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UNC’s schedule now has another big advantage.
The Tar Heels hope to turn it into addition by subtraction after losing starting quarterback Max Johnson late in the third quarter of the win at Minnesota.
Mack Brown was perturbed last week when I asked him about the three mid-major non-conference games to follow the opener. He wouldn’t acknowledge it is a winnable stretch because he doesn’t want his team getting overconfident.
One takeaway from a season-ending injury to Johnson is the Heels have all three games at home in which new starting quarterback Conner Harrell and his back-up Jacolby Criswell can get adjusted to their roles.
Mack said Monday that his play-action offense will be tweaked to accommodate the skills of Harrell and Criswell, who are both more option-type QBs than the 6-5 passer Johnson.
“We can’t determine what happens,” Brown said. “We can only determine how we respond. So we’re gonna respond in a very positive way.
“What’s our identity going to be? We are gonna run the ball and stop the run. This is the toughest team we’ve had. We only had six explosive plays. That was our negative on offense.”
Brown and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey have to find back-up help for Omarion Hampton, who had 30 carries for 129 yards, 5 receptions for 17 more. The second running back is grad transfer Darwin Barlow (one carry vs. Minnesota) and freshman Davion Gause.
“Sometimes you go into a season thinking you’ll be good at this or that on offense, and then you find out we weren’t as good as I thought we were gonna be,” Brown said. “And that’s what we’re doing right now is a big self-evaluation. That offensive line is gonna be a huge part of it.”
“Hampton’s one of the best players in the country. But we have playmakers on the outside too, and I’ve gotta do better getting more opportunities for them, we didn’t do a good job of it the other night.”
Brown and Lindsey are all in on Harrell, who is one of smartest guys on the team as well as being gifted.
“Conner was the Gatorade player of the year in Alabama,” Brown said. “He was 25-2 and won two state championships. He’s valedictorian of the high school, one of the top students in our business school. These kids absolutely love him. I’ve never seen a better kid that tries any harder.”
So (UNC) Charlotte, which lost 30-7 to UNC’s week-four opponent, James Madison, will be the home opener Saturday at 3:30 that may be more interesting and draw a larger crowd from all the uncertainty.
“We are not talking about who we play for the rest of the season,” Brown said. “We’re playing to a standard that North Carolina needs to play to. We’ve told the kids they better get after it.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Abbie Parr
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.
