Tag: George Pettaway

Tar Heels to see a heavy dose of former running back in Saturday football clash with JMU

It’ll be interesting watching George Pettaway in a James Madison football uniform on Saturday. Can UNC players slow down their former teammate?

Another game day at Kenan Stadium is almost here, with the North Carolina Tar Heels preparing to face the James Madison Dukes, in Week 4 college football action on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET

UNC will be rolling into the final game of its homestand with Jacolby Criswell at starting QB, with head coach Mack Brown announcing the news earlier Friday. You can also count on another big game from running back Omarion Hampton, while the North Carolina defense hopes to continue proving itself as a top unit.

JMU enters Kenan Stadium 2-0 and off a bye week. In terms of players, though, there’s a name the Tar Heels are very familiar with.

That player is running back George Pettaway, who played at UNC in 2022 and 2023, before hitting the transfer portal this offseason. Pettaway didn’t find a ton of success in Chapel Hill, totaling 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but he currently leads the Dukes with 114 yards and a score.

Take a look at what North Carolina defensive coordinator Geoff Collins had to say about his players facing Pettaway:

“He was a big topic of conversation,” Collins told InsideCarolina’s Evan Rogers. “Obviously, the guys are familiar with him, have a great deal of respect for him. Like him a lot, dynamic in the backfield. And when they move him out in different spots, out in space, a lot of teams will do that and it’s just a decoy. When they do that with Pettaway, it’s real. I mean, he had that long touchdown right before the half against Charlotte. Other things out in space that he’s doing, he’s an impressive athlete and everybody has a great deal of respect for him.”

There’s no doubt the Tar Heels will be excited to see Pettaway before kickoff, but once that initial whistle sounds, it’s all blood, sweat and tears.

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George Pettaway latest Tar Heel to likely enter transfer portal

George Pettaway, a sparingly-used UNC running back, announced his decision to continue his college football career elsewhere.

College football players are leaving their programs at alarming rates, an unfortunate but common sight in today’s world.

Some of the greatest names to look out for are former Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward, former Clemson/Oregon State gunslinger D.J. Uiagalelei and former Duke QB Riley Leonard.

In Chapel Hill, there’s concern that yet another late-season collapse will send a bunch of players out. Six UNC players have already announced their decisions to transfer, while former LSU/Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson is the only incoming transfer.

Now, another Tar Heel is expected to enter the portal. Grant Grubbs of On3 reported on Friday night that running back George Pettaway is expected to enter the transfer portal.

Petaway only appeared in four games this season, playing primarily on special teams before opting to redshirt.

Pettaway played significantly more in 2022, appearing in 11 games and scoring two rushing touchdowns on 93 yards. He only caught one pass and didn’t carry the ball once in 2023, both likely reasons behind his decision to transfer.

The presence of British Brooks and the emergence of Omarion Hampton, however, made it extremely difficult for Pettaway to gain carries.

Regardless of where Pettaway ends up, it’s always sad to see a player leave. Maybe he plays at a school in his home state of Virginia.

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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:

Tar Heels score 21 straight to take halftime lead

The North Carolina Tar Heels battle back to score 21 unanswered points and take the lead at the half over Appalachian State.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were down early but fought back to snag the 28-21 lead heading into the locker room.

UNC and Appalachian State offenses have been on fire, with both defense scrambling for answers. After finding themselves down 21-7, allowing three straight scoring drives, North Carolina’s offense took off with red-shirt freshman wide receiver [autotag]Kobe Paysour[/autotag] on the receiving end of a 14-yard touchdown.

Then on the next drive, UNC’s defense caught a significant break after Appalachian kicker Michael Hughes missed a 51-yard field goal. North Carolina answered the missed kick with a 21-yard rushing touchdown by freshman [autotag]George Pettaway[/autotag].

The defense for UNC made a significant stop on the next drive forcing ASU to punt for the first time in the half. North Carolina then marched down the field and ended the half with quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] throwing his third touchdown pass to tight end [autotag]Bryson Nesbit[/autotag].

A game that looked sour early ends the first half looking sweet for UNC.

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Three things we learned from UNC vs Florida A&M

After a slow start, UNC kept the pressure to a dominating finish. We take a look at three things we learned from the season opener.

