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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Needing to take control of a sluggish offensive effort, Drake Maye put the ball in the hands of his best receiver. Junior wide receiver Josh Downs came up with three huge catches on a pivotal third-quarter drive to give No. 17 North Carolina the lead.
CHAPEL HILL — Sometimes, it takes freshmen a while to learn the importance of playing good defense, and turning that realization into action in games takes even longer. You could check off both those boxes for freshman guard Seth Trimble before he even arrived on Carolina’s campus earlier this year, and he only turned 18 in August.
The streaking Carolina football team is No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, released on Tuesday night, the 13th time the Tar Heels have made the ranking and the third time they’ve made the initial rankings. The Tar Heels, ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, were last in the CFP ranking as the No. 13 team on selection day Dec. 20, 2020, when they earned a berth in the Orange Bowl.
There might be pressure on Hubert Davis this season with four returning starters from a Final Four team, but Jay Bilas said he doesn’t think that will faze his former ESPN colleague. During ESPN press availability on Tuesday, Bilas said that Davis should have no trouble handling the expectations of being preseason No. 1 and the favorite to win the ACC.
It’s been 73 seasons since a Carolina player had a solid chance of winning the Heisman Trophy, but week by week, Drake Maye is throwing history for a loop. Not since legendary running back Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice finished second in the Heisman voting in 1948 and 1949 (and probably should have won it) has a Tar Heel earned his way into the Heisman Trophy discussion this far into the season. To do it as a redshirt freshman is even more remarkable.
By R.L. Bynum North Carolina is well on its way to earning the last ACC Coastal Division title, and the … More
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.
By R.L. Bynum CHAPEL HILL — There aren’t many questions about top-ranked North Carolina, but one is how big Coach … More
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.
CHAPEL HILL — All that surprises Coach Hubert Davis about graduate transfer Pete Nance is that he’s not in the NBA already. Now that the versatile 6–11 player is at Carolina and a part of the program for one season, the second-year coach says it feels like the 22-year-old has been in Chapel Hill for four years even though it’s only been about 3½ months.
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