UNC football program prepares for their season finale against heated rival NC State
The UNC football program is on the precipice of major change. Mack Brown is out as head coach but will lead the Tar Heels against NC State for the season finale. Omarion Hampton will likely don the ridiculously beautiful UNC retro uniform for the last time before moving on to pursue his NFL dreams. Whoever the new coach is will have to move straight from the introductory press conference to the phones to try to keep the incoming recruiting class from dissipating.
Before all of that, though, is the matter of NC State. The Wolfpack have had a disappointing season, to say the least. An offseason of high expectations and nonsense talk of beating Tennessee in Charlotte has culminated in a 5-6 season, and a loss to North Carolina would leave them bowl ineligible. It's literally backs-to-wall time in Raleigh.
On their side? History. Dave Doeren has been underwhelming for most of his NC State career, but whenever his seat gets too hot, he'll beat UNC to throw some cold water on it. The Wolfpack have won their last three straight against North Carolina, though the Tar Heels should have won in 2021 and 2022. NC State beat the tar out of the Heels last season, no lie.
Freshman quarterback CJ Bailey is precisely the kind of quarterback that gives North Carolina fits. He's mobile and has a cannon arm, but can be inaccurate. That won't matter if the coverage is soft or the pass rush is ineffectual. Sophomore wideout Kevin Concepcion has taken a step back from his outstanding debut season, but he can get involved all over the field, and he had two touchdowns against the Tar Heels last season. He's one to keep your eyes on.
The UNC football program has the talent and ability to beat NC State on Saturday. If they play like they did at Virginia and Florida State, they could win the game comfortably and carry Mack Brown off on their shoulders. But if they play like they did at Boston College or against James Madison, this could be the kind of humiliation that will haunt Coach Brown for the rest of his days.
Hopefully the right kind of Tar Heels show up.