Tag: John Copenhaver

Six 100-yard receivers have UNC’s passing attack amongst nation’s best

The UNC football program doesn’t know who’ll lead its passing attack in a given week. That’s a good thing keeping opponents guessing.

When Drake Maye is your quarterback, you’re going to score lots of points and win plenty of games.

Behind every great quarterback, however, is a great group of pass-catchers.

Fortunately for Maye, the UNC gunslinger who is projected to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, his pass-catchers are making life easy for him.

With Walker initially being ruled ineligible, guys had to step up at receiver. The other receivers haven’t only stepped up, they’ve thoroughly exceeded expectations, with six guys reaching at least 100 yards.

Walker finally earned eligibility, sending a massive cheer throughout Tar Heel Nation. His presence should further bolster an already dangerous group.

Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum is atop the group with 355 receiving yards. He just registered his second 100-yard receiving effort in two weeks, catching seven Maye passes for a UNC-high 135 yards against Syracuse.

J.J. Jones has 318 yards, but still is looking for his first score. Jones’ best output this year was a six-catch, 117-yard showout at Pitt.

Kobe Paysour leads Carolina with three receiving touchdowns. His first 100-yard outing came against Syracuse, as he caught three passes for exactly 100 yards and a score.

All three tight ends have over 100 receiving yards, but Bryson Nesbit leads the way with 167 receiving yards. Kamari Morales (not pictured in above post) has 139 receiving yards, while John Copenhaver has 106. Nesbit and Copenhaver have two receiving touchdowns each.

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UNC offensive keys to the game against Syracuse

UNC hosts Syracuse on Saturday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff in Chapel Hill. Check out what the Tar Heels need to do offensively.

Things are riding high right now for the UNC football program, which sits 4-0 for the first time since 1997.

The Tar Heels have enjoyed offensive outbursts each game, whether those be from the running back room, wide receiver group or Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Maye himself. They’ve engineered comebacks – late in the App State game and early in the clash with Pitt.

British Brooks took his turning leading UNC offensively in week one, running for over 100 yards in his first game action since 2021. Omarion Hampton followed with a lights-out encore, becoming the only FBS back with 200-plus rushing yards in Week 2. Nate McCollum enjoyed a breakout game in Week 3, catching over half of Maye’s passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, while Maye and J.J. Jones were cookin’ against Pitt.

With so many stars on offense, who’s going to shine against Syracuse on Saturday in UNC’s return from it’s bye week? Let’s take a deeper dive:

WATCH: Double-reverse sets up game tying drive, Huzzie gives UNC lead with punt return for TD

UNC tight end John Copenhaver set up the game-tying score against with a trick play catch, while Alijah Huzzie returned a punt for six.

It took a little while for UNC’s offense to get going against Pitt, but it finally appears to have found its groove.

The Panthers have marched down the field at will against Carolina’s defense, mainly utilizing RPOs to keep players guessing.

UNC’s first drive was extended by several Pitt penalties, including a pass interference call. Omarion Hampton found the end zone for Carolina’s fist score, then Drake Maye ran a third-and-goal in midway through the second quarter.

Maye’s touchdown run was set up by a beautiful double-reverse. He then looked down the field and found a wide-open John Copenhaver, who slipped behind the Pitt defense.

Moments later, UNC linebacker Kaimon Rucker took advantage of a busted play and sacked Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec back to the 1-yard line. That set up the Tar Heels’ go-ahead score – a house call from Alijah Huzzie on a 50-yard punt return – to give them a 20-14 advantage (extra point made it 21-14).

After a slow start from the Heels, it’s encouraging to see this type of effort. Pitt made a 44-yard field goal late in the second quarter, closing its deficit to 21-17, but the momentum is with UNC.

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UNC Football: Offensive Keys to the Game against App State

This article details what UNC needs to do offensively against App State in order to start 2023 with two consecutive wins.

It’s been a pretty good week for the UNC football team, mainly because of how it played in Week 1 against South Carolina.

The Tar Heels rode a strong ground game and an uncharacteristically strong defense to a 31-17 victory over neighboring rival South Carolina. UNC’s defense recorded nine sacks – more than half of its 2022 total (17) – while holding the Gamecocks to three second-half points.

Tar Heels starting running back British Brooks, in his first game since 2021, led all players with 103 rushing yards. UNC’s experienced ground game generated a total of 168 rushing yards, meaning quarterback Drake Maye didn’t need to be at his best.

As a result of all this, Carolina moved up to 17th in the latest AP Poll.

UNC’s schedule doesn’t get an easier, as they face a tough App State squad on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5:15 p.m. in Kenan Stadium.

When the Heels and Mountaineers met last year in Boone, chaos ensued. UNC appeared on the brink of pulling away with a victory, scoring 34 unanswered points, only for App State to come crawling back and tie things up in the fourth quarter.

Both schools combined for 62 fourth-quarter points, yet it was the visiting Tar Heels who pulled out a 63-61 victory.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup, let’s take a deeper dive into what UNC needs to do for a second-consecutive win against their rivals in the Appalachian Mountains:

WATCH: John Copenhaver makes insane catch for Tar Heels’ fourth touchdown of fame

UNC tight end John Copenhaver extended UNC’s lead against South Carolina to 30-14, making a highlight-reel, 1-handed touchdown grab.

