UNC Football program ends the 2024 regular season in disappointing fashion

With the way the 2024 season has gone, are we even surprised with how the regular season ended?

The UNC football program couldn't find a way to hold on (multiple times), as they suffered defeat to NC State to close out the regular season (and Mack Brown's second tenure with the program).

From personal foul calls on essentially every player on the field to sloppy performances from both sides, this game was UGLY. In fact, the game had NC State leading at half by a score of 7-6, courtesy of a Noah Burnette missed extra point attempt.

The second half became an offensive slugfest, as defense was optional throughout the final two quarters of play. After scoring twice: one courtesy of a 75-yard touchdown run from Omarion Hampton while the other was a 50-yard score from Chris Culliver, the Tar Heels gave the feeling as if they were ready to run away with this game.

However, that wasn't the case.

NC State went on to score 22 fourth quarter points to secure a five-point victory. North Carolina took the lead with 1:51 to play (once again due to Omarion Hampton), but there was still too much time on the clock for the Wolfpack to drive down the field and score.

In what was likely his last home game (and potential game) as a Tar Heel, Hampton was brilliant. The junior rushed for 185 yards and added 65 receiving yards and two total touchdowns, an effort that was wasted in the loss.

If you're looking for positives, there's not many. The Mack Brown 2.0 era ends similar to what we've seen from this team during his tenure: missed opportunities and horrible efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

Now, the Tar Heels will wait and see what bowl game they will head to. If it were up to me, I'd decline the invite and focus on getting the program situated for the future.