By R.L. Bynum It’s almost impossible for an opponent to beat No. 14 North Carolina when Sam Howell, Javonte Williams, Michael Carter and the Tar Heels’ defense are all playing well. No. 23 N.C. State is the latest opponent to make this painful discovery. Behind 160 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Williams, 106 rushing…More
Category Archives: Football
Tar Heels slide to No. 14 in AP poll, the second-largest poll drop in program history
Many questioned if North Carolina deserved the No. 5 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 poll, even Coach Mack Brown. After a rally fell short Saturday night in Tallahassee, Fla., against unranked Florida State, the stay at that lofty spot was short. North Carolina fell to No. 14, their lowest position since being ranked…More
Carolina can’t recover from first-half struggles, runs out of time at Florida State
By R.L. Bynum There were hints that North Carolina’s young and thin defense had flaws during the first two games of the season. When Virginia Tech scored 31 second-half points last week, it became more apparent but was masked by a productive offensive game. In Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday night, there was no hiding the…More
Tar Heels’ ‘publicity is ahead of where they are on the field,’ Brown says
By R.L. Bynum Since the offseason hype started about North Carolina football, Mack Brown has been the rare coach who embraces the high expectations. Even as the Tar Heels reached No. 5 in the AP poll for the first time since 1997, there still are skeptics about whether they are that good. You can count…More
Streaking Tar Heels leap to No. 5 in AP poll
By R.L. Bynum@RL_Bynum Some wondered when North Carolina entered the top 10 in the Associated Press poll last week if the Tar Heels’ rank was a little high. After an impressive victory over Virginia Tech, there are fewer skeptics and more poll voters are taking notice. UNC jumped three spots and is No. 5 in…More
Tar Heels in NFL: Trubisky benched in Bears win; big plays for Ebron, Boston
By R.L. Bynum@RL_Bynum Mitch Trubisky’s good start that helped the Chicago Bears get off to a 2–0 start took an unpleasant turn for the former Tar Heels quarterback Sunday against the winless Atlanta Falcons. The good news for Trubisky is that the Bears moved to 3–0. The bad news is that he was benched in…More
Idle Tar Heels fall one spot in the AP poll to No. 12, thanks to big wins by Miami and UCF, return of Big Ten teams
By R.L. Bynum@RL_Bynum North Carolina’s season has been on a two-week holding pattern and it appears to have cost the Tar Heels in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Carolina fell one spot, checking in at No. 12 in the new poll released Sunday afternoon. Expect UNC to keep dropping even with wins in the…More
Tar Heels in the NFL: Trubisky leads Bears to 2-0 start, is top performer so far this season
By R.L. Bynum@RL_Bynum As a Chicago Cubs fan, I follow a lot of Chicago Bears fans on Twitter for their Cubs tweets/coverage even though I’m not a Bears fan. It’s an understatement to say that Bears fans and reporters on that beat have been highly critical of second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Some of the tweets…More
UNC up to No. 11 in AP poll, its highest ranking since rising to No. 8 in 2015
By R.L. Bynum@rl_bynum Even though North Carolina’s game with Charlotte got canceled, the 1-0 Tar Heels still moved up in the latest Associated Press Top 25 football poll, thanks to Oklahoma State’s struggles. The Tar Heels went from No. 12 to No. 11, which is the program’s highest rank since it was No. 8 heading…More
UNC jumps to No. 12 in AP poll, thanks to Big Ten, Pac-12 teams
By R.L. Bynum@RL_Bynum In the strange world of 2020, North Carolina jumped six slots Sunday in the latest Associated Press college football poll. The rise has nothing to do with the Tar Heels’ performance in a 31-6 opening-game victory Saturday over Syracuse. UNC, which was ranked No. 18 in the preseason poll, is No. 12…More
Williams kick-starts Heels as they blow past Syracuse in final quarter
By R.L. Bynum@RL_Bynum For three quarters, the shaky play of North Carolina’s offensive line couldn’t block out doubts about the high expectations for this Tar Heels team. The line couldn’t contain blitzes, and quarterback Sam Howell many times had trouble recognizing them. But the Tar Heels finally wore down that Syracuse defense with the relentless…More
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