Tag: Elijah Green

UNC will be well-represented on Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Four UNC student-athletes, including football players Elijah Green and Christopher Holliday, are on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

For all the success UNC has enjoyed across all sports, its student-athletes also enjoy a lot of success in the classrooms.

Yes, you might hear the occasional hater joke about football players taking fake classes or N.C. State fans calling Carolina UN-Cheat, but that’s bound to happen when a school isn’t the athletic powerhouse UNC is.

All the attention is on football right now and, rightfully so. The Tar Heels are 4-0, their best start since 1997, when Mack Brown coached his first stint in Chapel Hill. Fans are eagerly awaiting the Oct. 7 home game against Syracuse, which will match two undefeated teams.

While we’re following along with women’s soccer and all the additional Fall sports teams, let’s take a moment to recognize four outstanding student-athletes.

Football players Elijah Green and Christopher Holiday, golfer Riley Quarterman and swimmer Perry Becker were named to the 2023-2024 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

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This committee plays an integral role in bridging the gap between a school’s administration and its student-athlete population. With Green, Quartermain, Becker and Holliday being named to the SAAC, they will, essentially, be able to put forth their ideas on what can improve the student-athlete experience at UNC.

“There is no committee more important than the respective campus and conference student-athlete advisory committees,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told GoHeels.com. “The members of this incredibly significant committee serve as a collective voice for our nearly 10,000 student-athletes and provide critical feedback and perspective as our league strives to fulfill the ACC’s mission to maximize the educational and athletic opportunities that shape our leaders of tomorrow.”

Green, who led the football team in rushing last year, has played sparingly this season with the return of British Brooks and emergence of Omarion Hampton. Holliday has appeared solely on special teams in his four years as a Tar Heel, totaling two tackles. Becker, who set personal bests in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke last year, kicks off the swimming/diving season with his teammates on Friday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. at Queens University in Charlotte. Quartermain played in 7/12 matches for UNC last year, including five starts, averaging 76 strokes across 15 rounds.

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5 things to watch for in UNC Football opener against South Carolina

UNC’s first football clash of the year is Saturday, Sept. 2 against South Carolina. Look out for the following five keys in the matchup.

Week 1 – a fresh start for college football teams across the country.

People get to see new stars and familiar faces for their favorite teams. Heisman Trophy campaigns get underway. Upsets are bound to happen, while title favorites begin their quests – will anyone be able to stop Georgia this year?

The University of North Carolina football team is one of many who gets to press “reset” – and it is very thankful to do so.

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The Tar Heels were a fringe College Football Playoff team last year, starting 9-1 with wins over schools like App State, Pitt and Wake Forest, whom they clinched the ACC Coastal Division against.

No one could have possibly seen what was coming next. UNC lost four consecutive games to end the season, including the first of four against a struggling Georgia Tech squad that, eventually, missed out on bowl action. Drake Maye threw for a career-high 448 yards against Wake Forest, then failed to eclipse 300 in the Heels’ final four contests.

With Maye, a deadly tight end trio, the entire running back room returning and a dangerous linebacking corps, as part of a hopefully-improved defense, the Heels need to beat South Carolina Saturday if they want any shot at the College Football playoff.

Before the Saturday matchup, we look at five things to watch in this ACC-SEC clash.

2023 UNC Football Preview: Running Back

We preview the UNC football team’s 2023 running back room in this story. The Heels have five backs with collegiate starting experience.

The University of North Carolina football back is making a strong case for the title of “Running Back U.”

In the Tar Heels’ football history, there have been 31 instances where a player’s hit the 1,000-yard mark.

Four of those seasons have come since 2019 – Michael Carter ran for 1,003 yards in 2019, Carter (1,245) and Javonte Williams (1,140) each hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2020, while current Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler last accomplished the feat with 1,092 yards in 2021.

Despite all the on-field success the Tar Heels found last year, including a 9-1 start and their first trip to the ACC Championship since 2015, their ground game struggled with finding an identity.

Quarterback Drake Maye, in his first season starting, led Carolina with 698 rushing yards and finished second with seven touchdowns. Maye can easily beat any defense with his arm, but when the offensive line broke down, he used his lightning speed and quick change of direction to make those in pursuit look silly.

UNC had plenty of talent in its running back room last year. Elijah Green emerged as the group’s leader with 558 rushing yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. Omarion Hampton gained 401 yards and added five scores. Caleb Hood, who missed half the season with injury, finished with 250 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry (most among running backs). D.J. Jones, entering his graduate year, added 124 yards and a score, while George Pettaway rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

All of those guys return for Carolina this year. Let’s take a deeper dive into the running back room and see what each guy brings to the table:

Social Media chooses who will score first touchdown for UNC this season

UNC football fans voted on X (formerly known as Twitter) who would score the first Tar Heel touchdown this Fall.

There’s a lot of playmakers on the UNC football team’s offense – Drake Maye, Omarion Hampton, Bryson Nesbit and Devontez Walker, to name a few.

Maye, a Heisman Trophy contender is arguably the top quarterback in the country (4,321 passing yards and 38 touchdowns a season ago). Hampton is one of four running backs who topped the 100-yard mark in 2022. Nesbit led all Tar Heel tight ends with 507 receiving yards and tied for the lead with four touchdowns, while Walker, who is currently awaiting the result of his NCAA eligibility appeal, totaled 921 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns for Kent State last season.

The wide receiving corps is pretty much brand new, due to Josh Downs and Antoine Green being selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Carolina last had a 1,000-yard rusher in 2021, when Ty Chandler ran for 1,092 yards. Kamari Morales and John Copenhaver give UNC one of the deadliest tight end trios in the country.

