UNC and Florida A&M have never played each other in football. That alone lends this weekend’s game some unique historical weight, but both programs are committed to making Saturday an unforgettable time to be in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels and Rattlers are playing one of just 11 games around college football on August 27, and the light schedule means the game will be on national television. The ACC Network will carry not just the action itself, but will also broadcast pregame coverage live from campus. UNC head coach Mack Brown said the entire day is a priceless opportunity to showcase Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Florida A&M.
“There’s been so much talk and attention toward HBCUs the last couple of years,” Brown said. “Especially since Deion Sanders… went to Jackson State. The recruiting’s different now. HBCUs are recruiting at a higher level. The attention is much better. So I thought it would be great to have this game on national TV.”
The day will be filled with celebrations of HBCUs. Florida A&M’s famous Marching 100 band will perform around campus, including special pregame and halftime shows with the Marching Tar Heels in Kenan Stadium. It will echo UNC’s game against North Carolina A&T during the 2015 season, in which the UNC band and A&T’s “Blue and Gold Marching Machine” performed together at halftime. Videos of the performance soon went viral online. Black fraternities and sororities will also host functions in Chapel Hill.
More than that, UNC being quite literally the only game in town gives Brown and the Tar Heels a few other added benefits.
“We will have a lot of recruits here this weekend,” Brown said. “Because you can have recruits in, even though it’s Zero Week. And it gives us an extra week to practice ahead of other people that we’re playing. So I thought Zero Week was a no-brainer. I thought it was a home run.”
Of course, there will be an actual football game played on Saturday. And that game holds plenty of intrigue for Tar Heel fans. It will mark the first collegiate start of redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye’s career. Maye was named the starter Monday morning after a close competition with redshirt sophomore Jacolby Criswell. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo has worked closely with both quarterbacks during the process, and said the quality of each made choosing a starter a very tough decision.
“It’s hard. Picking a starter between these two is like choosing between my 9-year-old daughter and my 11-year-old daughter,” he said. “Because they both right now could start and run this offense and run this team. So we have our direction. We’re happy with the improvement of both of them. We feel like we have two very, very good ACC quarterbacks. And we’re gonna let the game and the season take us where it does.”
Given the nature of comments from both Longo and Brown this summer, it’s likely Maye and Criswell will both play against the Rattlers, regardless of how the game goes. It’s a tenuous position for the starter Maye, but Brown said both quarterbacks know the situation. And ultimately, there’s only one goal in mind for everyone suiting up in blue this weekend.
“They knew from day one they were competing for this job,” Brown said. “And I will say the only thing that matters is who we think right now gives us the best chance to win. Nothing else is important.”
Kickoff between the Tar Heels and Rattlers is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Kenan Stadium. Tickets for the game are still available, but are selling quickly. For more information about tickets, click here.
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