steps up to lead UNC’s offense in big win at Virginia

J.J. Jones stepped up to lead UNC’s wide receiver room on Saturday at Virginia, setting a career high in the big victory.

Ever since losing Devontez Walker to the NFL Draft in April, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been looking for a wide receiver to step up and lead their pass-catching unit.

Several receivers have shown flashes of potential of UNC’s first seven games, but no one showed a difference-making performance.

That all changed on Saturday afternoon.

In North Carolina’s 41-14 drubbing of Virginia, which moved it two wins away from bowl eligiblity and to .500 overall on the season, graduate wide receiver J.J. Jones caught five passes for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones’ first touchdown reception gave the Tar Heels a lead they never relinquished, catching a 37-yard strike from Jacolby Criswell for a 6-3 advantage, with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.

With five seconds left in the first half, Jones pulled in a 31-yard strike from Criswell – even against pass interference from Cavaliers cornerback Jam Jackson. Jones’ second score extended UNC’s lead to 23-6, giving his team some much-needed breathing room going into halftime.

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Today’s outing was Jones’ second-straight game with a touchdown, as he caught one two weeks ago against Georgia Tech.

Jones’ previous 2024 yardage high came last month at archrival Duke, when he caught a touchdown as part of a 5-catch, 89-yard day. Jones recorded a season-best 711 receiving yards last year, catching passes from Drake Maye.

It’s encouraging to see Jones develop this type of chemistry with Criswell, as North Carolina seems to finally have another big-play receiver.

What can Jones do for an encore next week in Tallahassee, as the Tar Heels look to move over .500 and get their second-straight ACC win, against a struggling Florida State squad?

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One more year of Mack Brown at UNC is unlikely per ESPN analyst

It appears that the 2024 college football season will be Mack Brown’s final one leading the Tar Heels.

There was a lot of excitement in Chapel Hill ahead of the 2019 college football, when National Championship-winning head coach Mack Brown decided to return and lead the UNC football program.

Through seven games of the 2024 college football season, that excitement surrounding Brown has quickly turned to anger and disappointment.

Fans have already called for Brown’s firing, but it doesn’t appear North Carolina will go that route, especially with its season in a tailspin.

According to a recent report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Brown is expected to leave the Tar Heels after the coming season.

“The expectation in the industry is that Brown, who at 73 is the oldest coach in college football, figures out a way to exit gracefully,” Thamel wrote. “The slump, combined with Brown’s age, portends a change coming in Chapel Hill. If and how that exit comes remains to be seen, but there have been enough signs of atrophy in the program, that one more year for Brown is unlikely.”

UNC’s late-season collapses in both 2022 and 2023 created some initial concerns about Brown’s coaching ability, but the current meltdown seems to be the final straw.

North Carolina began its current campaign with consecutive wins at Minnesota, against Charlotte and NC Central. The Tar Heels struggled for large portions in each of those wins, though, leading many to wonder how good the Tar Heels actually were.

UNC got exposed in a 70-50 loss against James Madison, then blew a 17-point, second-half lead at archrival Duke. After two more losses to Pitt and Georgia Tech, particularly how the latter ended, frustrations about Brown came to a boil.

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UNC generates six sacks, holds Virginia to under 100 yards in first half of football

Just how good was UNC’s first-half defense against Virginia?

Through one half of football Saturday afternoon, the North Carolina Tar Heels are outplaying Virginia in just about every aspect.

There’s one surprising area that UNC (3-4, 0-3) is particularly outplaying the Cavaliers (4-3, 2-1) in: defense.

North Carolina took a 24-6 lead into the half, holding Virginia to a pair of Will Bettridge field goals. That wasn’t even the most impressive part of the Tar Heels’ surprising performance, though.

UNC generated six first-half sacks against the Cavaliers, with the final one coming from top edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, to end the half. North Carolina limited Virginia to just 77 first-half yards, two weeks after allowing Georgia Tech to gash its defense for 500 yards.

Six different Tar Heels have sacks: Rucker, season sack leader Jahvaree Ritzie, defensive end Des Evans, defensive back Alijah Huzzie, defense lineman Beau Atkinson and linebacker Amare Campbell, who is a captain for today’s game.

Virginia made it all the way down to UNC’s 1-yard line on its first drive, after its own defense forced a punt. A bad snap and two incomplete passes later from Anthony Colandrea, the Cavaliers had to settle for a field goal.

On Virginia’s second scoring drive, star wide receiver Malachi Fields caught a 34-yard pass that got him down to North Carolina’s 12-yard line. After a 2-yard Colandrea run and an incomplete pass, the Cavaliers settled for a field goal – again.

Outside of Virginia’s two scoring drives, the Tar Heels forced a negative yardage total of -14. We didn’t see a ton of big plays from the Cavaliers in the first half and, while that could easily change in the second half, we’re very encouraged.

