Tag: North Carolina football

UNC defensive end named Bednarik Player of the Week

UNC defensive end names Bednarik Player of the Week in just third game this season.

After a four-game slide, the North Carolina football team got back on the right side of the win-loss column on the road in Week 9 against Virginia.

They snapped the four-game losing streak while simultaneously picking up their first conference win this season. Not only would a win have been sufficient, but they put the stomp on Virginia winning by 27 points giving up just one touchdown and two field goals on the day.

While the offense played well under Jacolby Criswell‘s 293 yards through the air and Omarion Hampton‘s 105 yards on the ground, the defense was the most spectacular showing by the Tar Heels in the game.

As a team, they totaled 62 tackles, 10 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and one touchdown.

The defense was led by Kaimon Rucker (DE) who was also selected to be the Bednarik Player of the Week.

Rucker finished No. 2 on the team in total tackles with eight including five solo tackles. He led the team with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Rucker was also one of the two players to record an interception in the win.

In just under three total games played this season, Rucker has 16 total tackles and 12 solo tackles. He has four sacks and an interception.

He will look to get back into this form and duplicate this game against Florida State on Saturday.

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UNC football surges up USA Today Sports re-rank after win

Here is where the UNC football program ranks in the latest USA Today Sports re-rank

Bye weeks have been known to be resets for teams heading into them with losing streaks, and that’s exactly what it did for Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels team.

Whether it was losing games because of allowing massive points or losing big leads, fans were starting to lose faith in the UNC football program, and Paul Myerberg and USA Today were also told by their weekly re-rank program.

North Carolina started out in the mid-50s before eventually falling all the way down to No. 79 heading into their bye week last week.

The offense played well last week led by Jacolby Criswell and Omarion Hampton, and the defense put up historic numbers totaling 10 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, and two interceptions including one for a touchdown.

Seven players got in on the sack party, including Kaimon Rucker, who had three sacks, and Beau Atkinson, who had two sacks. Antavious Lane, Amare Campbell, Alijah Huzzie, Jahvaree Ritzie, and Desmond Evans all had one sack each.

Rucker also had 3.5 tackles for a loss and one of the interceptions. Ritzie had the other interception and returned it for an 84-yard pick-six.

USA Today’s praised the Tar Heels’ effort in the latest re-rank after Week 9 against Virginia has North Carolina at No. 63, up 16 spots from their previous rank.

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UNC hits historical defensive mark in Week 10 win over Virginia

UNC defense not only bounce back, it showed out at Virginia.

North Carolina had been on a defensive demise over the past five weeks of football. From giving up 70 points to James Madison to dropping a 21-point lead against Duke, the defense lost multiple games over that losing streak.

The defensive line wasn’t getting to the quarterback, the secondary wasn’t keeping receivers in front of them, and the linebackers let lead rushers into the secondary, it was just a mess from start to finish.

However, the bye week transformed the North Carolina defense. They came out in vengeance last week against Virginia totaling 10 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, one touchdown, and 62 tackles.

The total of 10 sacks was marked the most in a single game by a North Carolina defense since 2000 at Wake Forest.

Seven players got in on the party including Kaimon Rucker, who had three sacks, and Beau Atkinson, who had two sacks. Antavious Lane, Amare Campbell, Alijah Huzzie, Jahvaree Ritzie, and Desmond Evans all had one sack each.

Rucker also had 3.5 tackles for a loss and an interception. Ritzie had the other interception and returned it for an 84-yard pick-six.

Atkinson had 2.5 tackles for a loss, and Lane had 1.5 as well. Lane led the team in total tackles with nine on the day, including eight solo tackles.

Hopefully, North Carolina can carry that defensive momentum into the next game against Florida State on the road in another ACC game.

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Omarion Hampton reaches 1,000 yards in just eight games

Omarion Hampton dominates again this week and reaches the 1,000-yard mark in just eight games.

The UNC football season hasn’t been one that fans would like to remember. It started with three straight wins and was followed by four straight losses. This week, they got back on the winning side at Virginia to even their record at 4-4 after eight games and a bye week.