In the second half of the UNC-South Carolina game at Bank of America Stadium, UNC is looking every part of a hungry, ranked team trying to show the world last year’s late-season collapse was a fluke.

After South Carolina recovered an onside kick to open the second half, the Tar Heels’ defense made another defensive stop – this time forcing a turnover on downs.

That set the stage for a UNC second-half offensive outburst.

Moments after sophomore running back Omarion Hampton scored his second touchdown of the game, tight end John Copenhaver made an insane, SportsCenter Top 10-esque catch for the Heels’ fourth touchdown of the game.

Copenhaver runs toe-to-toe with Gamecocks defender Keenan Nelson Jr., slows down to position his body in front of him, then makes a 1-handed from a falling Drake Maye. This score put UNC up 30-14, followed by a Ryan Coe extra point to make it 31-14.

There’s still a whole quarter of football left, but the Tar Heels are heading in the right direction for their season opener.

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John Copenhaver catches a beautiful touchdown from Drake Maye in practice

UNC quarterback Drake Maye is already forming a solid connection with tight end John Copenhaver, completing a gorgeous pass in practice.

If we’re just watching football highlights alone, it looks like UNC quarterback Drake Maye is already in midseason form.

While the Tar Heels don’t start gameplay until Saturday, Sept. 2 against South Carolina in Bank of America Stadium (7:30 p.m., ABC), they’re giving fans a lot to be excited about in practice.

If fans check out the UNC Football Instagram page, Maye throws a dime to tight end John Copenhaver down the sidelines. Copenhaver makes a catch placed perfectly over graduate linebacker Jake Harkleroad, then practically walks into the end zone. The Maye-Copenhaver connection is going to be crucial this Fall, as Maye will be searching for new targets to replace 2023 NFL Draft picks Josh Downs and Antoine Green.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwBJoxPOe_t/

Maye is coming off a season in which he finished fourth in the FBS (4,321) in passing yards, just one spot behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, and tied with Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman for fourth in passing touchdowns (38). UNC fans also quickly learned of Maye’s strong rushing ability, as Maye anchored the Tar Heel rushing attack with 698 yards.

Whichever way Drake Maye wants to hurt a defense, he’s going to.

Despite catching 15 passes for 222 yards last season, Copenhaver split time with Bryson Nesbit and Kamari Morales. Copenhaver may see more time this Fall, however, as he and Nesbit were named to the 2023 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. This is an award given annually to the top tight end in college football.

Get ready for action, Tar Heel fans. 2023’s about to be a great year.

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Drake Maye making solid connections with receivers in football practice

In a series of highlights clips posted to X (formerly known as Twitter), UNC quarterback Drake Maye shows off his accuracy and cannon arm.

College football begins in less than a month.

Yes, you read that correctly.

We’ll have an appetizer of “Week Zero” matchups the last weekend of August, then the main course over Labor Day Weekend.

UNC will be kicking off its season against neighboring rival South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. inside Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. The Gamecocks have the rivalry’s upper hand of late, winning seven of the last 10 matchups, despite the Heels having a 35-20-4 all-time advantage.

Teams are busy trying to figure out position battles and depth charts. Coaches are crafting the most effective games plans so their teams can win more games. Right now, everyone is dealing with what future conference they will be participating in.

The Heels are trying to figure out if they’ll be sticking in the ACC or not, but luckily for them, they’ve got a lot of their starters figured out.

It’s no doubt that Drake Maye will be quarterback the offense. Maye, one of the best players in the entire country who could possibly go first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, is coming off a redshirt freshman season in which he won nine honors. Maye’s 4,321 passing yards landed him fourth in the entire FBS, just behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.

Watch these four social media clips and see how good Maye looks in practice:

In the top left clip, Maye fires a dart to tight end John Copenhaver, who catches the ball over Don Champan then races towards the end zone.

You can’t see Maye in the top right clip, but you can see running back Omarion Hampton making a shoestring catch on the sidelines.

In the bottom left clip, Maye rolls to his right and finds a diving Nate McCollum.

In the bottom right clip, Maye hits Deems May in stride.

Even if it’s just one practice, it’s encouraging to see Maye forming connections with his pass-catchers. He doesn’t have the help of Josh Downs or Antoine Green, so that newfound chemistry will be crucial.

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2023 UNC Football Preview: Tight End

We look at the 2023 tight-end position as UNC looks to find consistency in the passing attack.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are preparing for this upcoming season, and one of the biggest questions is who will become Drake Maye’s new favorite target.

Well, one group, in particular, has a chance to do so: the tight-end group. UNC lost significant talent in the pass-catching category this off-season.

Losing Maye’s two top targets, Josh Downs and Antoine Green will be a challenging replacement, especially when those two targets combined for 137 receptions and 1827 receiving yards last year.

Despite a new-looking wide receiver core, some familiar faces in the tight end room should help the newer targets get established. John Copenhaver, Bryson Nesbit, and Kamari Morales will all return to the Carolina Blue.

The tight end room will also welcome three-star Julien Randolph, whose 6’5, 220-pound frame will be serviceable for Chip Lindsey’s offense.

As the regular season approaches, we decided to crank up our position preview with the tight end position.