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UNC announces captains for Week 9 football clash at Virginia

Which three players will represent the UNC football team in today’s game, a Week 9 must-win at rival Virginia?

With four consecutive losses in their back pockets, the North Carolina Tar Heels are in desperate need of turning their football season around.

Coming out of its first bye week, UNC (3-4, 0-3) might be in a perfect position to do so today.

At 12 p.m. today, North Carolina will take the field at Scott Stadium and face fellow ACC rival Virginia. The Tar Heels and Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2 ACC) will play in the 119th installation of the South’s Oldest Rivalry, with UNC holding an all-time advantage of 64-50-4.

While all your focus right now is likely on how North Carolina can find a way to win, we want you to meet the Tar Heels’ team captains for today’s conference clash: linebacker Amare Campbell, tight end John Copenhaver and star kicker Noah Burnette.

Campbell is UNC’s starting middle linebacker, taking over the spot previously occupied by Cedric Gray. Statistically, Campbell is one of North Carolina’s best defensive producers, registering 45 total tackles (second on the team), leading the team with six tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries, recording two pass breakups and forcing one fumble.

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Copenhaver will now take over as the Tar Heels’ starting tight end, as Bryson Nesbit will miss several weeks with a fractured wrist. Copenhaver is tied for the UNC lead with three receiving touchdowns, plus his 193 receiving yards are fourth-most amongst his teammates.

Burnette, named to the preseason Lou Groza Award Watch List as a candidate for the nation’s best kicker, is 11-of-13 on field goals this season. Burnette is a perfect 2-for-2 on kicks from 50+, including a season-long 52.

Let’s see if North Carolina’s captains can help snap a long losing streak and get their team back to .500.

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Mack Brown talks about how UNC will honor Tylee Craft going forward

How will the UNC football team honor its late teammate, Tylee Craft, throughout the rest of 2024?

The North Carolina Tar Heels will try and turn their football season around Saturday at Virginia, but they’ll be doing so with heavy hearts.

UNC lost wide receiver Tylee Craft, one of the toughest kids to ever come through the program, to a lengthy battle with lung cancer on Saturday, Oct. 12. No one knew Tylee passed until after the game, when North Carolina head coach Mack Brown told his players and, shortly after, the media.

After the Georgia Tech loss, when Brown broke the sad news, he also spoke briefly about the Tar Heels’ plans to honor Tylee going forward.

Brown doubled down on those plans in his Monday press conference, highlight how Tylee will be honored through the reminder of UNC’s 2024 season.

“The players asked that we put “Tylee Strong, Keep Swinging,” signs up going into the stadium for the game, home and away,” Brown said. “We will carry a sign that says Tylee Strong, Keep Swinging to Virginia this weekend – and each player will touch it on the way out to the stadium. To make sure that his legacy is one that’s remembered – longer than just the players on the team – we have a commemorative plaque that explains who he was and what he went through. That will be up at the Nutrition Center for future players to look at. There will be a logo on the field with Tylee Strong for the last two home games, that have been approved by not only the university, but the ACC. And then one of the receivers will wear his jersey everyday at practice, and then they (the players) will decide, one of the receivers, will wear his jersey during each of the five remaining ballgames. It’ll be a different player each week, and they haven’t decided yet how they’re going to determine that.”

In addition to North Carolina’s plans in honoring Tylee, Virginia will be wearing Tylee Craft stickers on their helmets. Classy move from a big ACC rival.

The Tar Heels might be struggling big-time on the field, but you won’t find a program that cares more about its players. UNC loves and certainly misses Tylee, so I’m glad to see his former teammates and coaches carrying out his name.

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UNC head football coach Mack Brown on hot seat according to College Sports Wire

How hot is Mack Brown’s seat?

“Is it basketball season yet?” I guarantee you’ve heard that question after watching the North Carolina Tar Heels play football recently.

UNC is 3-4 (0-3) and barely avoiding the ACC cellar, as conference newcomer Cal is 0-4 in ACC play. North Carolina gave us initial hope, starting with consecutive wins against Minnesota, Charlotte and NC Central. The Tar Heels then lost four straight, with the ugliest game of their current streak a 70-50 thumping by James Madison.

This start hot, finish cold trend is concerning, particularly for a program with the on-field talent it has.

That’s why UNC head coach Mack Brown, who’s now in the sixth year of his second stint leading the program, is on “high alert” according to College Sports Wire.

“The second tenure in Chapel Hill started off on the right track, but the train has started coming off the rails as of late,” CWS’s Patrick Conn wrote. “The Tar Heels are losers of four straight, including a 70-50 high-scoring affair against James Madison, that started the streak after beginning the year 3-0. It isn’t just the fact that UNC has dropped four in a row, but the manner in which some of these games have ended. The Tar Heels blew games against rival Duke and Georgia Tech in two of the last three. It might be time for Mack to retire – and this time for good.”

