Tar Heels escape Minnesota with season-opening victory after missed field goal

Thursday night wasn’t pretty, but the UNC football team found a miraculous way to escape Minnesota with a 2-point victory.

The UNC football team couldn’t have asked for a crazier start to its 2024 season on Thursday night at Minnesota.

That crazy start ended with a missed field goal by Golden Gophers kicker Dragan Kesich, as North Carolina escaped Minneapolis with a crucial, 19-17 victory.

Minnesota’s walk-off chance was set up by a Tar Heels’ pass interference call and a couple big plays: a 20-yard completion, plus another first down. For a UNC defense that played surprisingly well most of the night, it picked the worst time to slip up.

Kesich’s kick initially looked good, just inside the right upright, but the football sailed just right of the post. If his kick had been any closer to the center of the field, North Carolina goes back to Kenan Stadium with a tough loss.

The Tar Heels had much better luck in their kicking game, with Lou Groza Award nominee Noah Burnette nailing four field goals, including the eventual game-winner with 1:44 remaining.

UNC first took a 7-0 lead on Max Johnson’s second-quarter touchdown run. Johnson would later leave the game with a scary leg injury in the third quarter, forcing North Carolina to put Conner Harrell in.

The Golden Gophers quickly responded to the Tar Heels’ initial score, recording two consecutive rushing touchdowns and sending them into the half with a 14-7 lead. There wasn’t a single touchdown in the second half, though, as Burnette outscored Kesich 12-3 in points.

North Carolina went from holding its breath to a massive celebration – all in a matter of seconds. Players and coaches can now enjoy the long weekend, gameplan for the Sept. 7 home opener against Charlotte and learn what life without Max Johnson is going to be like.

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