The Boston College football team will play its penultimate home and regular season game in Week 13 against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The two teams are completely different, with UNC being led by veteran head coach Mack Brown and the Eagles being led by first-year head coach Bill O'Brien.
Let's take a look at the match:
attack
The Tar Heels lost starting quarterback Drake Maye in the draft. At the quarterback position, the Tar Heels have four players on the roster, including last year's reserve Connor Harrell and Max Johnson, a transfer from LSU/Texas A&M. In 2023, Harrell played in five games, completing 22 of 33 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Johnson, meanwhile, played in eight games as the Aggies' starter after starting quarterback Connor Weigman suffered a season-ending injury in September. Johnson completed 118 of 190 passes for 1,452 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
In terms of offensive weapons, NC State retained leading running back Omarion Hampton, who had 253 rushing attempts for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. The team also retained leading receiver JJ Jones, who had 46 receptions for 711 yards and three touchdowns, but lost their leading scorer in wide receiver Devonte's Walker, who had a team-high seven touchdowns last season, to the draft.
defense
North Carolina lost their top tackle, linebacker Cedric Gray, and third-best tackle Don Chapman to the NFL Draft due to ineligibility, but the team retained their second-best tackler, linebacker Power Echols. Last season, Echols recorded 102 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, one interception and one breakup.
schedule
Coming into this game, the Eagles will be returning from a road trip to Dallas, Texas after playing SMU last week. The game is also one of Boston College's theme games this season, Ultimate Kids Day.
This will be the Tar Heels' third away game in four weeks, with UNC playing Wake Forest the week before in their only home game of that span.
Outlook
While the Tar Heels are on an all-time winning streak against the Eagles, the two teams have only met sporadically in the past, meeting just five times since 2005. The two teams also enter the matchup in different circumstances, as UNC has lost much of its success from last season and the Eagles have retained most of their key players from last season. The team with the best coaching staff will be the one to win, and if history repeats itself, it will likely be UNC.
UNC Boston College:
BCCentral will take a closer look at each of the Eagles' upcoming opponents this season, including their Week 13 matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
game:
date: November 23
time: to be decided
tv set: to be decided
position: Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
series: North Carolina leads the series 4-2. The two schools have met eight times, but two wins (2008 and 2009) were vacated as voluntary penalties by North Carolina following an NCAA investigation into academic violations and unfair trade practices.
Last meeting: The last time these two teams met was on Oct. 3, 2020, in a regular season matchup at Chestnut Hill, with UNC winning 26-22.
team:
coach: Mack Brown
Offensive Coordinator: Chip Lindsay
Defensive Coordinator: Geoff Collins
2023 Record: 8-5
Players to watch: QB Max Johnson, RB Omarion Hampton, WR JJ Jones, LB Power Echols, P Tom McGinness, K Noah Burnett.
Top Newcomers: Recruit – 4-star WR Jordan Shipp, Transfer – Former Texas A&M TE Jake Johnson.
school:
position: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Founded: 1789
Registration: 31,705
nickname: Tar Heels
color: Carolina Blue and White
mascot: Ramses
program:
Last win against Boston College: 2020
Previous ACC winners: 1980
National Championships: none.
Playoff appearances: none.
Conference Championships: Eight — three in the SoCon in 1922, 1946 and 1949, and five in the ACC in 1963, 1971, 1972, 1977 and 1980.
Bowl appearances: 37 — Overall record 15-22.
Last time they didn't play in a bowl: 2018.
Heisman Trophy: none.
2024 NFL Draft: Of the three, QB Drake Maye was drafted third overall (first round) by the New England Patriots, LB Cedric Gray was drafted 106th overall (fourth round) by the Tennessee Titans and WR Devonte's Walker was drafted 113th overall (fourth round) by the Baltimore Ravens.
Rankings of recruiting classes from the last four years: No. 32 of 2024; No. 28 of 2023; No. 11 of 2022; No. 14 of 2021.
schedule:
August 29: Minnesota
September 7: vs. Charlotte
September 14: vs. NC Central
September 21: vs. James Madison
September 28: Duke University
Oct. 5: vs. Pittsburgh
October 12: vs Georgia Tech
October 26: Virginia
November 2: Florida State University
November 16: vs. Wake Forest
November 23: Boston University
November 30: vs NC State
This is a BCCentral series, so read on to read the rest of our early previews of the opponents.Week 1 at Florida State UniversityWeek 2 vs. Duquesne; Week 3 in Missouri,Week 4 vs. Michigan StateWeek 5 vs. Western Kentucky,Week 6 in Virginia,Week 8 at Virginia Tech,Week 9 vs. Louisville,Week 11 vs. Syracuse, and Week 12 at SMU.
