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Struggling UNC, seeking first conference win, hosts Georgia Tech

A C Gazette
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NCAA Football: Charlotte at North CarolinaSep 7, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels coach Mack Brown with his players in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Visiting Georgia Tech will look to make matters worse for North Carolina when the longtime Atlantic Coast Conference foes meet Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Yellow Jackets (4-2, 2-2) will aim for their fourth straight win in the series at the expense of the Tar Heels (3-3, 0-2), who have lost three games in a row this season.

North Carolina fans might have thought a 70-50 home loss to James Madison on Sept. 21 was rock bottom, but things have spiraled even more. The following week, the Tar Heels blew a 20-0 lead to rival Duke to lose 21-20 before falling at home again last Saturday to Pitt 34-24.

For Tar Heels coach Mack Brown, the belief is that the wins will come if the effort remains.

“You spend all your life recruiting these kids and then you’re coaching them every day,” Brown said. “If they go out there and do everything they can do, and try their hardest — and I thought our coaches (and) players did that Saturday — then you can come back in and try to help them correct things. I can’t handle a team that doesn’t give everything they’ve got.”

North Carolina is led by running back Omarion Hampton, who tops the ACC with 764 rushing yards, an average of 127.3 per game. The Tar Heels are seventh in the conference in scoring at 32.7 points per game.

But the Tar Heels defense has allowed an average of 41.7 points per game in each loss. First-year defensive coordinator Geoff Collins will face his former team Saturday; he was fired midway through the 2022 season after compiling a 10-28 record as Georgia Tech’s head coach.

Helping the Yellow Jackets rebound has been the job of Brent Key, who has manned the sidelines in Atlanta since Collins’ firing.

Georgia Tech is off to its best start since the 2017 season. Most recently, Key’s team rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat Duke 24-14.

The Yellow Jackets gained 245 rushing yards to 74 for the Blue Devils. Jamal Haynes ran for 128 of those yards, part of his team-leading 366 yards for the season.

After alternating wins and losses the past four weeks, Georgia Tech has a chance to build a winning streak.

“Nobody wants to lose momentum,” Key said. “But look, we’re playing on the road in conference at North Carolina, which has been a traditional rival for Georgia Tech for many, many years. If you can’t get excited and get up for this game, then you’ve got ice water running through your veins.”

–Field Level Media

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