When the North Carolina Tar Heels and Appalachian State Mountaineers met a year ago, it was a high-scoring game with both teams going back and forth before Mack Brown’s team pulled off the road win.
This year, things are a little different.
The Mountaineers don’t have quarterback Chase Brice who is in the Canadian Football League, and a few other weapons for the game. And now, it looks like they will be without their starting quarterback.
Starter Ryan Burger is out 3-4 weeks with a hand injury he suffered in Week 1, meaning that backup and Diablo Valley Community College transfer Joey Aguilar will get the start:
App State Week 1 starting QB Ryan Burger is out 3-4 weeks w/ a hand injury.
Diablo Valley Community College transfer Joey Aguilar will be App's starting QB vs. UNC.
Aguilar provided a second-half spark vs. Gardner-Webb (11-for-13 for 174 yards and 4 touchdowns in the 45-24 win.
— Ross Martin (@RossMartinNC) September 4, 2023
Now, that typically would be an advantage for the defense (and probably still is) but with this North Carolina team, the past hasn’t been pretty for them against backup quarterbacks. Last season, North Carolina lost games to NC State AND Georgia Tech in back-to-back weeks with backup quarterbacks.
But coming off a big performance by UNC’s defense against South Carolina, Tar Heels fans should feel more comfortable this time around.
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