North Carolina
Hampton's huge day helps North Carolina hold off Wake Forest 31-24 to reach bowl eligibility
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — – Omarion Hampton posted career highs of 35 carries for 244 yards with a key late touchdown that helped North Carolina beat Wake Forest 31-24 on Saturday night, pushing the Tar Heels to bowl eligibility.
It was the latest huge performance for the Tar Heels’ workhorse back, who cracked the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth straight game. He found the end zone when he hurdled defenders near the goal line and powering through contact with 2:26 left for a 31-17 lead.
Hampton’s scoring run set his career highs for both carries and rushing yards, along with ultimately sending the Tar Heels (6-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a third consecutive win. He also moved into fifth on UNC’s all-time rushing list with 3,327 yards, passing both Don McCauley and Kelvin Bryant.
“He’s tough, he takes care of the ball, he protects in the passing game,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “He’s very humble. He never asks for the ball. I guess you don’t have to when you get it 35 times. But he usually makes the plays when he has to to help us win the game.”
Jacolby Criswell ran and threw for touchdowns for UNC, while linebacker Power Echols had a leaping snag for an interception and returned it 42 yards for third-quarter touchdown.
Demond Claiborne ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns for the Demon Deacons (4-6, 2-4), who arrived for the latest meeting in this long-running instate matchup with a 3-0 road record. But Wake Forest lost three turnovers, the last being a fumble by Michael Kern on a strip-sack by Joshua Harris deep in its own end with 5:08 left to set up Hampton’s score.
“At times I don’t think we’ve grasped the details of what it takes to win a game like that,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “It’s all said and done, and the yardage is equal, the third downs are equal and the red-zone deals are equal. And it all comes down to those three turnovers we had that were absolute killers.”
Kern threw for 172 yards with one TD and two interceptions after taking over for starter Hank Bachmeier, who was knocked from the game with an apparent upper-body injury early in the third.
Kern hit Taylor Morin for a 40-yard shot down the seam late then found him again from 16 yards in the back of the end zone with 75 seconds left to keep hope alive, but the Tar Heels recovered the ensuing kick to kill the remaining time.
The takeaway
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons arrived needing two wins to reach bowl eligibility and aiming to stay perfect on the road after wins at N.C. State, Connecticut and Stanford. They were within reach on this one, twice closing 14-point deficits to one-possession games, only to come up short.
UNC: The Tar Heels have turned things around from a four-game skid that included giving up 70 points in a loss to James Madison on Sept. 21, as well as the emotional blow from the death of teammate Tylee Craft due to cancer. It’s why Brown said his team had been in “such a hole” before emerging from an open week with lopsided road wins against Virginia and Florida State while racking up 17 sacks, and now pushing through this one.
Bachmeier’s injury
Clawson said that Bachmeier injured his left shoulder after being taken down on a running play, but he was well enough to return to the game. But the team had put in numerous QB running plays and decided to stick with Kern.
Up next
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons hit the road one last time when they visit No. 12 Miami next Saturday before returning home to close the regular season against instate foe Duke.
UNC: The Tar Heels play their final road game when they visit Boston College next Saturday, then return home to close against rival N.C. State.
——
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballbr/]
Copyright © 2024 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.
North Carolina
Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning Compliments ‘Brilliant’ North Carolina Coach Bill Belichick
The No. 1 Oregon Ducks are the only undefeated team left in college football. At 13-0 and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, Oregon earned a first-round bye. The Ducks are Big Ten Champions in their inaugural season in the conference. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
…. In short, the 2024-25 college football season has been Duck domination by coach Dan Lanning.
However, another coach is grabbing headlines while the Ducks prepare to face either theOhio State Buckeyes or Tennessee Volunteers in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick will coach at the collegiate level for the first time as he takes over the University of North Carolina football program. Belichick takes over for Mack Brown in a stunning move.
Lanning and Belichick are familiar with each other and Lanning complimented the new Tar Heels coach.
“I got an opportunity to go visit OTAs (NFL organized team activities) before and visit with him on the phone a few times,” Lanning said. “Obviously, a brilliant football coach and there’s a reason he’s had all the success he’s had. Extremely organized, deep thinker, and certainly he can coach football. So I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him have success there at UNC.”
MORE: Updated National Championship Odds: Oregon Ducks, Texas or Ohio State?
MORE: Oregon Ducks 5-Star Commit Kendre Harrison Reacts to Bill Belichick, North Carolina
MORE: Oregon Ducks Predicted To Land No. 1 Transfer Portal Offensive Lineman Isaiah World?
