The Tar Heels continued their football renaissance that, so far, has been helped by a cooperating schedule.
Three straight wins followed by four straight losses followed by three straight wins equals a 6-4 record and a sixth straight bowl bid for Mack Brown’s program that can still do more to turn a once-disqualifying season into a better one than the five Brown notched behind two NFL quarterbacks.
“A lot of young people couldn’t come back from the hole they were in to the positive attitude they’ve had for the last three weeks,” Brown said.
Carolina isn’t a great football team, but is getting pretty darn good behind another player headed for the NFL draft. Omarion Hampton’s career day rushing for 244 yards and a touchdown allowed the Heels to defeat scrappy Wake Forest 31-24 on Military Appreciation Day that began with three paratroopers landing safely on the Kenan Stadium turf.
Two more wins at Boston College and on Senior Day against N.C. State will result in a big bowl game that, we hope, Hampton will play in and not step aside to prepare for the NFL draft, like Michael Carter and Javonte Williams in 2020 that cost Carolina the Orange Bowl and Drake Maye skipped last year resulting in a blowout in the Mayo Bowl.
Hampton is a quiet kid whose relentless ball-carrying speaks for itself. He just loves to play football and might not sit out a post-season game that could give Brown the best record (9-4) since his return to Chapel Hill.
The Big O carried his team to a victory that should have been easier against Wake Forest, which came in with a 4-5 record and now will have to beat Miami and Duke to garner a bowl bid. Hampton had 132 yards in a first half that saw his offense in the red zone three times and only score one touchdowns thanks, in part, to not giving him the ball on three snaps from the Wake 3-yard line. He added 112 yards in the second half with the TD that sealed the deal.
His 3,327 career yards moves him to No. 5 on the all-time UNC rushing list and gives him 1,422 for this season, which puts him in reach of Don McCauley’s record 1,720. He also set the school record with his eighth consecutive 100-plus-yard game and tied Kelvin Bryant and Marquise Williams with 38 career touchdowns, which is sure to grow from here.
After a cool fake punt, Carolina completed a 13-play drive to the Wake 3-yard line, where offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey called three passes before Jacolby Criswell was sacked and Noah Burnette boinked the left upright on a 34-yard field goal attempt. Burnette made his next try and his mates pushed across their first TD on a daring dive by Criswell for a 10-3 lead at halftime.
North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell (12) is congratulated by teammates after he scored a touchdown against Wake Forest during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
(For kicks, a soldier wearing fatigues and combat boots won $5,000 by making three from 20, 25 and 30 yards away in a promotion for the Good Feet Store.)
The Deacons lost their starting quarterback Hank Buchmeier on the first snap of the second half, but his back-up engineered a 75 yard drive in seven plays to tie the game and actually awake a near-capacity crowd on a pleasant night in the pines. The Heels responded.
They scored twice over 90 seconds when J.J. Jones caught Criswell’s pass at the back line of the endzone and linebacker Power Echols engulfed a Wake pass at scrimmage and returned it 42 yards for his first pick six and 24-10 lead. Jones raised one finger on his right hand and three on his left to the sky for the No. 13 to salute his deceased best friend Tylee Craft.
Despite dominating time of possession, for which they are among the national leaders, the Tar Heels left some points on the field and gave up some others when Criswell fumbled at his own 12 and the Deacs quickly scored.
Brown, who spent a portion of the night chewing out officials along the sideline, was happy at the end and agreed his team was getting better but still had more work to do and much to accomplish.
UNC men’s basketball’s Cade Tyson shoots a three-pointer from the corner as the Tar Heels face American on Friday, Nov. 15. (Photo via Todd Melet/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Cade’s Corner
Twenty-four hours earlier, the Smith Center continued to evolve as the Dean Dome begins its 40th season. After Coach Smith retired, UNC slowqly and carefully moved into commercialization that he abhorred and had banned through the power of his position.
The four video screens have twice been supersized, and the advent of high definition allows them to impart massive amounts of statistical information, game highlights and other entertainment by way of advertising and in-house promotions like for the new collective CarolinaNIL.com.
The ribbon board running around the entire fascia of the upper deck twinkles in a way Smith would have hated. But it is, too, part of the show that looks like it might have come from expert consultants in fan engagement.
Between the videos and increased “crowd cam” that show fans dancing and gesticulating, plus piped in music and Jeff Fuchs striking up his pep band, there is barely an idle moment amidst the shifting shadows of Jumpman and UNC logos that magically appear on the court during timeouts.
The first half vs. American University Friday night was more like a Broadway play, the long song before tip-off an overture and a rhythmic version of “Jump Around” as the ball went up.
And the first half of the first half was more of a prelude to the first act, with American’s ball control offense (the Eagles play at the second slowest pace in college basketball) effectively wearing down Carolina’s defense enough to get some good looks and make six 3-pointers compared to Carolina’s 0-for-6.
After sinking 10 of their first 17 attempts and clinging to a three-point lead, the Eagles were wounded by the Tar Heels’ Hubert Davis-driven defensive pressure. The game turned into the rout that produced a 52-point win, UNC’s largest margin of victory since 2008 when Ol’ Roy was frantically arm-waving the eventual NCAA champions downcourt for another easy basket.
Carolina fans are passionate and astute about basketball, and they showed it when transfer Cade Tyson drained his first 3-pointer of the season after three prior whiffs. Aware that Tyson was losing minutes when his reputed shot wouldn’t fall, they exploded with glee after his three bombs, the first two across from the home bench that can now be dubbed “Cade’s Corner.” Tyson played 21-plus minutes – eight fewer than wonderous Elliot Cadeau (18 points, 8 assists) – and got frisky enough to miss four of his last five long balls.
Photo via Todd Melet/Chapel Hill Media Group.
The other hidden gem of the evening was Pittsboro freshman Drake Powell, who benefitted from Ian Jackson sitting out with a sore leg and played 26 minutes some in the air blocking three shots and dunking one. Jalen Washington was more animated than ever, going 6-for-6 from the floor and finishing with a career-high 18 points to join five scorers in double figures. Oh, if he can do that against better competition…
The Hoop Heels are off to Hawaii for four games in six nights while the UNC gridders fly to Boston College to try to continue their late-season resurgence that could result in six straight wins and a finish that will repudiate all the grief Brown got a few weeks ago – if his boys-becoming-men can just keep it up.
Featured photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward.
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“…could result in six straight wins…”
I’d be happy. OTOH, I know it is unlikely. We have a good football team populated with fine young men. There has never been a team at UNC that can weather the many obstacles that have been thrown at them this year. Very few teams can. It’s remarkable that Carolina has persevered. It is a good year at this point, just overcoming all the negatives.