Nate McCollum, welcome to the UNC football team.

The transfer wide receiver from Georgia Tech set career highs in both receptions and yards Saturday afternoon against Minnesota, reeling in 15 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown in Carolina’s 31-13 win against the Golden Gophers. McCollum had only caught one pass in the first two games combined while he worked his way back from a lower-body injury.

“You never know,” McCollum said after the game. “Next week, it could be the running back’s game. Every play, you do what you’re supposed to do. And if it comes your way, it comes your way… just having fun. Glad to be back.”

On a day when UNC averaged just 2.8 yards per rush, McCollum’s consistency in the aerial attack was key. Quarterback Drake Maye targeted the former Yellow Jacket 21 times, with the next-most-targeted receiver getting only four looks. It was a 46-yard dart from Maye on the run to McCollum which opened the scoring in the first quarter.

“Obviously, we want to get him the ball,” Maye said. “He’s a great player… it just kind of happened that way. I’m just trying to throw to the open guy, and Nate got open a lot tonight.”

“He became Josh Downs for us today,” head coach Mack Brown said of McCollum. “He was the go-to guy.”

That touchdown also moved Maye past Mitch Trubisky into sixth place all-time at UNC with his 42nd career touchdown pass. He’d add another to tight end Bryson Nesbit before the day was done, while also taking over sixth place at UNC in career passing yards. Maye amassed 414 on the day, his most ever at Kenan Stadium.

“He definitely makes my job easy,” McCollum said. “It’s just a blessing to play with somebody like that.”

Carolina jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but interceptions on consecutive drives by Maye allowed the Gophers to put points on the board and prematurely end another UNC drive. The Tar Heels led 21-3 shortly before the half despite those setbacks, but a Minnesota touchdown to end the first half and a field goal to begin the second half brought that deficit down to one possession. The Gophers then forced a UNC punt and had the ball with a chance to tie the game, but a wobbly interception thrown by Minnesota back-up quarterback Cole Kramer shifted momentum back in favor of the hosts. It would be the closest the Gophers would get to the end zone for the rest of the game.

“That was pretty easy right there,” Chatman said. “I appreciated that one.”

UNC added a field goal to move the lead back to 11 points on its ensuing possession, stopped Minnesota on consecutive drives and added a British Brooks touchdown run for good measure with five minutes remaining. Brooks’ run capped off an 11-play, 76-yard drive which bled 5:23 off the fourth-quarter clock.

The Carolina defense finished the game with an interception and three straight forced punts on Minnesota’s final four drives. Though the Tar Heels recorded just one sack (and only have one in their last two games), pressure on the Gopher quarterbacks forced both of the team’s interceptions. It was UNC’s first game with multiple interceptions since 2021.

“Defensively, we’re getting better,” Brown said. “We played a lot of players on defense. We’re two and three deep up front. I thought it really made a difference in the fourth quarter.”

Against an offense built on ball control, Carolina won the time-of-possession battle by nearly seven minutes. The Tar Heels also ran 16 more plays than the Golden Gophers and held them to 3-12 on third downs.

Carolina is now 3-0 for the second consecutive season and the third time in five seasons under head coach Mack Brown. The win is also the team’s first against a Big Ten team since 2016. the Tar Heels will now open ACC play next weekend when they visit Pittsburgh at 8 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Reinhold Matay

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