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“I was encouraged by so much of what we did today, and If you sat in that stadium and watched that game and you don’t think this is a significantly better team than last year, then you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I think we have a good football team and I think we’re going to have a good football team.”
“Gosh this is going to be a fun year because we can actually move the ball.”
Three quotes from Biff Poggi’s post game press conference last week that fell on deaf ears. The Charlotte 49ers are 3-10 in the Poggi era. The braggadocios, cash-talking, mercurial head coach of the Niners has yet to put a product onto the field that matches his swagger. Saturday would be as good of a time as ever for him to do it.
The Niners hit the road this weekend on a familiar drive up I-85 to take on the mothership, the North Carolina Tar Heels. On a personal note, I can’t wait for this one. My wife is a North Carolina alum, and we’re taking our son to his first in-person sporting event this weekend (much to my chagrin, he’ll be wearing blue, but that’s because mom will get him dressed in the morning).
That aside, Charlotte has a real opportunity to elevate their standing among programs in their home state. A competitive tilt against North Carolina’s premier athletic program on the gridiron would do wonders for the team’s confidence in 2024 and beyond, local recruiting, and overall exposure for the still fledgling football outfit. Slaying the argyle giant will not be an easy task.
I shot some questions over to Isaac Schade, the host of the Locked on Heels podcast to help Charlotte fans get familiar with their in-state opponent. Below you will find his answers, and a quick primer from myself to get you ready for Saturday’s in-state rivalry (yes, rivalry) matchup.
Interview with Isaac Schade
What is the identity of the UNC offense with Conner Harrell under center?
In short: Following Max Johnson’s season-ending injury in week 1, the UNC offense changes from pro-style to dual threat with Conner Harrell as QB1. Harrell offers more explosive play capability, but less experience, and from all reports, was less consistent than Johnson in fall camp. The truth of the matter though: regardless of quarterback, UNC’s offensive identity will continue to be built around running back Omarion Hampton.
UNC offensive players to watch
Omarion Hampton
For the first time in Mack Brown 2.0 era, the Tar Heels don’t have someone under center named Sam Howell or Drake Maye. The replacement options are not the same caliber of passer. Enter preseason AP 1st Team All-American Omarion Hampton, who ranked 5th nationally last season with 1,504 rushing yards and led the ACC with 15 rushing touchdowns. Hampton, PFF’s 3rd-ranked RB entering the season, thrives off of causing missed tackles and yards after contact. He began his 2024 campaign at Minnesota with 30 carries for 129 yards and is a bigger factor in the passing game with Harrell in the lineup.
JJ Jones
JJ Jones was UNC’s leading receiver last season both in receptions (46) and yards (711). To be fair – that number is deceiving because of Tez Walker’s early-season eligibility battle with the NCAA and injury later in the season. Jones was Max Johnson’s favorite target in week 1 (eight targets), but was only able to bring in three receptions for 52 yards.
Bryson Nesbit
North Carolina has a deep Tight End room, led by NFL prospect Bryson Nesbit who paced all ACC TEs in 2023 with 585 receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (5 – tied with Clemson’s Jake Briningstool) and was second among that group in receptions (41). Nesbit is PFF’s 5th-ranked TE heading into the season.
UNC defensive players to watch
Kaimon Rucker
The Butcher, despite being 6’2, is the heart and soul and the most relentless of UNC’s defensive line at the edge rusher position. PFF ranks Rucker 4th in the FBS among edge defenders this season. Rucker finished 4th in the ACC last year in sacks with 8.5.
Power Echols
Following the departure of Cedric Gray to the NFL, Echols will lead UNC linebacking corps at the Will. Echols was 7th in the ACC last year with 102 tackles (60 solo).
Alijah Huzzie
Huzzie came to UNC last season from ETSU (9 career INTs) where he had to play out of position in the secondary due to injuries. He still managed 56 tackles (41 solo) and 3 interceptions. This year he is back in his typical CB slot and also functions as UNC’s main punt returner (last year: 7 returns for 112 yards and a touchdown).
