Tag: Noah Burnette

Five things to watch in UNC-Georgia Tech rematch

Will the UNC football team rebound after last weekend’s deflating loss to UVA? It’ll be difficult, with a trip to Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Which UNC football team is going to show up on Saturday against Georgia Tech – the one who comfortably beat its first six opponents, or the one who fell asleep against one of the ACC’s worst teams last weekend?

Regardless of which version shows up, the Tar Heels have to be frustrated and motivated to prove the UVA game was a fluke.

Despite everything that went wrong for UNC last weekend, it still has the deadly Drake Maye-Devontez Walker combo. Omarion Hampton is still leading the backfield and, even though Carolina abandoned the running game, he had his second straight 100-yard outing.

The Tar Heels now matchup with a team they should beat, but one that has their number – Georgia Tech. UNC will make the short trip to Atlanta and face off against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Georgia Tech is just 3-4 this year, but it leads the all-time series against Carolina with a 32-22-3 mark. The Yellow Jackets have the ACC’s passing touchdowns leader in Haynes King, plus three running backs with at least 250 yards.

Something has to give Saturday night. Georgia Tech is fighting for bowl eligibility, while the Tar Heels are hoping to stay in the thick of the ACC Championship race.

What exactly do you need to know for Saturday’s nightcap?

Helmet Stickers for UNC Football’s season-altering loss against UVA

UVA’s football team marched into Chapel Hill yesterday and dealt UNC a gut-punching, 31-27 defeat. Which of the few UNC players shined?

Undefeated, one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and an opponent it should easily beat.

All was set up for the UNC football team to dominate UVA on Saturday and keep its Top-10 ranking, something it has not become accustomed to often.

Yet, as we’ve seen so many times with a ranked Tar Heels program, disappointment set in.

Carolina quarterback Drake Maye threw his lone interception of the contest with just seconds left, sealing the 31-27 UVA win that will almost surely send UNC tumbling from the Top 20.

Carolina appeared to score a tie-breaking touchdown in the fourth quarter, only for it to be wiped out by a holding penalty. UNC had to settle for a field goal, which appeared to be the momentum shift UVA needed for its shocking upset.

There’s not many positives to take away from this upsetting – but unsurprising – defeat. Every time Carolina seems to touch the Top 10, chaos ensues. Just see the 2021 season-opener at Virginia Tech – UNC was ranked 10th, then left Tar Heel Nation in utter disappointment.

Yet despite the defeat, there were some positive takeaways, even though it might not seem like it. The defeat is fresh in our minds, so we’re still voicing our frustrations at UNC’s season taking a complete 180.

UNC Football: Five things to watch in primetime clash against Miami

The Tar Heels have their toughest ACC football test in the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday night. These are the five areas you should focus on.

There hasn’t been this much hype around the UNC football program since, well, the last century.

Carolina is 5-0 for the first time since 1997 – before any player on the current team was born. The Heels have throttled previously top-ranked pass defenses – Pitt and Minnesota – with ease. Omarion Hampton ran all over the App state defense for 200+ yards and Devontez Walker was recently ruled eligible, but the Tar Heel receiving room is so deep that Walker’s presence might not have as great an impact fans thought.

The most surprising storyline surrounding the team so far, however, is how well the defense is playing. It all started in Week 1, when UNC defenders sacked South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler nine times. App State was a game the defense wants to forget about, but it rebounded the following week and limited Minnesota gunslinger Athas Kaliakmanis to 11 completions. Carolina’s defense shutout Pitt in the second half (kick return was a defensive score), then held Syracuse to single-digits for the first time all year.

The Miami (FL) Hurricanes are coming into Chapel Hill this weekend for a 7:30 p.m. ET, primetime matchup with the Heels. Miami will likely be playing hungry and angry, looking to avenge last week’s stunning, home upset loss against Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes provide UNC with its toughest ACC test yet – can this talented Carolina team rise to the challenge?