MORE: Oregon Ducks Injury Update Ahead of Rose Bowl: College Football Playoff
Belichick holds the NFL record for most Super Bowls with six as the New England Patriots head coach. Widely regarded as one of the best NFL coaches of all time, Belichick is 72-years-old and a descendant of the Bill Parcells coaching tree.
How Belichick transitions to college and the new transfer portal, Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) era will be under much scrutiny. In 2024, North Carolina finished 6-6 and in 10th place in the ACC conference.
In his introductory press conference in Chapel Hill, Belichick said he “always wanted to coach in college football and it just never really worked out. I had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. But this is really kind of a dream come true.”
His dad, Steve, served as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953 to 1955. Belichick doesn’t have vivid memories of his family’s time at UNC but said he was always told, “Billy’s first words were ‘Beat Duke.’ … So, full circle.”
Belichick and Lanning won’t meet in the regular season as members of difference conferences. The two could meet on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, as many prospects are excited about the idea of playing with the legendary Belichick.
Also, with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12-team, the ACC could have a larger presence in the postseason, moving forward. Meaning, Oregon and UNC could meet in the playoffs.
MORE: Justin Herbert Injury Update: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos, Thursday Night Football
MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning ‘Attacking’ Extra Preparation Time Before Rose Bowl
MORE: Oregon Ducks Fans Color To Wear In Rose Bowl Vs. Ohio State Or Tennessee in Pasadena
North Carolina
North Carolina joins mystery drone conversation – Washington Examiner
(The Center Square) – White House dismissal notwithstanding, mysterious drones are the talk of the nation. And North Carolina has entered the chat.
“We are actively communicating with federal and local agencies about residents’ reports of drones spotted in eastern North Carolina and are working to find answers,” said U.S. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.
The federal government, said national security spokesman John Kirby, hasn’t identified public safety or national security risks. Sightings started in the northeast last month, speculation has intensified, and there’s been little to no explanation.
Reaction has ranged from marvel and wonder to the paraphrase of a number of both Democratic and Republican politicians to “shoot first, ask questions later.”
“There are more than 1 million drones that are lawfully registered with the Federal Aviation Administration,” Kirby said. “And there are thousands of commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day. That is the ecosystem that we are dealing with.”
That said, federal probes have been started. There have been more than 5,000 reports to the FBI, with roughly 100 drawing investigations, says a joint statement put out by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense.
Published reports of similar sightings exist to the west in California, the Midwest in Minnesota, and even across the Atlantic in England.
North Carolina
North Carolina parent arrested for strangling student inside school in caught-on-video attack: police
A North Carolina father was arrested Monday after allegedly storming into a high school and strangling a teenage student in a caught-on-video attack.
Quinton Lofton, 43, was charged with felony assault by strangulation and disorderly conduct for allegedly jumping a 17-year-old inside the halls of Fike High School in Wilson the same morning, CBS 17 reported.
Lofton, who has a child at the school, was supposed to report to the high school’s office but instead targeted the student — allegedly over a prior dispute outside its halls.
“The parent did not report to the office and instead assaulted a student in the hallway,” Fike Principal Ross Renfrow said in the statement to families obtained by the local station.
The attack was an escalation of a “situation that happened outside of school,” Renfrow added without providing further details on the said situation.
The Wilson County Sheriff also said the assault was over “an isolated incident that occurred outside of school.”
Disturbing footage of the beat-down obtained by WRAL News shows Lofton allegedly grabbing the student by the neck and tossing him down onto a staircase.
The teen appears to seize as his body lies on the stairs but is able to slowly get up and walk away shortly after, according to the clip.
Staffers then separated the grown man from the student, “diffused the situation and escorted the parent out of the building,” Renfrow said.
The student’s family questioned how Lofton was allowed inside the school and able to attack the teenage boy without any intervention.
His older sister said he was “traumatized” by the assault.
“He’s very shaken up by the whole event that took place this morning,” his sister Shaniqua told WRAL. “He’s pushing through. He’s trying to, you know, remain positive through the whole situation.”
School officials called authorities and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lofton. He is no longer permitted at the high school.
-
Business1 week ago
OpenAI's controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood?
-
Politics5 days ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology7 days ago
Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
-
Technology5 days ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics5 days ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology5 days ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics6 days ago
Conservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel
-
Business3 days ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million