North Carolina is three games into the season, and the picture is getting clearer after a 28-20 loss to Clemson that dropped the Tar Heels to 2-1.
There have been a few real bright spots, starting with Xavier Lewis. He entered the Clemson game leading the ACC in sacks, then added two more to his total.
That should keep him near the top of the conference and among the nation’s leaders when the numbers update Monday. Lewis has a chance to turn a career that started with almost no buzz - a zero-star recruit who barely played as a freshman - into All-ACC Defensive Team recognition in the same season.
The defense has at least given Carolina something to build on. The offense, though, is still dragging the same weight it carried last year.
The running game has flashed at times, including a 200-plus-yard effort against Clemson, but the overall production has been thin. Billy Edwards Jr. has only thrown for 476 yards through three games, and that comes with one of those outings against an FCS opponent.
He has looked more like a backup than a clear starter, even if the blame isn’t all his. The receiver group beyond Jordan Shipp and Jelani Thurman simply hasn’t given the offense enough help.
That leaves a fair question after the first quarter of the schedule: are the Heels better or worse than expected?
At the start of the year, the forecast here was 4-8. Right now, Carolina looks a little better than that.
The defense should be enough to keep the Tar Heels hanging around in some games they probably won’t be favored to win. But the offense doesn’t look equipped to handle the tougher stretch of the ACC slate.
The 2-1 record sounds solid, but it also comes with some context. Those wins came against two FBS teams with a quarterback making his first start for that program, plus an FCS opponent. There’s still a path to 5 or 6 wins, but not much in the early returns that suggests a team ready to get people truly fired up for what’s next.
In Other News...
UNC Fans Have A Bigger Billy Edwards Jr. Concern Than One Bad Finish
The final throw against Clemson will stick with North Carolina fans for a while, but the bigger question around Billy Edwards Jr. is not one bad finish. The quarterbacks first interception of the year came at the worst possible moment in a game the Tar Heels could not close out, yet he remains the starter as the season moves forward and UNC keeps building around him.
What makes this situation more delicate is Edwards Jr.'s track record and the importance of depth behind him. The Tar Heels have sophomore backup Miles O'Neill available if needed, but the conversation in Chapel Hill is less about one late mistake than it is about whether Edwards Jr. can stay on the field and keep the offense steady over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Grades Exposed A Bigger Concern Than The Clemson Collapse
The film grades from UNCs loss to Clemson do offer a few bright spots, even if the final result still stings. Junior safety Greg Smith led the defense with a 90.0 grade after helping force turnovers, while senior running back Benjamin Hall posted a career-best rushing performance and earned a 77.3 offensive grade. Beyond those two, the snap counts and individual grades paint a fuller picture of where the Tar Heels found some resistance and where they were repeatedly put on their heels.
For a team trying to sort out what went wrong, the bigger concern is less about one bad afternoon and more about the uneven stretches that showed up across the roster. The breakdown of who played well, who held up, and who struggled points to a Tar Heels group that still has answers to find on both sides of the ball, even as a few individual performances suggest there is at least something to build on. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Commits Just Delivered A Weekend Tar Heels Fans Will Notice
The weekend offered a clear reminder of why North Carolinas future class is drawing attention, as five of the Tar Heels top football commits turned in noteworthy performances across their high school schedules from Sept. 17-19. Quarterback Noah Spinks, linebackers Theo Wilson and Tasheem Butler, and wide receivers Amare Patterson and Chad Willis all found ways to make an impact, giving UNC fans a useful snapshot of the talent coming into Chapel Hill.
For a program trying to keep momentum on the recruiting trail, these are the kinds of updates that matter beyond the final scores. Spinks showed why he is viewed as a quarterback to watch, while Wilson, Butler, Patterson and Willis each added to the sense that UNCs committed class is producing on the field now, not just projecting well for the future. The broader takeaway is simple enough, even if each individual game had its own story: this was the kind of weekend that gives the Tar Heels more to track as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]