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Here is Carolina’s 4-step plan to be 5-0 at the end of September.
Mack Brown says he won’t talk (much?) about who the Tar Heels are playing because he wants them to meet a standard he and the staff are setting for them.
That’s all well and good, but he cannot deny the month of September is set with up four increasingly difficult games that could leave them 5-0 for the second straight season with a chance to match last year’s 6-0 start in October without Drake Maye.
The first game of September is against (shush!!!) UNC-Charlotte, which lost to a future Carolina opponent we won’t name right now and was wracked with injuries in the 30-7 loss. So you know that the 3:30 foe in the home opener at Kenan Stadium is a kissing cousin.
Okay, the 49ers are only a couple of hours down I-85 and have three familiar assistant coaches (to be named later) and a decorated defensive back who began his career in Chapel Hill.
We won’t mention the head coach since he has no direct ties to the Tar Heels except for hiring Dre Bly, Tim Brewster and Tim Cross, all former Brown assistants at UNC.
Their pre-season All-AAC defensive back Dontae Balfour is also an ex-Heel. Charlotte had nine players out with injuries in their opening game loss.
Anyway, if Brown doesn’t want to talk about who they are playing, a big crowd should show up anyway to get behind Conner Harrell, the new starting QB now that Max Johnson is out from a broken leg at Minnesota.
Still, it all adds up to what should be an easy win and 2-0 record against the overmatched opponent.
Step No. 3 is a night game against a team from Durham (not Duke). They are the North Carolina Central Eagles and are better on paper than Charlotte but still a heavy dog in Kenan.
They opened their season by beating Alabama State 31-24 in the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami and face Elon this week. UNC added Central to the schedule in 2022, as Brown always supports HBCU schools.
So then Step 4, which on paper will be the toughest of the three home games. James Madison, a mid-major power, won its opener at Charlotte and takes on Gardner Webb in JMU’s home debut Saturday.
If – and it’s a pretty big if – Carolina is 4-0 by September 28, the ACC slate starts with a trip to that other team from Durham, a matchup that seems to go down to the last possession every year. Guess it’s okay to say “Duke” because the Blue Devils are now coached by a Brown protege and ex-Mami head man Manny Diaz.
The Blue Devils whacked Elon in their opener and are at Northwestern, at home against UConn and at Middle Tennessee before the Heels come calling on 9/28.
By then, maybe we can talk about the two bluebloods.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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.
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