Last year, North Carolina started 6-0 and was ranked 10th, before collapsing to finish 8-5 overall. In 2022, UNC started 9-1 before losing its final four games, including the ACC Championship against Clemson.

I love what Mack has done for the Tar Heels’ football program, but it’s time for him to enjoy the retired life.

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Virginia football players to honor Tylee Craft in Saturday’s UNC-UVA football game

Virginia is showing a tremendous display of class in Saturday’s Week 9 ACC football game against your North Carolina Tar Heels.

Even though it happened nearly two weeks ago, the passing of Tylee Craft to a long battle with lung cancer, still weighs heavy on the hearts within the UNC football program.

Tar Heel players knew about it shortly after the game, when head coach Mack Brown told them in the locker room. Brown then announced Craft’s passing in his postgame press conference, changing the mood very quickly and making people realize that Saturday, October 12 was no longer about football.

North Carolina still has to play a game this coming Saturday, traveling to Virginia for a 12 p.m. kickoff, but what the Cavaliers are doing to honor Craft might get you a little emotional.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, UNC wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway announced that Virginia players will wear Tylee Craft stickers on their helmets.

This doesn’t make what happened any easier, but it’s a tremendous display of class from one of the Tar Heels’ longtime ACC rivals.

For those who aren’t familiar with Craft’s recruiting background, he was initially a 4-star commit – and the seventh-ranked player in South Carolina – in the Tar Heels’ 2020 recruiting class. Craft appeared in 11 games between the 2020 and 2021 season, mainly at wide receiver and special teams, but didn’t record a stat.

Craft was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer ahead of the 2022 college football season. He then missed all of 2022 and 2023, but was a courageous warrior who wanted nothing more than to be on the football field, even if he couldn’t suit up and play.

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UNC stays put in USA Today’s latest re-rank of all 134 FBS teams

Not playing last weekend didn’t help the Tar Heels, but it also didn’t hurt them.

For once last weekend, we didn’t have to stress over how poorly the North Carolina Tar Heels played on the football field.

While games like Tennessee–Alabama and Georgia–Texas stole the show, UNC (3-4, 0-3 ACC) spent the weekend figuring out how turn its season around.

North Carolina dropped its fourth-consecutive game on October 12, losing 41-34 to Georgia Tech in a game that – literally – came down to the final possession. The Tar Heels started 2024 with three straight wins, then watched their weaknesses start getting exposed in losses to James Madison, Duke and Pitt.

Without playing last weekend, UNC stayed put at 79th in USA Today’s re-rank of all 134 FBS teams. North Carolina is one spot behind Fresno State, which rose four spots and Coastal Carolina, which fell to 80th.

The Tar Heels will hit the road this coming weekend, traveling to Virginia for a 12 p.m. contest. UNC will search for just its third win in eight tries, as it lost 31-27 to the Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2) last season in Kenan Stadium, in a game that started North Carolina’s downfall towards an 8-5 finish.

Regardless of how the Tar Heels play on Saturday, there’s no doubt they’ll be playing with heavy hearts after Tylee Craft’s recent passing. UNC honored Craft by attending his memorial service over the weekend, while head coach Mack Brown announced additional plans to honor Tylee in his press conference earlier Monday.

North Carolina needs three more wins for bowl eligibility – and Saturday is a great chance to further work towards that dream. UNC could channel its sadness into motivation, winning one for Tylee.

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Omarion Hampton a shocking omission from which Midseason All-America team

The CBS Sports Midseason All-American team made a shocking omission…

It’s easy for a great player on a good team, such as Clemson running back Phil Mafah, to get overlooked amongst his talented teammates.

When there’s a great player on a bad team, such as Omarion Hampton on the North Carolina Tar Heels, that talent is easier to be recognized.

Hampton rose to prominence for UNC last season, recording 1,504 rushing yards to finish fifth nationally amongst FBS running backs. Hampton is already on track to surpass that production through just seven games this year, sitting third amongst FBS running backs with 901 rushing yards, second to Iowa‘s Kaleb Johnson and Boise State breakout star Ashton Jeanty.

With Hampton clearly being the best player on a bad North Carolina squad, it was surprising to see him left off the CBS Sports Midseason All-America team.

The team only had two running back slots, though, with both Johnson and Jeanty taking them. Johnson and Jeanty are both outperforming Hampton, though, so they deserve the two slots.

I know this isn’t fantasy football, but if there were a flex spot, Hampton would be on the All-American list. Hampton has five consecutive 100-yard games, including his second career 200-yard outing in the Tar Heels’ 45-10 domination of NC Central (also their last win), plus seven touchdowns.

UNC still has five more regular-season games left in 2024 – and Hampton still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Hampton needs 819 more rushing yards to set North Carolina’s single-season record, which Don McCauley did in 1970.

It’s disappointing to not see Hampton on CBS Sports’ Midseason All-America team, but he’s focused on helping the Tar Heels turn their season around, as they’re in great danger of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2018.

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