However, the most consistent and best play week-in and week-out has been running back Omarion Hampton. Hampton is a top-five back in the nation and through just eight games has already topped the 1,000-yard mark.

Last year, Hampton had just 1,504 yards and didn’t reach 1,000 yards until Week 10 against Campbell.

In all but one game this year, Hampton has totaled over 100 yards rushing. He ran for 129 yards against Minnesota on the road followed by 77 yards against Charlotte in Week 2, a game where he got hurt and played just half.

He ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns against NC Central, followed by 139 yards and three touchdowns against James Madison. Hampton totaled 103 yards on the road at Duke and 106 yards against Pittsburgh.

In Week 6 against Pittsburgh, he totaled 137 yards against Georgia Tech, which put Hampton at 901 yards total on the season. This week, he ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

Hampton is averaging 125 yards per game, which would project him to finish the year with 1,509 yards.

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PHOTOS: Tar Heels beat Virginia, snap four-game losing streak

Tar Heels win! Check out what it looked like today!

The bye week worked out! The UNC football team came into this game today, spiraling out of control. With this win here today against Virginia, North Carolina won its first ACC game, its first game in six weeks, and stopped the bleeding.

Jacolby Criswell was electric finishing with 293 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Omarion Hampton did Hampton things rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns. J.J. Jones stepped up big and totaled 129 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.

The defense totaled 10 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Kaimon Rucker and Jahvaree Ritzie had interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown 84 yards from Ritzie.

This team was dynamic on all sides. Check out how they looked doing it.

UNC lineman Jahvaree Ritzie hilariously stiff-armed Virginia’s QB during a glorious 84-yard pick-6

A Thicc-Six heals all wounds.

It’s been a rough past few weeks for North Carolina football fans.

There’s been the on-field woes, of course. A four-game losing streak that included giving up 70 points to James Madison, blowing a 20-point lead against rival Duke, and losing in the final moments at home to Georgia Tech.

Off the field, the Tar Heels are also grieving the death of teammate Tylee Craft after the wide receiver passed away on Oct. 12 after a battle with cancer.

Simply put, the folks in Chapel Hill needed something to cheer for.

And they got it on Saturday in a big way.

Amidst a 41-14 win at Virginia that snapped that losing streak, UNC fans got to witness and enjoy the wonders of a Thicc-Six. Jahvaree Ritzie – a 6-foot-4, 290-pound graduate defensive lineman – delivered one of the more incredible Big Boy Touchdowns we’ve seen this season.

Ritzie tipped Anthony Colandrea’s pass with his left hand late in the third quarter and brought the ball in for an interception, and then proceeded to make his way toward the sideline. On his way, he threw a stiff arm at a diving Colandrea, evaded the tackle, and then rumbled 84 yards into the endzone, with his belly hanging out of his jersey in all of its glory.

We love Big Boy Touchdowns and the memorable calls that come with them. Enjoy, UNC fans. And someone take Ritzie to Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen on Sunday for a proper Thicc-Six celebration.

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UNC football unveils road throwback uniform for Virginia game

UNC will showcase a new-to-this-season uniform combination on Saturday

The North Carolina Tar Heels will head on the road for just the third time this season. They won the first three games of the year and painted a great picture of the season, which proved to be a fallacy, heading into Week 4.

After that, things spiraled. They lost to JMU 70-50 before dropping a 20-point lead against Duke on the road in the next game. UNC lost back-to-back conference games at home against Pitt and Georgia Tech before heading into their bye week last week looking to regroup under Mack Brown.

The program released its uniform combination for Saturday’s game as they will wear a Carolina blue retro helmet, a white retro jersey, and Carolina-blue pants, for the first time this season.

The reveal below features 6-foot-4 senior defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie. Ritzie is pictured in from of an LED Tar Heels logo and sitting in the stands at Kenan Stadium.

Ritzie has 10 solo tackles and five sacks this season for North Carolina. Once leading the nation in sacks, he is now ranked tied for No. 17.

