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CHAPEL HILL — No matter how many mistakes Carolina’s defense makes, redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye always seems to find a way. It sure helps to have two dynamic wide receivers in senior Antoine Green and junior Josh Downs. Once again, the No. 21 Tar Heels’ defense made enough big second-half plays to keep the momentum going on what is developing into a season that might be special.
The preseason accolades just keep coming for top-ranked North Carolina, with senior center Armando Bacot becoming the fourth Tar Heel this week to make to a 20-player watchlist for a national men’s basketball award. Bacot made to the list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which honors the nation’s top center, on Friday.
The Chicago Bears have agreed to trade former Carolina defensive end Robert Quinn, who is having one of his least-productive seasons, to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, pending a physical. After breaking Richard Dent’s Bears single-season sack record last season with 18½, he has only one through seven games and only has six tackles and two assists. Last season, he had 38 tackles and 11 assists.
Las Vegas wide receiver Mack Hollins was questionable to play Sunday because of a heel injury, but the Tar Heel once again showed that he’s a proven play-maker in the NFL while showing off his personality along the way. Another Tar Heel, New York Jets running back Michael Carter, should be a starter again and see his playing time rise after a season-ending injury to a talented rookie running back.
North Carolina’s football team, which moved up one spot to No. 21 in the AP Top 25, didn’t play this weekend but the Tar Heels’ potential path to the ACC championship game got a bit easier. Louisville provided help by winning 24–10 at home Saturday against Pittsburgh, which gives the Tar Heels (6–1, 3–0 ACC) a two-game lead in the loss column over their closest competitors in the race to be the final ACC Coastal Division champion.
Mitch Trubisky has been playing on Pittsburgh’s scout team the last two weeks and not getting live reps in practice, but that didn’t seem to matter Sunday when rookie Kenny Pickett left the game in the third quarter with a concussion. Two games after Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin benched him in favor of the rookie from Pitt at halftime of the Oct. 2 loss to the New York Jets, Trubisky looked more aggressive and confident. That helped the Steelers hold on for a 20–18 home upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carolina’s 38–35 victory Saturday at Duke was enough to allow the Tar Heels to slip into the latest Top 25 poll. The Tar Heels (6–1, 3–0 ACC ) are No. 22 and are ranked for the first time in more than a year heading into their second open date of the season ahead of the Saturday, Oct. 29 home game with Pittsburgh (4–2, 1–1).
DURHAM — Josh Downs knew that Drake Maye was still down on himself over a fumble that gave Duke a chance to put the game away. When Carolina’s defense forced the Blue Devils to settle for a missed field-goal attempt to give Maye another chance to rally the Tar Heels, Downs wanted to make sure that the redshirt freshman was entering that drive with the right attitude.
DURHAM — Wins never seem to come easy for Carolina but somehow they keep overcoming the defensive lapses and offensive hiccups to win. There were plenty of both Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium. But when you have Drake Maye — even on a night when he has two costly fumbles — you always have a chance.
Coach Mack Brown has grown accustomed during his second stint as Carolina’s coach to having an offense that’s much better than his defense. That hasn’t changed through the Tar Heels’ 5–1 start, particularly considering that the offense has talented, skilled players such as quarterback Drake Maye and receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green.
Dyami Brown had a quiet rookie season with Washington and didn’t get many chances to show his talent in the first four Commanders games this season. He got his chance on Sunday and took advantage by making two spectacular touchdown receptions, including a career-high 75-yard play, in Washington’s 21–17 home loss to the Tennessee Titans. Linebacker Cole Holcomb also put up big numbers in that game. New York Jets running back Michael Carter also had two touchdowns.
After its best performance of the season a week earlier, Carolina’s defense went through its share of struggles Saturday at Miami. But that unit made enough big plays to keep the Tar Heels in control on a day that Caleb Hood emerged as their main running back. With Carolina’s 27–24 win in Miami Gardens, Fla., the Tar Heels (5–1) are alone atop of the ACC Coastal Division at 2–0 and learned how to win when quarterback Drake Maye wasn’t always on top of his game.
There wasn’t that much good news for UNC alums in the NFL on Sunday, with Pittsburgh benching quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at halftime, Denver running back Javonte Williams injuring his right knee and Jets running back Michael Carter putting up a season-low rushing total. At least for now, Trubisky’s time as Pittsburgh’s starter appears to be over in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett, the former Pitt star, after the Steelers’ 24–20 home loss to the New York Jets.
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina always knew that the offense would be prolific and that the Tar Heels have plenty of potential if they can somehow get it together on defense.
That beleaguered unit did that for one day against a struggling Virginia Tech offense, and the test from here will be how much they can build on that against a quality opponent. UNC’s defense produced easily its best performance of the season in a 41–10 victory Saturday in its ACC opener at Kenan Stadium.
Mack Hollins made a lot of fantasy football owners happy with the best performance of his career Sunday as he continues to put up more significant numbers than star Devonte Adams, his fellow wide receiver with the Las Vegas Raiders. Hollins made two clutch catches on a late touchdown drive in the Raiders’ 24–22 loss at Tennessee on Sunday and showed that he’s a dangerous weapon for them. UNC fans already knew he was versatile, and he proved that by also throwing a pass and downing a punt.
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