In what turned out to be a wild first full week of college football, the Tar Heels walked into Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and came away with a 19-17 victory. There was a lot to like and a lot to not like from what we saw on Thursday night, meaning it is the perfect time for us to bring back our stock report to begin another season. Here’s a look at who we have trending up and trending after the season opener.
⇧Noah Burnette
Burnette was the main reason outside of a little bit of luck that the Tar Heels were able to win this game. Not only did he nail all four of his field goal attempts, but three of them came from beyond 40 yards, including the game-winner, which was made more difficult by the 3rd down play that moved it to the left hash. With as much uncertainty as there is with the quarterback position, having Burnette as someone who they can rely on is comforting.
⇧Jahvaree Ritzie
One of the guys we wanted to see step up this year after so much promise coming out of high school was Ritzie and he did more than anyone could have hoped for in this victory. He finished with six total tackles, the third most on the team and sacked Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer three times, meaning he has already set career highs in tackles for loss and sacks in a season after just one game. Last year’s opener was the start of a breakout season for Kaimon Rucker. Let’s hope it’s the same case for Ritzie.
⇧Alijah Huzzie
Huzzie may have been the best player on the entire field on Thursday night. He too had six total tackles, including two big ones in the open field early in the game. He was targeted just three times on the night and while he did allow two of those to be caught, they went for just two yards combined. As a punt returner, he also ripped off a very nice 15-yard return, showing that he is set to be dangerous in that role again this season.
⇧Omarion Hampton
Hampton was an absolute workhorse for the Tar Heels on Thursday night and set the stage beautifully for what should be a massive junior season. He ran for 129 yards on 30 carries and also had a team-high five receptions for 17 yards. 114 of his 146 yards of total offense came after contact, meaning he has plenty of helmet stickers coming his way for this performance. The hope is that the staff can limit his usage a little bit over the next few weeks to keep him fresher for conference play where they could lean on him just as heavily, especially if the quarterbacks continue to struggle.
⇧Amare Campbell
Campbell may have had the club on his right hand, but he was still plenty effective. He finished with four total tackles, which isn’t the gaudy number we’re used to seeing alongside Power Echols, but it’s what happens when your defensive line actually makes plays in front of you. He made a huge impact in some of the blitz packages that Collins implored, though, sacking Brosmer once and nearly getting him down a second time but was limited by the club made it tough for him to keep his grip. As that hand heals, the expectation is that his play will only get better.
⇧Tom Maginness
There is no way around it; Maginness was bad last season. The results in the preseason weren’t necessarily glowing either, but in a game where the offense struggled to move the football at times, the team needed to lean on him and he came through. He averaged 51.0 yards on his three punts which is easily a career-best performance for him. He will need to continue this type of production to take some pressure off the offense to be flawless and help give the defense some long fields to defend.
⇧Joshua Harris
Statistically, Harris’ night might not wow you, but his impact was certainly felt in the run game. He finished with two total tackles and it was clear that his size in the middle helped wear down the Minnesota offensive line. His leadership is also evident for a group that needed some alongside Kaimon Rucker after last season. Expect him to continue to play a big role moving forward on the interior of that defensive line.
⇩Quarterbacks
Boy, did this team miss Drake Maye on Thursday night. Max Johnson started the game and struggled mightily, throwing for just 71 yards and an interception on 12-19 passing before he exited the game with a severe leg injury. Conner Harrell came in and took his place, but only threw the ball four times for 35 yards and didn’t have nearly the impact that he did in last year’s bowl game on designed runs. The hope is that Harrell can return to the form that he showed in the bowl game starting this season.
⇩Chip Lindsey
Lindsey’s gameplan on Thursday might have been the worst that he has had so far at Carolina. Early in the game, it made no sense as to why there were no easy completion plays called to help try to get Johnson settled in when he was clearly struggling to complete passes. It was also a rough look for Lindsey that it didn’t appear like he was prepared for Harrell to be in the game despite the quarterback battle reportedly going deep into fall camp and him having prepared a game plan for him in last year’s bowl game. That is simply unacceptable and there needs to be a better plan to set Harrell up for success on Saturday.
⇩Defensive Backs
This was the unit that was raved about the most on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, but outside of Huzzie, they had their struggles on Thursday. The safety duo of Jakeen Harris and Antavious Lane had some really promising moments in the game, but also combined to miss seven tackles. Marcus Allen was targeted three times on the night and committed a pass interference penalty on two and allowed a 16 reception on the other. Kaleb Cost wasn’t nearly as sharp in coverage as he was in Duke’s Mayo Bowl, letting receivers get free a few different times, which Minnesota wasn’t able to take full advantage of. The staff will hope to clean that up in the coming weeks to prepare for some of the matchups they’ll face later in the year.
⇩Pass Catchers
The failure of the passing game can’t just be credited to the quarterbacks. The group as a whole struggled to create separation throughout the night making it hard for either of the quarterbacks to succeed, especially down the field. Nate McCollum, who destroyed Minnesota’s secondary a year ago, had just one catch for two yards after the staff raved about how good he looked in both camps. The tight ends were only able to get four targets, including zero for John Copenhaver. Even J.J. Jones, who was the best player in this room on Thursday, had two drops to go along with his three catches for 52 yards. A lot of the struggles could be attributed to the poor game plan and quarterback performances, but the group has to be able to create more separation and make things easier for Harrell moving forward.
⇩Howard Sampson
The offensive line as a whole had some moments where they allowed some pressure, but Sampson was the guy whose struggles felt the most impactful. In 28 pass protection reps, he allowed three quarterback pressures, including one sack, and graded out as the team’s worst pass protector by PFF with a 45.3. He also posted the team’s lowest run blocking (63.5) and overall (60.0) grades amongst the team’s five starters. The team will need him to be better all across the board moving forward if this offense wants to become a unit that can move the ball consistently.
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