What are UNC's expectations for the rest of 2024?
After escaping Minnesota in week 1 with a 19-17 victory, North Carolina now has three non-Power Four games (Charlotte, NC Central, James Madison) before starting ACC play in week 5. In a scheduling quirk, the Tar Heels only play two of the top seven ACC teams from the preseason media poll – NC State and FSU (and suddenly that trip to Tallahassee doesn’t look as daunting). Mack Brown’s team avoids Clemson, Miami, Louisville, Virginia Tech, and SMU and additionally doesn’t have to travel out west. Pair that scheduling fortune with a much improved defense under the direction of first-year Defensive Coordinator and former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins, and the Tar Heels might actually find themselves with a better record in the post-Drake Maye era.
Isaac's game prediction
North Carolina will be working to figure out what the offense looks like with Conner Harrell as QB1. There will be offensive hiccups, but Harrell’s running ability, mixed with the talent of Hampton, the deep tight-end stable, and the improved defense allows UNC to open up a comfortable second half lead and cover the 22.5 point spread (FanDuel) with a 38-14 victory.
Matt's keys to the game
Win the turnover battle and limit mistakes
Turnovers decimated the Niners in week one. Quarterback Max Brown's three first half giveaways zapped any momentum Charlotte had following their opening score. The building was rocking, the sidelines were juiced up, and Charlotte failed to capitalize on the good vibes that were pulsating through Jerry Richardson stadium after Zay Myers found pay dirt. In order to walk out of Keenan Memorial Stadium with a program-defining upset, Charlotte needs to value the football (shoutout Dave Canales).
Brown said it in his post-game press conference: teams that win the turnover battle win football games. The Tar Heels starting quarterback, Conner Harrell, is an inexperienced junior starting his second career game on Saturday. The Charlotte pass rush showed real juice in the first half of the JMU matchup, leaving the Dukes' quarterback Alonza Barnett running for his life for much of the first 30 minutes. A tipped ball here, a strip sack there, and methodical, smart offensive football by the Niners will keep this game close long enough for the Tar Heels to start breathing a little heavy down the stretch. It'll take a monumental effort by the quarterback and the defense, but it's in the cards for Charlotte.
Manufacture offense
Last Saturday's offensive output was abysmal. Max Brown threw 45 passes (most of which were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage) for an average of 4.3 yards per attempt (re: bad). Charlotte's improved stable of backs had no running room all night. Nothing worked on offense outside of Brown's lone touchdown toss.
I need to see more from offensive coordinator Mike Miller. Pre-snap motion, designed runs for Brown, Henry Rutledge touches on offense, easy completions over the middle of the field, anything other than a steady diet of inside zone, duo, and passes short of the sticks. College offensive coordinators make a living by elevating lesser offensive talent with creative schematic advantages and play-calling genius, but Charlotte has yet to see that in the Miller era. They will be at a talent disadvantage against the Tar Heels, and a Miller master class will go a long way in closing that gap.
Specifically, Charlotte needs to find a way to keep Brown clean. UNC has a vicious pass rush (racking up five sacks in week one), and Charlotte projects to be down another starting offensive lineman this week according to Poggi. There are ways to do that with lesser talent, play action, boots, RPO concepts, etc., and the onus will be on Miller and his scheme to keep his quarterback upright.
Bottle up Omarion Hampton
Hampton will be the best offensive player Charlotte faces this year. This key is simple, but if Hampton gets loose on Saturday, it's blouses for the Niners. They did an admirable job keeping the JMU rushing offense in check last week, and they'll need a Herculean effort to slow down Hampton in week two. The job becomes more difficult with Harrell behind center. The Carolina quarterback's dynamic rushing ability creates a numbers problems for the Charlotte defense as his legs need to be accounted for. Alonza Barnett and JMU gashed Charlotte in the run game a handful of times, and that was the difference in the game. If Charlotte can limit those big plays on the ground, they'll be in the game on Saturday.
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