1 week Ago
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— North Carolina's defense held Charlotte to just 49 rushing yards as the Tar Heels beat in-state foe Charlotte, 38-20, on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.
Meanwhile, UNC piled up 269 yards on the ground to dominate time of possession and essentially control the action from start to finish. After Charlotte scored an early second-half touchdown to pull within a score at 21-13, Carolina scored 17 unanswered points to put things out of reach at 38-13 with 6:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels won their seventh consecutive home opener and have started the season 2-0 for the third year in a row.
Conner Harrell made his second career start at quarterback and was efficient leading the Carolina offense. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, connecting on 64 percent of his attempts. Davion Gause ran 16 times for 105 yards and a touchdown for UNC, with Omarion Hampton adding 77 yards on 11 attempts and Harrell rushing for 39 yards and a score.
Nate McCollum had a 37-yard TD run on his only rushing attempt. Ten different Tar Heels caught passes in a balanced attack that totaled 490 offensive yards. Carolina limited the 49ers to 49 yards rushing on 25 carries.
After allowing just 78 yards on the ground in its season-opening win at Minnesota, UNC has allowed only 127 total rushing yards in its 2-0 start to the 2024 season. The Tar Heels racked up 28 first downs to just 13 for Charlotte, and the 49ers converted just 2 of 14 third-down attempts. How It Happened First Half • The Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on a 30-yard scoring pass from Harrell to Bryson Nesbit down the left sideline.
• A 49ers field goal with 4:43 left in the first quarter made the score 7-3 until Nate McCollum's 37-yard scoring run made it 14-3, capping a five-play, 75-yard drive in just 1:27. • Charlotte hit another field goal early in the second quarter before Harrell scored his second career rushing touchdown, taking it in from four yards out to finish a masterful,.13-play, 75-yard drive in 6:29.
• UNC piled up 160 rushing yards before halftime while giving up just 12. The Tar Heels allowed only 15 rushing yards in the second half of last week's win at Minnesota, meaning Carolina gave up only 27 yards on the ground in back-to-back halves. Second Half • Charlotte drove for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the third quarter to cut the UNC lead to 21-13.
The Tar Heels responded with a 58-yard scoring toss from Harrell to Christian Hamilton on a reverse, flea-flicker trick play. That scored capped a two-play, 74-yard drive to make the score 28-13. • Noah Burnette's 44-yard field goal and a one-yard TD dive by Gause gave Carolina a 38-13 lead with under six minutes to play before the 49ers scored a late touchdown.
Inside the Box Score • Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between Carolina and Charlotte. • The winningest active head coach in the nation, Mack Brown 's career record now stands at 284-149-1. • Carolina is 72-8 under Brown when scoring 30-plus points.
Up Next Carolina will play the second of three consecutive games at Kenan Stadium when it hosts NC Central next Saturday Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.
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