Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for great pub grub paired with local beer. Choose from 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.

Carolina found a way to win or, as Mack Brown likes to say, “not lose” in their opening game.

The Tar Heels turned things around during Brown’s second term with an offense that stuttered and faltered and a defense that improved dramatically under new D-coordinator Geoff Collins.

Noah Burnette, who was retired after the 2022 season, continued his stunning comeback with four of four field goals, including a personal-best 52 yards. The last was a hard-hitting 45-yarder with 1:44 left in the 19-17 victory over Minnesota in a game that was delayed an hour because of storm warnings and ended early Friday morning when Dragan Kesich narrowly knocked home a left-foot field goal that might have sent the Heels home in shock rather than jubilation. It was the program’s first opening-day win over a Power 5 program since 1993, a 31-9 upset of Southern Cal in the sixth year of Brown’s first stint.

Carolina’s kickoffs and punts were nearly as perfect, and Collins’ debut at UNC limited the Gophers to 231 yards, good for more than 400 yards per game in 2023.

The headhunt “D” was a committee led by Jahvaree Ritzie with five solo tackles and three sacks.

Still, a holding penalty was needed, pushing Minnesota out of the red zone and giving Kesich a harder kick as time expired in front of a stunned home crowd.

Offensively, the Heels didn’t look like the team their opponents have had to outplay for the last five years. Omarion Hampton had more than half of his team’s total yards, going 129-of-253. Hampton also fell on a fumble that kept the Gophers from taking control deep in UNC territory with a chance to tie the game. He went 30-of-41 total carries, boding well for his preseason All-American selection.

The offense faltered in the first half under new quarterback Max Johnson, but improved in the second half when he injured his knee, potentially sidelining him indefinitely.

Transfer Johnson, who scored Carolina’s lone touchdown, continued to improve in the third quarter, finishing 12 of 19 passing for 81 total yards.

Conner Harrell came in and did a nice job of positioning the “Big O” offense for the final three field goals after their only touchdown of the game in the first half, which ended with Minnesota leading 14-7.

Playing without their star running back, the Golden Gophers were held in check at just the right time. That was especially true on the final drive of the game, when their field goal missed and Brown left the sideline, hugging the players and allowing the ball to pass. It wasn’t pretty… but a win is a win is a win.

Whatever the outcome, the win was exactly what Brown’s program needed after another offseason of speculation. The Heels now have a three-game home slate against mid-majors that could give them another hot start before ACC play begins Sept. 28 at Duke, when they should be 4-0 and happy road warriors.

Main image via The Associated Press/Abbie Parr.

Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including bestsellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He contributed to WCHL for decades, making his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his opinion column “Art’s Angle” appears weekly on Chapelboro.

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