The UNC football program took care of business Saturday night, beating Florida A&M 56-24.

The Tar Heels had a sluggish start on the defensive end, and luckily their offense did not miss a beat dominating in the passing and running game for most of the night. [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] had an impressive debut, and UNC fans got a good look at their freshman running back duo of Omarion Hampton and George Pettaway.

UNC did make solid adjustments at halftime, holding FAMU to just 10 points in the second half while scoring 28 of their own. They also improved their rushing attack at the half, rushing in for two scores versus the zero in the first two quarters.

This game was the ideal start of the season for UNC as their journey only gets tougher with Appalachian State and Notre Dame games scheduled within the next three weeks.

Now with UNC officially in the win column, we look at three things we learned from the UNC vs. FAMU game.

Two Tar Heels make ESPN’s All-Freshman team for 2022

Two UNC football freshmen earned praise by ESPN ahead of the 2022 season, being named a preseason all-american.

Mack Brown and his UNC football staff are entering year four in the second stint for the head coach. And now we are starting to see UNC’s recruiting classes under Brown come to fruition.

The 2022 class is the best under Brown so far and we could get a very early look at that talent coming in. The Tar Heels were able to lock down a top 15 class for the cycle and now they are receiving praise from ESPN for a pair of freshmen.

Both [autotag]Zach Rice[/autotag] and [autotag]George Pettaway[/autotag] were named to the ESPN preseason true freshman All-America team on Friday. The annual list spotlights the best true freshmen in the country.

Here is what Tom VanHaaren and Tom Luginbill had to say about Pettaway:

Like Singleton, British Brooks may be listed ahead of Pettaway on the depth chart, but Pettaway brings a different dimension with his sudden explosiveness and ability to make defenders miss. With Brooks and Pettaway, Mack Brown’s offense could resemble UNC’s 2020 run game, which featured the outstanding duo of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams.

I have to imagine this was written BEFORE British Brooks suffered an injury that will cost him the season. Pettaway has the chance to be the lead back for UNC this season and a big opportunity to become a household name.

As for Rice, the five-star has a chance to be a staple on UNC’s line for the future and earned praise in the article:

Rice, an early enrollee, started the spring game at right tackle and eventually could play both spots. Rice is clearly ready for the jump and did not look like a freshman during spring ball. He still needs to get stronger, but skill-wise, he is ready to go.

Even though UNC had just two players on the list, their 2022 class is very talented and it wouldn’t shock us to see others making an impact as well.

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Two UNC football players named among top 100 impact freshmen

Two UNC football players were named to the 247Sports impact freshmen list ahead of the 2022 college football season.

The UNC football program enters the 2022 season with some questions and a heck of a lot less pressure than they did in the 2021 offseason. Mack Brown and his staff have some things to figure out on both sides of the football but they are a team that could surprise some coming up.

If they want to take a step forward this year and surprise some, the impact of their recruiting class will be important.

On Thursday, two freshmen were named to 247Sports Top 100 list of impact freshmen going into the season. And both were on the defense side of the football.

Running back [autotag]George Pettaway[/autotag] cracked the list as the Tar Heels have a need at that position to be filled. They will likely take a committee approach but there is a chance Pettaway can have a big role:

With Ty Chandler off to the NFL, the Tar Heels have an opening at running back. And while Pettaway isn’t the favorite to fill that role – that job is British Brooks’ for now – he’s expected to be part of the rotation after a strong spring. In fact, Tar Heel OC Phil Longo said Pettaway brings something different to the offense, comparing him to Michael Carter: “Twitchy, change of direction slasher. He’s gonna spin and jump and do all that stuff. He’s a different kind of running back than some others.”

At the wide receiver position, the Tar Heels return Josh Downs and Antoine Green but there are some big question marks on the depth chart. With no clear number three option, freshman [autotag]Andre Greene[/autotag] has the chance to emerge as a go-to guy:

There are snaps to be earned at wide receiver for the Tar Heels with only two receivers returning who had more than 150 yards last season. Greene, a summer enrollee, is in position to snatch a lot of those reps. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Virginia native has a classic outside receiver’s build and has all the tools to be an immediate red zone threat.

It wouldn’t shock us to see either one or even both players to have a big impact right away. And if that happens, UNC should be in good shape with their offense.

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