NCAAF 5 things to watch for in UNC Football opener against South Carolina
Week 1 – a fresh start for college football teams across the country.
People get to see new stars and familiar faces for their favorite teams. Heisman Trophy campaigns get underway. Upsets are bound to happen, while title favorites begin their quests – will anyone be able to stop Georgia this year?
The University of North Carolina football team is one of many who gets to press “reset” – and it is very thankful to do so.
The Tar Heels were a fringe College Football Playoff team last year, starting 9-1 with wins over schools like App State, Pitt and Wake Forest, whom they clinched the ACC Coastal Division against.
No one could have possibly seen what was coming next. UNC lost four consecutive games to end the season, including the first of four against a struggling Georgia Tech squad that, eventually, missed out on bowl action. Drake Maye threw for a career-high 448 yards against Wake Forest, then failed to eclipse 300 in the Heels’ final four contests.
With Maye, a deadly tight end trio, the entire running back room returning and a dangerous linebacking corps, as part of a hopefully-improved defense, the Heels need to beat South Carolina Saturday if they want any shot at the College Football playoff.
Before the Saturday matchup, we look at five things to watch in this ACC-SEC clash.
How will Drake Maye fare without Josh Downs and Antoine Green?
UNC quarterback Drake Maye had a season to remember last year, throwing for an ACC-high 4,321 yards. This total landed him fourth in the entire FBS, one spot behind reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Maye also showed us his running ability, leading the Tar Heels with 698 rushing yards.
There’s no doubt that Maye is one of the country’s best quarterbacks, but he also did have the advantage of now-NFL receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green in 2022. The duo combined for 1,827 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns – both more than the rest of UNC’s wide receiver room combined.
Carolina’s leading returner at wideout is J.J. Jones, who tallied 434 receiving yards and two scores. They also brought in transfers Devontez Walker and Nate McCollum, but Walker is missing time due to a newer NCAA rule on 2-time transfers.
Maye will likely find chemistry with his new group, but we’ll see how long it takes to do so.
Tar Heels' tight end room could be dangerous
Most teams have one starting-caliber tight end, giving quarterbacks a talented playmaker or needed security blanket when the pass rush is almost to them.
In UNC’s case, it has three starting-caliber tight ends in Bryson Nesbit, Kamari Morales and John Copenhaver.
For any worry fans have about Maye not being able to develop chemistry with his brand-new wide receiver group, that worry immediately comes to a halt with the tight end room. The Nesbit-Morales-Copenhaver trio combined for 1,087 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last fall.
While there’s no telling what offensive formations the Tar Heels come out with on Saturday night, they might give the Gamecocks trouble if they run three-tight end sets. Any one of these guys can step up – don’t be surprised if one of them is the lead storyline after the game.
Will the UNC defense improve at all?
What the Tar Heels have in offensive prowess, they sorely lack on the defensive end.
UNC’s defense was among the FBS’ worst in 2022, allowing the sixth-most (5,697) yards to opponents. The Tar Heels struggled holding their competition to under four touchdowns, plus they largely failed to tackle the ballcarrier.
Why could this year be a slight improvement for the Carolina defense? It all starts with starting linebacker Cedric Gray, who is gaining some 2024 NFL Draft hype. Gray finished his junior campaign third in the FBS with 144 tackles.
The Heels also have a defensive line headlined by former 5-star recruits Desmond Evans and Travis Shaw. Evans will start at the power end, while Shaw will likely be used in rotation among nose tackles.
Sacks were tough to come by last year, with no player notching more than 3.5. If Evans, Shaw and their defensive line teammates can find better ways to generate pressure on Saturday night, it could be a long game for South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Will Ryan Coe provide stability at kicker?
Noah Burnette was nearly automatic on PATs last year for UNC, with the junior kicker from Raleigh converting 57/58 attempts.
He struggled from field-goal range, however, making just 15/21 attempts with a season-long of 47 yards.
To give them a boost at one of football’s most important positions, Carolina brought in transfer kicker Ryan Coe from Cincinnati. Coe fared a bit better than Burnette in 2022 – converting 19-of-23 field goal attempts with a season-long of 52 yards, plus all 44 PATs.
Will football fans see Coe kicking from longer range Saturday night, or just for PATs? It depends on if UNC can put the ball in the end zone – which they did well last year.
Will one running back be able to separate himself from the room?
It’s relieving when an offense can rely on a stud running back to plow through opposing defenses.
In UNC’s case, they have a multitude of guys who can do that.
Elijah Green is the leading returner from last year, with 558 rushing yards and a team-high eight touchdowns, though he’s listed as the third-stringer on Tar Heel Times’ official depth chart. Carolina also has a 401-yard, 6-touchdown rusher Omarion Hampton, 250-yard rusher in Caleb Hood, 93-yard, 2-touchdown rusher in George Pettaway, plus British Brooks, the listed starter who hasn’t played since 2021 due to injury.
It’ll be valuable if one of these players can step up and give the Tar Heels a “closer” at running back, but UNC is simply just looking for production from a room that produced two, 1,000-yard runners in 2020.