With all the talent on offense, fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to try and guess who’d score the first touchdown:

Kaimon Rucker and Elijah Green were named to 2023 Wuerffel Trophy watch list

North Carolina Tar Heels Kaimon Rucker and Elijah Green were named to the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy watchlist.

North Carolina Tar Heels [autotag]Kaimon Rucker[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah Green[/autotag] were named to the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy watchlist.

The announcement came Thursday from the Wuerffel Foundation, sending out a watch list for the award containing 108 collegiate football players. The Wuerffel Trophy is given to players who show leadership on and off the field, impacting their community and teammates.

Rucker and Green add to the recent pool of Tar Heels being named to the preseason watch list. Last season, Rucker received the ACC Top Six in Service Award due to his work off the field.

It speaks volumes to the talent and character currently rostered, giving fans hope that an exciting season is ahead.

Both players spent time visiting the UNC Children’s Hospital last year and are Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members.

The award has been around since 2005, and if either Rucker or Green were to earn the honor, they would become the first Tar Heel to do so.

 

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Where Elijah Green ranks among ACC running backs

Here is where UNC football running back Elijah Green ranks in the ACC among players at his position.

While Drake Maye and North Carolina’s passing game had a historic 2022 season in Chapel Hill, getting that run game going in 2023 could help out the quarterback even more as we approach the start of the new season.

UNC saw a few different backs get action in the backfield but it was Elijah Green that ended up finishing second to Maye in rushing attempts and yards for the Tar Heels. Green had a good sophomore season for the Tar Heels, appearing in 14 games and starting the final 5.

But where does Green rank among ACC running backs going into 2023?

College Sports Wire ranked the starting running backs in the ACC and checking in at No. 5 was Green:

Green finished second in rushing attempts and yards last season to quarterback Drake Maye, however he was No. 1 in rushing touchdowns. The second leading rusher among running backs, Omarion Hampton, also returns for the 2023 campaign giving them a nice one-two punch at running back.

As UNC will welcome back Green, Omarion Hampton, and George Pettaway plus Caleb Hood and British Brooks also coming back from injuries, it will be another crowded backfield for UNC.

It’s hard to say who will get the brunt of the workload for UNC in 2023 and Mack Brown’s offense could decide to go with that committee approach again, which is the likely scenario. But the positive note in all of that is UNC will have another good backfield to hopefully make life easier for Maye and more difficult for opposing defenses.

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UNC football offensive keys to the game vs N.C. State

Taking a look at the offensive keys to the game for the UNC football program against NC State.

The UNC football program is back on the field this Friday looking to get back on the right side of the win/loss column.

Following a disappointing and shocking loss to Georgia Tech last week, mainly due to the offensive performance, this game becomes even more critical heading into an ACC Championship fight with Clemson.

Any and all momentum the Tar Heels had this year would be taken away if they limp into the ACC title game.

N.C. State comes into this matchup on a two-game losing streak and have been bounced from the top-25 as well.

The Tar Heels can’t get caught looking ahead because this Wolfpack team is ready for this matchup.

Here are the offensive keys to the game for UNC.

UNC football offensive keys to the game vs Georgia Tech

Taking a look at the offensive keys to the game for the UNC football program against Georgia Tech.

The UNC football program, fresh off of clinching the ACC Coastal Division, heads back home to face off against Georgia Tech this weekend.

The Tar Heels sit at No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Drake Maye and Josh Downs continue to be one of the most effective duos in the ACC and the entire country and will look to do the same once again on Saturday.

Georgia Tech comes into this matchup a few weeks removed from firing its head coach Geoff Collins and currently sit at 4-6 on the season.

North Carolina’s offense continues to be unstoppable on most drives each and every game, and with a struggling defense for the Yellow Jackets, another successful offensive game is likely.

Here are the keys to the game for the UNC offense.

UNC football offensive keys to the game vs Wake Forest

Taking a look at the offensive keys to the game for the UNC football program against Wake Forest this weekend.

The UNC football program heads to Wake Forest looking to continue its five-game winning streak.

Earlier this week, the 8-1 Tar Heels moved up two spots in the College Football Playoff rankings to No. 15.

Wake Forest welcomes in the UNC at 6-3 but have lost two in a row coming into this matchup.

The Demon Deacons hold one of the top offenses in the ACC, but struggle to keep opponents offenses out of the end zone.

North Carolina will look to continue its offensive dominance and will need to accomplish a few things in order to do so.

Here are the offensive keys to the game for the UNC football program.

UNC rallies in second half to take down Virginia

The UNC football program used a second-half push to get by Virginia on Saturday to improve to 8-1 overall.

Historically, Charlottesville has been a house of horrors for the North Carolina football program. And for the first half of Saturday’s game between UNC and Virginia, it appeared as if that trend would continue.

The Tar Heels rallied in the second half to take down Virginia 31-28 and move to 8-1 on the year and 5-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Virginia jumped out to the early 7-0 lead, making it look easy on their opening drive. After UNC got a field goal and then a 5-yard touchdown run by Drake Maye for a 10-7 lead, the Hoos fought back and took a 14-10 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Xavier Brown to go into halftime.

But again, adjustments were made for UNC and its defense really showed up in that second half.

UNC’s defense held Virginia to just 14 second-half points, scoring on two drives including one late to seal the win. They did so while UNC’s offense put up 21 points including two [autotag]Elijah Green[/autotag] touchdown runs and a [autotag]Josh Downs[/autotag] touchdown reception.

Downs finished the game with 15 receptions, one shy of a UNC record, as well as 166 yards and a touchdown. Maye had 293 yards passing, completing 26 of his 37 attempts for two touchdowns.

When UNC needed to set the tone and answer with a good drive, the offense delivered. And when the defense needed to get a stop, they did so to escape Charlottesville with a win.

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