Tag: Nate McCollum

UNC Football: Five things to watch against Pitt

UNC travels up to Pitt for its ACC football opener on Saturday night. Check out the five areas to watch ahead of the primetime clash.

The UNC football program is exactly where it wants to be three weeks into the season – undefeated and tied atop the ACC.

The Heels downed neighboring rival South Carolina, 31-17, in Week 1 for just the fourth time in 11 matchups. British Brooks ran for over 100 yards in his first game since 2021, while UNC’s defense held the Gamecocks to three second-half points.

Carolina received a major scare from new in-state rival App State the following week in Kenan Stadium, but pulled off an overtime comeback to win, 40-34. Omarion Hampton cemented his status as UNC’s lead running back, scoring three touchdowns against the Mountaineers and leading the nation with 234 yards that week.

After two slow weeks under center, Tar Heel quarterback Drake Maye delivered a Heisman Trophy-esque performance in the 31-13 triumph over Minnesota, completing 29 passes for 414 yards (sixth in the nation) and two touchdowns.

Pitt is moving in the opposite direction, sitting at 1-2 after a 17-6 loss to West Virginia in the 106th annual Backyard Brawl. Panthers quarterback Phil Jurkovec experienced one of the worst games as a collegiate quarterback, tossing three interceptions and failing to reach the 100-yard mark.

Pitt won its opener, 45-7 against Wofford, but the offense has not looked as explosive since. The Panthers hung 21 on Cincinnati, but gave up 27 points in the loss.

UNC-Pitt is the ACC opener for both teams, so let’s take a look at five key areas ahead of the game:

UNC vs. Pitt: Game preview, info, prediction and more

The UNC and Pitt football teams open up ACC play against each other on Saturday night. What does each team need to do for its first ACC win?

UNC is one of six ACC football teams to start its season 3-0 – and the Tar Heels are being rewarded with a primetime game.

The Tar Heels open up conference play against Pitt on Saturday night, traveling up to Pennsylvania for an 8 p.m. start. Each team’s respective season is trending in opposite directions – UNC sits at 3-0 after holding Minnesota to 13 points in last weekend’s victory, while Pitt dropped to 1-2 by losing the 106th annual Backyard Brawl to West Virginia.

Both teams have different playing styles.

Carolina is an offensive juggernaut that can either torture you with Drake Maye’s arm or Omarion Hampton’s legs. The Heels have reached 31 points in two of their first three games, including a season-high 40 in the back-and-forth triumph over App State.

Pitt is a team built on its defensive identity. The Panthers sport the nation’s third-best passing defense, allowing just 114 yards per game to opponents. Cincinnati beat Pitt 27-21 in Week 2, but that’s the highest point totaled Pitt’s given up through three weeks.

A strong passing defense didn’t stop Maye last week, as he torched Minnesota for 414 yards and two touchdowns. Maye should certainly win the quarterback battle against Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec, who carries a 474-yard, 4-touchdown, 3-interception statline into Saturday’s battle.

Hampton is the best running back on either team – he is joined by another 100-yard rusher in British Brooks. Carter Daniel leads the Pitt rushing room with 103 yards, but three separate players have scores.

Let’s take a deeper dive into Saturday night’s ACC opener for both teams:

UNC Football: Offensive Keys to the Game against Pitt

UNC and Pitt meet Saturday night in the ACC football opener for both teams. See how the Tar Heels’ high-octane offense can break down Pitt.

UNC fans got what they’d all been waiting for last week – a Heisman Trophy-esque performance from star quarterback Drake Maye.

The Heels won their non-conference finale against Minnesota, 31-13, in large part due to Maye’s 2-touchdown, 414-passing yard performance. Maye developed newfound chemistry with wide receiver Nate McCollum in the victory, as the Georgia Tech transfer caught 15 (over half) of Maye’s passes for a game-high 165 yards and a touchdown.

UNC starting running back Omarion Hampton only gained 46 rushing yards and added a score, but he didn’t need to run for 200 yards for his team to be successful last weekend.

The Heels begin their quest for a second straight trip to the ACC Championship Game this weekend, as they begin conference play with a trip to Pitt on Saturday night (8 p.m., ACC Network). The Panthers are coming off a low-scoring, 17-6 loss to West Virginia in the 106th annual Backyard Brawl.

