UNC faces Minnesota in Season Opener
by Sharon Thorsland
It’s a new era in Chapel Hill. All-everything quarterback Drake Maye is now in the NFL, and North Carolina is looking for his replacement. They’ll get a good look at potential candidates Thursday night when the Tar Heels travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers in the season opener for both teams. Kick-off is set for 8:00 on WBT. Both of these teams are coming off disappointing 2023 campaigns, as the Tar Heels went 8-5 with just two wins in their final seven games. Minnesota finished 6-7 on the year.
The Tar Heels have been using a pair of quarterbacks this preseason in redshirt sophomore Conner Harrell and Max Johnson, a grad transfer from Texas A&M. Coach Mack Brown says both will play in the game, although Johnson seems to have the upper hand going into match-up. They’ll face a Minnesota defense that has a new coordinator in Corey Hetherman, who was with Rutgers last season. Hetherman kept the same scheme in place but brings a focus on an aggressive blitzing attack after the Gophers managed just 23 sacks last season. They do return multiple starters across the defensive front, staring with edge rusher Jah Joyner. He led the team with 7-1/2 sacks and forced two fumbles. They’ll be a good test for a UNC offensive line that is inexperienced with four new starters. The Gophers struggled against the run last season, allowing 4.7 yards per carry, although they did bottle up UNC standout Omarion Hampton. The Minnesota secondary struggled against the pass last season, and lost star safety Tyler Nubin to the NFL. They’ll have their hands full with a UNC receiving corps that is one of the best in the ACC led by JJ Jones and tight end Bryson Nesbit.
Minnesota’s offense has long been classic Big Ten football with a punishing ground game. The Gophers rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season, led by true freshman Darius Taylor’s 799 yards. Taylor picked up those yards in just six games as a leg injury sidelined him the rest of the season. He’s dealing with a hamstring injury right now so his status is up in the air for this game. The Gophers have plenty of depth though, with senior Jordan Nubin teaming with Ohio transfer Sieh Bangura, who rushed for 811 yards last season.
The weak link on this Minnesota offense last season was the passing attack. So the Gophers hit the reset button at quarterback, bringing in grad transfer Max Brosmer from New Hampshire. Brosmer is a prolific passer, throwing for over 8,700 yards and 70 touchdowns over the past three seasons. He has a talented group of receivers, led by Daniel Jackson, who had a team high 831 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Brosmer has the luxury of an experienced and massive offensive line in front of him. The Gophers return four starters, all of them weighing well over 300 pounds. The group is headlined by preseason All-American left tackle Aireontae Ersery, who will likely be a first round draft pick next April. This group will be a huge test for UNC’s defense, which has yet another new coordinator after struggling again last season. But the Tar Heels have some experience, with seven returning starters led by standout linebacker Power Echols.
These teams have met just once before, with UNC winning 31-13 in Chapel Hill last season. The Gophers would no doubt like to return the favor at home this time around. They’ve got history on their side – the Tar Heels haven’t won a season opener on the road in three decades! But UNC has one of the best running backs in the country in Hampton. I say they ride him to a victory and break the 30-year drought. Go Tar Heels!
