Carolina is off to another fast start, but the schedule has been the Tar Heels’ ally so far.
“We’re excited to be 3-0,” UNC’s Mack Brown said after the deceiving 45-10 win over Football College Subdivision local foe North Carolina Central on Saturday. “Not many teams are 3-0.”
Well, 30 to be exact — including four others in the ACC, six from the Big 12 and Big 10 and seven from the SEC.
The schedule gradually ramps up from here. Next comes James Madison, a solid program coming off an 11-1 season in 2023. The Dukes won all 11 regular season games, climbing to No. 18 in the national rankings, before losing 31-21 to AirForce in Armed Forces Bowl.
JMU won its first two games this fall over Charlotte and Garder Webb. The Dukes were idle Saturday and will have two weeks to prepare for the Tar Heels before the noon start this Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
Heading into the JMU game and the ACC opener the following week at Duke, the Tar Heels find themselves with a battle between two good-but-not-great quarterbacks — after Jacolby Criswell came off the bench to outplay starter Conner Harrell against the Eagles.
Harrell, who replaced injured starter Max Johnson at Minnesota, played all but a few snaps in the 38-20 win over Charlotte. But he had only 48 yards of total offense in the first quarter Saturday before replaced by Criswell, who played until the final minutes and ran up 177 yards of offense plus his first touchdown pass since his sophomore season at UNC in 2021.
UNC quarterback Conner Harrell steps back for a pass against North Carolina Central on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Despite starting for the second consecutive game, Harrell struggled to move the ball down field with Carolina’s offense and was replaced by quarterback Jacolby Criswell for much of the game. (Photo via Andy Mead.)
Criswell, after returning from one year at Arkansas, tapped his right forearm and said confidently, “I have one of the best arms in the country.” And while he may not be as quick afoot as Harrell, he fires a faster bullet.
Asked about his plans at QB moving forward, Brown said, “We’re going to play one and see how he does. Both have it in them.”
For sure, star running back Omarion Hampton has it in him. He rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards in his 25 carries, as Carolina outscored Central 28-0 in the fourth quarter. It was the second time the Big O crossed the 200-yard plateau in a college game.
Freshman backs Davion Gause and sophomore Charleston French combined for 97 yards and a touchdown each, including French’s 45-yard scoring run. Hampton’s longest tote was 53.
The passing game is more complementary this season than in the past. Veteran tight ends John Copenhaver and Bryson Nesbitt had 9 of the 16 receptions, including Copenhaver’s six catches and first TD of the season. The mirrored jersey mates (numbers 81 and 18) combined for 102 yards, but redshirt freshman receiver Christian Hamilton again had the longest grab and run — 29 yards — plus an early fumble recovery off a muffed punt that jump-started the UNC offense.
The defense had the best overall day against the offense-challenged Eagles, who lost their starting quarterback in the first half and finished with 167 yards of total offense after taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Sophomore DB Kaleb Cost had an awesome all-around game on that side of the ball, with 8 tackles (4 solos), a half-sack and a spectacular diving interception. Des Evans took part in eight tackles and recorded his first sack of the season.
The defensive team highlight was a goal line stand late in the second quarter when Central had seven chances to score inside the 5-yard line and settled for a field goal.
UNC defensive lineman Travis Shaw celebrates with his teammates as part of the Tar Heels’ goal line stand against North Carolina Central at the end of the first half on Saturday, September 14, 2024. (Photo via Samantha Lewis.)
“The start of the blowout was the goal line stand, because Central knew they couldn’t score,” Brown said, adding that the biggest problem for the home team was 16 penalties, which tied the school record for one game and turned Brown’s hair even grayer. “So much we’ve gotta get fixed.”
Brown had a prolonged, mentoring hug with Central coach Trei Oliver, who played for the Eagles and was excited about how they played through three quarters before the Tar Heels commenced the rout.
“Great experience over here,” Oliver said. “Coach Brown has an outstanding program and outstanding team. I was excited, proud, pleased with how our guys started the game.”
A number of former Central players and coaches served as honorary captains for the program that has won consecutive MEAC championships but was clearly out of its league on this day.
In one sense, they were very big winners. UNC paid NCCU more than a $400,000 guarantee to bus over and play the game, the first football meeting between the two schools.
It is the third consecutive year UNC has won its first three games, the first time that has happened at UNC since 1979-81 when Brown was an under-30 assistant coach at Iowa State. But, clearly, this is the easiest opening slate he has had since returning to Chapel Hill in 2019.
Minnesota, which lost to the Heels by two points on opening night, is 2-1 after shutting out mid-majors Rhode Island and Nevada. Charlotte, 1-2, notched its first win of the season by edging Gardner Webb, 27-26. And Central is 1-2 after playing Carolina close and trailing by only 17-10 entering the fourth quarter.
The Heels have a chance to go 4-0 for the second straight season and they could even better their 6-0 start of a year ago by winning at Duke (for the unofficial championship of Durham) and beating beatable Pitt and Georgia Tech at home. That is, if their defense continues to improve and Brown can successfully play two quarterbacks like he did with Jason Stanicek and Mike Thomas, then Chris Keldorf and Oscar Davenport in the ‘90s.
Featured photo via Andy Mead.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