Let’s dive into five areas you should be looking out for ahead of Saturday’s clash:

UNC Football: Offensive keys to the game against Miami

The Tar Heels just 40-pieced Syracuse last weekend in Kenan Stadium. What will their offense do for an encore against the Miami Hurricanes?

Another week, another dominating victory for the UNC football team.

A month after they were being questioned, for a closer-than-expected victory against a young App State squad, the Tar Heels are 5-0 and one of the ACC’s three remaining undefeated squads. They currently sit at 12th in the latest AP Poll, but if they keep dominating opponents, they’ll be a Top 5 team by years’ end.

On Saturday, Sept. 7, Carolina trounced Syracuse by a 40-7 mark. Drake Maye finished six yards off his collegiate career-high in passing yards and added a rushing touchdown, wide receivers Kobe Paysour and Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum each hit the century mark in receiving yards, plus the defense held an opponent to single-digits for the first time in nearly two calendar years.

UNC has an even tougher test this coming Saturday in Miami (FL), who comes to Kenan Stadium for a primetime matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes were the victim of an unfortunate playcalling blunder last weekend, when their decision to run the ball – instead of kneel – led to a fumble and Georgia Tech’s eventual game-winning touchdown.

Miami’s defense could pose a challenge for UNC’s red-hot offensive unit, with the Hurricanes holding opponents to single-digits in three of their first five games.

Let’s take a deeper dive into what Carolina needs to do offensively for a statement victory:

Tar Heels name Players of the Game for blowout over Syracuse

Drake Maye, Myles Murphy, Noah Burnette and Liam Boyd were tabbed Players of the Game in UNC’s 40-7 thumping of 4-win Syracuse.

It seemed like the UNC football team could do no wrong Saturday afternoon against Syracuse.

The Tar Heels obliterated the Orange, 40-7, in a matchup of 4-win ACC teams. UNC star quarterback Drake Maye finished six yards off his collegiate career high in passing yards and fished out three touchdowns, Nate McCollum AND Kobe Paysour each finished over the century mark in receiving yards, plus the Heels never trailed and allowed a season-low 221 yards.

If you struggled picking just one Player of the Game, I wouldn’t blame you, as seemingly everyone was deserving of being named one.

On Monday afternoon, UNC announced Maye, Myles Murphy, Liam Boyd and Noah Burnette as its Players of the Game against the Orange.

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Maye, Carolina’s Offensive Player of the Game, ended Saturday’s victory second among FBS quarterbacks with 442 passing yards. He completed a season-high 33 passes and tossed three touchdowns – his first to Bryson Nesbit, second to John Copenhaver and third to Kobe Paysour. This was Maye’s second 400-yard outing in three weeks, as he did the same against Minnesota.

You could have picked nearly any defensive starter for Defensive Player of the Game, but that honor belonged to defensive lineman Myles Murphy. The Greensboro native registered five tackles – three of the solo variety, including one of the Heels’ three for loss.

Burnette, one of two UNC Special Teams Players of the Game, continued thriving while starting kicker Ryan Coe misses time with an injury. Burnette connected on all eight of his kicks – four field goals and four extra points apiece.

Boyd was on the field for nine kickoffs, totaling 585 yards and EIGHT touchbacks. He nearly equaled Carolina’s total of 644 yards.

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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.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

UNC football helmet stickers for Week 1 win at Appalachian State

We take a look at helmet stickers from the UNC football programs win over Appalachian State on Saturday.

With Saturday’s thrilling win over Appalachian State, the North Carolina Tar Heels are now 2-0 on the year and survived in a tough environment.

It’s been a good start to the season for the most part with the offense carrying the load through two games. UNC’s defense does need to step it up but there were times on Saturday which were encouraging for the future. However, there were the same mistakes over and over again from the unit too.

Before we turn the page on this week and focus on Georgia State, it’s time to give out helmet stickers for the game.

We give these out after each game of the year to a few players that we believe were the standouts for UNC. This week, there was a familiar face in the helmet stickers but we also welcome three newcomers too.