The block letters and navy blue shadowing are reminiscent of the times in Carolina football dating back to Amos Lawrence with a modern twist.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game will be at noon on October 26th at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia, and also airing on the CW Network. UNC will be searching for its first win since Week 3 and snapping a four-game losing streak.

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UNC football loses three-star commit to Big Ten program

Carolina football loses its first Class of 2025 recruit after a flipped commitment.

UNC football has had a rough season in 2024. After a brilliant outlook on this season, the gloom quickly set in as the Tar Heels went into the bye week last week losing four straight games including three conference games.

They gave up 70 points to JMU, lost a 21-point lead to Duke, and allowed Pitt and Georgia Tech to walk all over them. Thus far, the only downside to this wasted season has been upset fans.

Now, the downfall of the UNC program under Mack Brown is hitting recruits. A three-star tight end out of Arlington Heights, Illinois, has decided to rescind his commitment to the Tar Heels program and stay home in Illinois.

The John Hersey High School product committed to Mack Brown and North Carolina in November of 2023 after turning down several other offers including Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri.

Now, the No. 36 tight end and No. 17 ranked player in Illinois heads away from his prior commitment to North Carolina.

https://twitter.com/on3recruits/status/1848525172774735961?s=46

Illinois kept recruiting Farrell despite his commitment to North Carolina and it proved valid. They visited him recently at his high school and kept attending his games, while the Tar Heels have continued to plummet in the college football realm.

There is no indication that his flip has anything to do with the Tar Heel’s poor performance as of late, but one can not help but think that this is the first of many dominos to fall.

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UNC football releases uniform combination against Georgia Tech

This is what the Tar Heels will dawn as they turn their season around on Saturday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will stay playing in front of their fans today in Week 7 of the college football season taking on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Heels will be searching for a desperate win to keep their season from spiraling into a tailspin.

After winning the first three games of the season against Minnesota, NC Central, and Charlotte, they have since given up 70 points to JMU in a loss, ceeded a 20-point lead against Duke, and made Pitt look spectacular.

The program released its uniform combination for Saturday’s game as they will wear a Carolina blue helmet, Carolina blue retro jersey, and white pants, for the first time this season.

The reveal above features 6-foot-3 tight end John Copenhaver. Copenhaver is pictured with the Old Well, a mark that the University of North Carolina is known for back to its roots.

The block letters and navy blue shadowing are reminiscent of the times in Carolina football dating back to Amos Lawrence with a modern twist.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game will be at noon on October 12th at Kenan Stadium and also airing on the CW Network. UNC will be searching for its first win in three weeks and snapping a three-game losing streak.

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Pitt will get key offensive player back for UNC game

The UNC defense and Geoff Collins were hit with a curveball today ahead of Pitt showdown.

UNC football is getting ready to face off against an undefeated Pitt squad led by an electric quarterback in Eli Holstein. Geoff Collins has been preparing and game-planning all week for the situations he will face, and today he was thrown a curveball.

Over the course of this season, junior running back Desmond Reid has led the team in rushing with 44 carries for 319 yards and a touchdown averaging 7.3 yards per carry. The ground game for Pitt has been the most efficient in the ACC to date.

Last year, it was then senior running back Rodney Hammond Jr. who led the team in rushing with 118 carries for 547 yards and four touchdowns averaging 4.6 yards per rush in a season where they won just three games.

Right before the season-opening game for Pitt, Hammond was declared ineligible to play, though their coach, Pat Narduzzi, say he was still allowed and cleared to practice. Hammond has been sitting on the bench since Week 1 awaiting an opportunity to play.

Narduzzi said, “Excited as a coaching staff and a team that he is back. It’s great for everybody. Right now, he’s ready to play. That’s all I care about.”

UNC will have yet another piece to prepare for with little time to make adjustments that way. There is no telling the time or impact that Hammond will make on the game this weekend, but nonetheless, it’s an intriguing twist for the Heels’ defense.

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