The North Carolina Tar Heels football team secured a 38-20 victory over the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday evening at Kenan Stadium.
In his inaugural home start in Chapel Hill, quarterback Conner Harrell threw for three touchdowns and amassed 258 yards of total offense, leading the Tar Heels to their seventh consecutive home opener win. Running back Davion Gause contributed significantly with 16 receptions totaling 105 yards and a touchdown, while the team recorded three rushing touchdowns.
Despite losing quarterback Max Johnson to a season-ending injury in a prior matchup against Minnesota, the Tar Heels (1-0) relied on running back Omarion Hampton and a strengthened defense to kick off the season with a win against a Big Ten opponent.
The 49ers (0-1), who launched their program in 2013, began their season with a 30-7 defeat to James Madison the previous week. Following the clash with Charlotte, UNC will host NC Central and James Madison before entering ACC play with a matchup against Duke in Durham.
This article will be updated with live game updates as the Tar Heels face the 49ers.
The kick-off time for the UNC vs. Charlotte game was set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7 at Kenan Stadium.
The game was broadcast nationally on the ACC Network, with Jorge Sedano and Orlando Franklin providing play-by-play commentary from the booth, and Morgan Uber covering sidelines. Streaming options included Fubo, which offered a free trial for new users. The radio commentary was managed by Jones Angell, Bryn Renner, Joe Jauch, and Lee Pace on the Tar Heel Sports Network.
Historically, this matchup marked the first meeting between UNC and Charlotte.
Predictions for the match favored UNC to dominate, with an anticipated score of 40-3. Although notable players like Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t be present, expectations were high for Harrell to deliver multiple touchdowns, with the Tar Heel defense poised to perform well against their opponent.
Betting odds from BetMGM indicated a 21.5-point spread favoring UNC, with an over/under set at 48.5 points. The moneyline showed UNC at -2000 and Charlotte at +1000.
Injury updates were expected prior to the game, while the weather forecast indicated a high of 83 degrees, with kickoff temperatures around 80 degrees under clear skies.
The complete schedule for UNC football in 2024 included matches against teams like NC Central, Duke, and Florida State, among others. Charlotte’s schedule featured a matchup against Gardner-Webb following their game with UNC.