North Carolina gets another crack at UConn with a lot more on the line than the last time these teams met.
The Tar Heels’ only previous trip to face the Huskies came back in 2009, when UNC escaped with a 12-10 win. That history got flipped in the Fenway Bowl, where a Freddy Kitchens-led North Carolina team lost to UConn for the first time. That defeat came 17 days after UNC hired Bill Belichick as head coach, and now the question is whether Belichick being on the sideline changes the outcome this time.
UConn arrives at 4-4, with two of those losses coming by a field goal. The Huskies also dropped an overtime game to Syracuse on a two-point conversion, just like UNC did. Their other setbacks included a blowout loss to Maryland and a three-point loss to Miami of Ohio.
Jason Candle is in his first season leading UConn after replacing Jim Mora. Candle, a former Mount Union wide receiver, spent 11 seasons at Toledo before taking over the Huskies.
He is 85-48 overall and 4-4 with UConn this season. At Toledo, he won two MAC championships and guided the Rockets to nine bowl games in 11 seasons, going 3-5, though he left for UConn before last season’s bowl game.
The name UNC has to keep an eye on is quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who followed Candle from Toledo. Osborne has been a problem for defenses all season, throwing for 1,857 yards and 18 touchdowns against just two interceptions while adding 330 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground.
For North Carolina, that makes this feel like a game it has to have. The Tar Heels need two wins in their final four to reach bowl eligibility, and they’re trying to break a two-game losing streak while keeping a season that has looked more encouraging than year one under Belichick on track.
UConn’s football history is not exactly packed with star power, but the program’s all-time record stands at 539-616-38, with a 4-5 mark in bowl games. Among former players, Donald Williams gets the nod over Dan Orlovsky.
Williams, a former first-round pick, finished his NFL career with 2,829 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns. Orlovsky, better known for his commentary and for stepping out of the back of the end zone during the Lions’ 0-16 season, was also in the mix.
Last season, UConn went 9-4 and picked up wins over ACC opponents Duke and Boston College before falling to Army 41-16 in the Fenway Bowl after Mora left for Colorado State. This year has been more uneven, but the Huskies are still dangerous enough to make UNC earn it.
In Other News...
UNC Just Lost A Key Path To Cameron Fens Help
The latest legal turn around college basketball eligibility has put Cameron Fens in a precarious spot, and North Carolina is watching closely. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and vacated the nationwide injunction in Wisne v. NCAA, a ruling that had been part of the broader fight over fifth-year players seeking another season of eligibility.
For Fens, the impact is immediate because he is still tied up in a separate Tennessee case, where the state Court of Appeals stayed his injunction and left him ineligible for now. His path back onto the court now hinges entirely on how that Tennessee lawsuit plays out, leaving UNC with one fewer avenue for help and another unresolved eligibility question hanging over the roster. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Got A Real Shot At A Five-Star Guard
Brady Pettigrews recruitment is starting to take shape, and North Carolina is firmly in the mix. The five-star guard has trimmed his list to 10 programs, putting the Tar Heels alongside a heavy group that includes Duke, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and others, and he recently wrapped up an official visit to Chapel Hill.
Pettigrew is currently ranked No. 9 overall in the Class of 2028, which already makes him one of the most coveted guards in the country. There is also growing speculation that he could reclassify into an earlier class, a possibility that would only heighten the urgency around his recruitment, even if no decision has been confirmed yet. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Delivered The Response Fans Needed After Early Criticism
After an uneven opener, North Carolina answered with the kind of complete effort fans had been waiting to see, rolling past Wofford 109-70 in its second game of the season. The Tar Heels looked far more connected on both ends, and the box score reflected it, with five players finishing in double figures and Terrence Brown pacing the way with 21 points.
Maximo Adams added a double-double as UNC controlled the glass and showed the depth that had been missing a game earlier. It was the sort of response that does not erase early questions, but it does give the Tar Heels a much better baseline to build from as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]