Redshirt sophomore Conner Harrell will get his second career start and first of the season when North Carolina hosts Charlotte on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Harrell was thrust into action when starter Max Johnson sustained a season-ending leg injury in the third quarter of the season opener at Minnesota on Aug. 29.
The Tar Heels (1-0) were down 14-10 to the Golden Gophers when Harrell entered in the third quarter. He was only 2-of-4 passing for 34 yards the rest of the way, but one completion was a 32-yard strike to J.J. Jones in the fourth quarter that led to Noah Burnette’s decisive 45-yard field goal with 1:45 left in the Heels’ 19-17 win.
“All of us need to rally around Conner and step up because he’s really good,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said.
Harrrell started last season’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl when Drake Maye sat out the postseason affair and was 18-of-27 passing for 199 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the Tar Heels’ 30-10 loss to West Virginia.
“We’ve got to make sure we figure out what he does best and let him do that,” Brown said. “Obviously, everybody is going to stack the box to stop (number) 28. So everything you do is to counteract that.”
No. 28 in the Tar Heels’ backfield is running back Omari Hampton, who rushed for 129 yards and caught five passes in the win at Minnesota.
Charlotte (0-1) is coming off a 30-7 loss to James Madison, but coach Biff Poggi is hoping to have available a couple of the eight starters back after they sat out the opener because of injuries.
“We’ll pick up one or two defensive linemen,” said Poggi, who has a policy of not naming injured players. “We had three out and we’ll pick up one. But he’ll be on a pitch count.
“It looks like we’ve lost an offensive lineman, another one in the game, but I think we’re getting one back there. Everybody else should be kind of like they were last week.”
Quarterback Max Brown was 22 of 45 for 193 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss to James Madison. Terron Kellman was the 49ers’ leading rusher with 76 yards on nine carries.
Sean Brown caught a game-high six passes for a team-high 70 yards, while Isaiah Myers scored Charlotte’s lone touchdown – a 26-yarder in the second quarter — for one of his two receptions.
–Field Level Media
