UNC Football Moments After – UNC vs. Charlotte 38-20 Win

UNC Tar Heels Football Team Cruise in Their Home Opener Against the Charlotte 49ers

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The 1-0 North Carolina football team played their home opener against UNC Charlotte on Saturday afternoon. Last week, starting quarterback Max Johnson left the game with a broken leg and is now out for the season. Backup quarterback Connor Harrell steps in at the position in Johnson’s place and hopes to help lead the Tar Heels to a successful season. After a quick 3 and out on the first offensive possession of the game, UNC settled in offensively and Connor Harrell would lead the Heels on a 9-play 94-yard drive after completing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Bryson Nesbit. On the next few offensive possessions, North Carolina played with a purpose offensively and found an identity relying heavily on the run game led by Omarion Hampton along with mixing in a lot of creativity in the passing and running game with reverses, flea flickers, run-pass option, triple options, and read option plays to name a few.

With Connor Harrell at quarterback, they are leaning on those plays to cater to Harrell’s strengths which are his ability to run, throw on the run, and use his strong arm to throw the deep ball. North Carolina would score touchdowns on three straight possessions, giving them a 21-6 lead. While the offense was finally finding their groove, the North Carolina defense was playing very well on their side of the ball from the start of the game. UNC’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the first half and held Charlotte to just 12 yards rushing with their stout run defense.

In the second half, the Tar Heels continued to dominate the Charlotte 49ers on both sides of the ball. The only success Charlotte had against the Tar Heels was in the passing game down the field, where UNC allowed a few too many explosive plays to receiver Jaius Mack who had over 100 yards receiving for the game. North Carolina continued to wear down the 49ers defense with their run game in the second half, resulting in over 200 rushing yards for the game. Freshman running back Davion Gause had a tremendous game on the ground with 105 rushing yards and one touchdown. Connor Harrell finished the game with 219 passing yards 2 touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

Defensively, Jahvaree Ritzee and Amare Campbell were standouts with 2 sacks and one sack respectively suffocating the Charlotte offense. The Tar Heels took complete control of the game after going up 31-13 in the third quarter but dominated the game from start to finish as the game was never in doubt. The Heels went and took care of business early, allowing the young players to get some experience in a game setting as UNC cruised to the 38-20 victory over Charlotte. 

UNC Game Stats 

UNC Total Offense- 490 yards 

Rushing 269 Passing 221 

UNC Passing: Connor Harrell 16-25- 219 yards 2TDs 1INT 

UNC Rushing: Davion Gause 16-105 yards 1TD, Omarion Hampton 11-77 yards, Connor Harrell 9-39 yards 1TD, Nate Mccollum 1-37 yards 1TD 

UNC Receiving: Bryson Nesbit 3-47 yards, Christian Hamilton 1-58 yards 1TD, JJ Jones 2-31 yards 

Charlotte Total Offense- 358 yards 

Charlotte Passing: Deshawn Purdie 9-19-134 yards 2TDS  

Charlotte Rushing: Hahsaun Wilson 8-29 yards 

Charlotte Receiving: Jaius 5-118 yards, Omega Blake 1-42 yards, Henry Rutledge 1-28 yards 1TD 

UNC Bright Spots 

Quarterback Connor Harrell threw for 219 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 39 yards and had one rushing touchdown. 

Freshman running back Davion Gause had 16 rushes for 105 yards and one touchdown. 

Tight end Bryson Nesbit had 3 receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown. 

Freshman receiver Christian Hamilton had 1 reception for 58 yards and one touchdown. 

Linebacker Amare Campbell led the team with 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 2 quarterback hits. 

Defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie had 2 sacks. 

Needs Work 

North Carolina’s secondary must be better with their pass defense, especially with deep passes down the field. The defensive backs are either in position to make a play on the ball and don’t or they get burnt down the field on a route. They must address this issue, or teams will be able to exploit this part of the defense going forward. 

Final Observations 

The Tar Heels move to 2-0 on the season. This was a good game for the Tar Heels to have after losing quarterback Max Johnson to injury last week and elevating Connor Harrel to starter. Connor Harrell is very talented and was able to display that talent today on the field with his running ability and strong arm. As the offensive coaching staff continues to build around his specific skillset and strengths on the field, the offense will only get better with each game. The defense has played well in the first two games and has shown improvement up front on the defensive line and the emphasis on playing more players defensively. The secondary needs to improve in defending the deep pass, but overall, the defense has stepped up when they needed to.

Over the next couple of games against lower competition, the Tar Heels will have the ability to test out different strategies on offense and defense to build the right identity for the team. They will also be able to play more players, which will allow them to gain more confidence on the field. These two things will help North Carolina become a better team later in the season and will put them in a better position to compete for a top spot in the ACC. Next up is NC Central next Saturday, September 14 at 6 P.M.