What exactly does UNC need to accomplish on the field to remain undefeated and start ACC play 1-0?

McCollum leads four Tar Heels with Player of the Game Honors

UNC football players Nate McCollum, Power Echols, Noah Burnette and Liam Boyd were named Players of the Game for last week’s performances.

After nearly losing to App State last weekend, the UNC football team responded with a well-rounded, 31-13 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.

Carolina got the Heisman Trophy-level performance it craved from star quarterback Drake Maye, as the redshirt sophomore threw for a season-high 414 yards and two touchdowns. The Tar Heel defense looked a lot more like its Week 1 self, allowing three second-half points and just 11 Athas Kaliakmanis completions.

UNC is now 3-0 through four games – and for the third time in four seasons. Two of the Tar Heels’ three victories came against Power 5 opponents, which is going to help their case if they are undefeated well into ACC play.

There were so many stars on both sides of the ball, but only a select few Tar Heels earned Player of the Game honors.

This week, those honors went to wide receiver Nate McCollum, starting Mike linebacker Power Echols, plus place-kickers Liam Boyd and Noah Burnette.

After posting a virtually non-existent stat line against App State, McCollum exploded for 165 yards and a touchdown on 15 catches. He was named ACC Wide Receiver of the Week.

Echols led all Tar Heel defenders with nine tackles, including seven solo wrap-ups, accounting for just over 32 percent of them.

Burnette, last year’s starting kicker, was a perfect 5-for-5 on kicks. He made all four extra points and connected on a 42-yarder to cap the third quarter scoring.

Four of Boyd’s six kicks went for touchbacks. Boyd, the Clemson transfer, totaled 389 yards on his kickoffs.

One common theme I’m noticing in UNC’s early games is a willingness to step up. So far, there have been no repeat Players of the Game.

We’ll have to wait several days to see who Carolina’s next Player of the Game batch will be. The Tar Heels will travel up to Pennsylvania on Saturday for their ACC opener, as they take on Pitt at 8 p.m.

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College football’s top performers in the ACC during Week 3

From blowouts in Miami and Chapel Hill to a nail-biter in Tallahassee, who stood out in the ACC’s Week 3 slate?

The 2023 season may only be three weeks old, but the best teams in the ACC have already started separating themselves.

Half of the teams in the conference remain undefeated through Week 3, with five of those seven boasting a point differential north of +68. Florida State, North Carolina, Duke, Miami, and Clemson all sit in the Top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll, the second-highest number of ranked teams for any conference (Pac-12 leads with 8).

As the battle for ACC supremacy waged on, here’s a look at the conference’s best of the best in Week 3.

Drake Maye’s big game came against a top-ranked Minnesota defense

Drake Maye torched the Minnesota defense, which was allowing under 100 passing yards per game, for 414 yards and two touchdowns yesterday.

Yesterday was the type of game UNC quarterback Drake Maye had been waiting to enjoy.

A week after failing to throw a single touchdown against App State, Maye exploded for 414 yards and two touchdowns during yesterday’s 31-13 triumph over Minnesota.

What made Maye’s showing all that more impressive was the fact it came a Golden Gophers defense that, coming in, allowed just 92.5 passing yards per game through its first two games.

Adding onto Maye’s already impressive day – his 414-yard outing put him in elite UNC quarterback company. Along with Sam Howell, Mitch Trubisky, T.J. Yates and Marquise Williams, Maye is now one of five quarterbacks in school history with multiple 400-yard passing games (career-high 448 against Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 12).

Maye’s first touchdown pass came from the deep ball variety, as he slung a 46-yarder to Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum. Maye and McCollum had a strong connection going throughout the game, as McCollum caught 15 of Maye’s 29 completions for 165 yards.

Before the season began, Maye was a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. After a sub-300 passing yard, 2-interception performance against South Carolina and a touchdown-less outing against App State, those dreams pretty much left the window.

With Maye’s 2023 breakout game against the Golden Gophers, which included his second-highest passing yardage total in his college career, he’s right back in the thick of the race for college football’s most prestigious individual trophy.

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UNC Football: Helmet stickers for win over Minnesota

The UNC football team moved to 3-0 with its 31-13, home victory against Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 16. Check out which Tar Heels shined.

