The Carolina-Florida State mismatch is a good example of what has happened to UNC, ACC and college football over the years.
The 35-11 domination on Saturday was Mack Brown’s first coaching victory in 11 games against his alma mater, where he was an average running back who barely played after blowing out his knee in a summer fraternity flag football game.
He graduated from FSU in 1974, the last time the Seminoles started a season at 1-8. UNC, 5-4, won its second straight game after four consecutive losses and pretty much assured itself of escaping a last-place finish in the ACC with a 2-3 record. Brown’s old school is 1-7, its only conference win against 4-4 California, one of three that left crumbling conferences for sweetheart deals in the ACC, which began in 1953, two years after Brown was born.
Phew!
The Tar Heels are in a four-way tie with Duke, N.C. State and Virginia for 10th place, followed by Boston College (1-3), Stanford (1-5), FSU (1-7) and cellar-dweller Cal at 0-4 in conference play. Carolina is one win away from reaching a sixth consecutive bowl bid and three away from a chance to post Brown’s best record (9-4) in his second tenure in Chapel Hill. And all that coming back from a four-game losing streak preceded by a 3-0 start.
The top 10 or so of the college sport remain the same and will continue in the current NIL pay-for-play era, but the midsection of FBS football is getting more crowded and produces surprising results almost every week. Louisville broke Clemson’s 21-game winning streak in Death Valley with a 33-21 upset that wasn’t that close. Unranked South Carolina beat No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 by holding the Aggies scoreless in the second half. Indiana, 9-0 but known more for basketball, will jump from No. 13 after a blowout at Michigan State.
The top eight teams in the ACC are still in contention for second place that will result in reaching the conference championship in Charlotte. That winner automatically qualifies for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
Miami, which shook off a slow start to rout Duke, and the SMU Mustangs — who pummeled Pitt 48-35 after leading early 31-3 — are both 5-0 and will be heavily favored to win their last three games. The fifth-ranked Hurricanes are 9-0 overall and could still make the CFP with one loss.
The Tar Heels have an unusual second off week before ending the regular season with Wake Forest at home, at Boston College and State at Kenan Stadium on November 30. They began play at Florida State on a humid day in Tallahassee by failing to score on their opening possession for the ninth consecutive game.
By the end, Omarion Hampton was clearly the best player on the field with five touchdowns and 275 yards of total offense that assures him of first-team All-ACC status and perhaps first team All-American if he can finish strong. His 176 yards rushing ups his season total to 1,210 and gives him a reasonable chance of catching Don McCauley’s school record of 1,720 yards in 1970.
North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton (28) celebrates after his fifth touchdown with wide receiver Nate McCollum (6) and offensive lineman Aidan Banfield (68) during second half of an NCAA college football game against Florida State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. (Photo via AP Photo/Colin Hackley.)
It was the first time since 1983 that a Tar Heel running back gained 100 yards or more in the first nine games of the season, the seventh straight by Hampton. His five TDs were the most since Kelvin Bryant’s against Miami of Ohio in 1981. In the opener that season versus East Carolina, Bryant scored six times and, after one touchdown, handed the ball to paralyzed former Tar Heel star Steven Streeter sitting in his wheelchair behind the end zone. Classic moment.
The Seminoles (the 2023 ACC champions) had a dismal 201 net yards of offense, keeping them 17th and worst in the league, and part of that was UNC’s second straight stout defensive performance after holding much better Virginia to 288 yards last weekend. Led by Beau Atkinson’s 3.5 sacks, Carolina had 7 overall (to follow up the 10 in Charlottesville) and 10 TFLs for 55 yards.
Jacolby Criswell had another great afternoon with his burgeoning right arm, completing 13 of 17 for 211 yards and a 49-yard shovel pass touchdown to Hampton. It was one of only three passes he attempted in the second half.
Criswell’s development after transferring back to UNC and missing all of spring practice and some training camp continues to be astounding.
“Jacolby is getting more accomplished at calling protections and throwing the ball to the right place and being more efficient,” Brown said.
Tight end John Copenhaver got most of the medium targets with five catches as his running mate Bryson Nesbitt is out injured, while wideout Kobe Paysour keeps rebounding from last year’s injuries with three receptions — including a 24-yard gem that set up Hampton’s first TD after FSU held an early 3-0 lead on a 56-yard field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald, the longest made against Carolina in five-plus seasons.
A sparse crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium grew scarcer as the lopsided game wore on. Once among the most rabid home-field advantages after Chief Osceola riding Renegade plants a spear in the ground, it looked to have an empty luxury box where most FSU fat cats sat when their team was any good.
Playing with two young quarterbacks behind a poor offensive line will drive FSU to the transfer portal for a program that has flipped from going 13-1 last season. The Noles finish with three non-conference games that include a trip to Notre Dame and at home against improving archrival Florida.
Brown, the Hall of Fame mentor, placed both hands on the shoulders of embattled coach Mike Norvell before the game and then hugged his neck in consolation for too long after the suddenly-awful Seminoles could barely move the ball or stop Hampton, who capped a 16-play, 93-yard drive to end the first half for a 14-3 lead.
“Omarion’s a special player, and he can’t do that without help,” Brown said. “It shows our offensive line is improving. Running the ball for 289 yards against that defense with four draft choices up front that we were blocking isn’t easy and proves our line is getting better.”
Brown said Saturday showed another version of the team he sees in practice, although the latest opponent has to factor into the two-game win streak. The Heels responded well at Virginia after their first open date and will need to continue against Wake, BC and State to complete the revival of a season that was once on life support.
Featured image via AP Photo/Colin Hackley.
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.
Jacolby has made great improvement from his initial start. I’m impressed with his recent games.