If you were preparing to watch the UNC-Minnesota football game on Saturday, Sept. 16, you might’ve expected a low-scoring battle.

The Tar Heels have one of college football’s best offenses, but Minnesota enjoys one of the country’s best defenses.

Yesterday, UNC enjoyed another well-rounded game similar to its opener against South Carolina – strong offense, but surprisingly strong defense, too.

Just like against the Gamecocks, the Tar Heels held Minnesota to three second-half points. UNC won 31-13 – this time, quarterback Drake Maye was the star.

Minnesota running back Darius Taylor enjoyed a 100-yard rushing performance on the ground, but the Tar Heels’ defense held Golden Gophers quarterback Athas Kaliakmanis in check. That was likely one of the many differences in UNC moving to 3-0.

With so many units to choose from, let’s check out which Tar Heels deserved our helmet stickers from the win over Minnesota:

Nate McCollum delivers career day in statement win

Nate McCollum speaks with media following career day, finishing with 165 yards on 15 catches.

North Carolina wide receiver [autotag]Nate McCollum[/autotag] had a coming-out party in Saturday’s win over Minnesota.

The transfer stepped up significantly for UNC, and it started right out the gate, catching four of the five targets on the game’s first drive, including a 46-yard touchdown. McCollum continued to be a consistent target for Drake Maye, having a monstrous first half with 11 receptions on 13 targets for 130 yards in the first half.

The Gophers did a better job in the second half containing McCollum, but the damage was already done. The 5’9 junior finished with 165 yards on 15 catches, marking a career day in both stats. McCollum finished one reception shy from tying the school record.

It’s hard to deny the Josh Downs similarities with McCollum, with Mack Brown telling us following the game that “he became Josh Downs.”

After the game, McCollum met with the media to discuss his big game.

“I was ready to go. I’ve been itching to work myself back up.” McCollum said. “Coach Galloway has been pushing me every day. The other receivers have been pushing me every day.”

When asked about the Down’s comparison, McCollum expressed how he felt about it.

“A lot of people say that, but I just think I am my own player. JD, that’s my boy. I grew up with him. He’s a heck of a player. I feel like we are similar players but completely two different types of players.

As of now, it appears that Maye has found his new Downs. The timing couldn’t be better, with the Tar Heels desperately needing a target for Maye after the NCAA declined Tez Walker’s eligibility.

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WATCH: Drake Maye goes deep for a 46-yard touchdown

Watch UNC quarterback Drake Maye connect with Nate McCollum for a 46-yard touchdown on the game’s first drive.

The North Carolina Tar Heels welcomed the Minnesota Gophers to Kenan Stadium for a Big Ten / ACC matchup.

UNC received the ball first, and it did not take long to get points, with [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] leading the Tar Heels down the field in 3:13 for a touchdown. The star quarterback completed four out of five passes for 65 yards, including a 46-yard pass to transfer wide receiver Nate McCollum.

McCollum was targeted all five times, making an insane grab with the defender all over his back, dragging the Gopher in the end-zone with him.

Seeing the Maye and McCollum connection early into the game is excellent. UNC struggled in the passing attack, so the early touchdown was refreshing. It will be interesting to see if the QB/WR duo can keep it up.

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Nate McCollum sidelined for Tar Heels season opener

The bad news for the North Carolina Tar Heels pours with transfer wide receiver Nate McCollum listed OUT to kick off the season.

More bad news for the North Carolina Tar Heels, as they will be without Junior Wide Receiver [autotag]Nate McCollum[/autotag] to open its season.

Before kick-off, the transfer wideout was not seen with the skill players for warm-up, leaving room to believe he would not be lacing up. That belief is confirmation, as UNC is now down two critical weapons in a primetime game.

The timing could not be any worse as North Carolina looks to maneuver around Tez Walker’s eligibility status and find a suitable game plan for quarterback Drake Maye.

McCollum came in this season as one of UNC’s key skill players, with the Tar Heels looking to replace explosiveness from Josh Downs and Antoine Green.

The good news is that North Carolina does have good depth and experience at the wideout position, with Kobe Paysour and J.J. Jones expected to be the two receivers counted on to make up the loss of Walker and McCollum.

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