Max Johnson’s first season under center for the North Carolina Tar Heels came to an abrupt end Thursday.

The senior quarterback grabbed his leg as he lay on the turf for several minutes in the third quarter of UNC’s season opener against Minnesota. Johnson would eventually need the assistance of a cart to exit the field. He was then taken to a hospital. 

On Friday, UNC confirmed Johnson had undergone a medical procedure in Minneapolis. The school also noted he would travel back to North Carolina in the coming days.

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While Johnson is expected to make a full recovery, the injury will sideline him for the rest of the 2024 season, ESPN reported.

SHEDEUR SANDERS, TRAVIS HUNTER SHINE AS COLORADO BARELY GETS BY NORTH DAKOTA STATE IN SEASON OPENER

Conner Harrell, who played for the Tar Heels in last season’s bowl game after Drake Maye declared for the draft, led the team the rest of the way in the 19-17 win at Minnesota and is positioned to take over the starting job for a Sept. 7 home game against Charlotte.

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Max Johnson (14) celebrates his rushing touchdown against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Aug. 29, 2024. (Matt Krohn/USA Today Sports)

Johnson, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson, had transferred from Texas A&M and won the starting job over Harrell to replace Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall NFL draft pick. 

But Johnson was hurt when his leg bent awkwardly as he was taken to the ground on a blitz by Justin Walley in the second half.

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Max Johnson throws against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis Aug. 29, 2024 (Matt Krohn/USA Today Sports)

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown addressed Johnson’s injury after the game.

“I hate that Max got hurt for him and for us. Conner [has] got to come on,” Brown said.

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Johnson, a fifth-year quarterback who started his career with two years at LSU, finished 12-for-19 for 71 yards with one interception while also running for a score. The team awarded Johnson a game ball afterward.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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WorldAtlas has released a list of nine best places to visit in North Carolina this fall – and this time, most items on the list are located in Western N.C., with Asheville included.

WorldAtlas, founded in 1994 by cartographer John Moen and his wife Chris Woolwine-Moen, publishes educational materials and articles on geography, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics and travel.

Writers of the report praise N.C. for “enticing” fall weather and, of course, vibrant foliage throughout the season. Here’s what WorldAtlas says about Asheville, plus the other locations on its list of must-sees.

More: Gluten not required: Asheville restaurant, cider rank on national list of bests

Fall activities in Asheville

Of the nine entries, Asheville is easily the least nature-centric on the list — though certainly not without the fall foliage visitors look for. In fact, “leaf peepers,” the designated label for travelers aiming to observe the changing colors in person, are known for being responsible in part for the town’s booming tourist industry.

All the same, WorldAtlas has other praise for Asheville beyond the famous leaves. The report appreciates the town’s arts scene, architecture, museums and galleries.

WorldAtlas also mentions a few of its favorite fall activities and events:

• Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze – A festival with a cause, 100% of the proceeds from this fall event go to benefit children, youth and families supported by nonprofit Eliada. Open weekends from Sept. 20 to Oct. 27 this year, the fall festival features a number of festive options such as lawn games, hay rides, food trucks, pumpkins for purchase and more.
• Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 5K in the River Arts District – With a scenic Asheville race route and promised post-run festivities featuring craft brews the city is famous for, the half marathon and 5k is a perfect choice for sporty fall fun. Run through classic locales such as the River Arts District and historic Montford neighborhood, then celebrate with a beverage at Hi-Wire Brewing Beer Garden. This year’s race takes place on Sept. 28.

More: Southern Living ranks Asheville restaurant on list of best new BBQ joints

Top fall destinations in NC

The full list of best fall destinations from WorldAtlas:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Asheville
• Pisgah National Forest
• Chimney Rock State Park
• Hanging Rock State Park
• Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
• Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Uwharrie National Forest

More: Answer Woman: Will Asheville see good fall color? What makes for vibrant fall color?

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lost twice Thursday in his battles to stay on the presidential ballot in some states and get off of it in others.

North Carolina’s elections board refused to take him off that state’s ballot, with a majority saying it was too late in the process for him to withdraw. Meanwhile, an appeals court in New York rejected Kennedy’s request to get back on the ballot there, upholding a judge’s decision to disqualify him for having lied on elections paperwork about where he lived.

On Friday, Kennedy suspended his independent campaign and endorsed Republican Donald Trump. He has since sought to withdraw his name from the ballot in states where the presidential race is expected to be close, including North Carolina.

Simultaneously, he has tried to stay on the ballot in states like New York where his presence is unlikely to make a difference in the battle between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

A midlevel appeals court on Thursday affirmed a ruling from a trial court judge who said Kennedy falsely claimed to live in New York on his nominating petitions, despite actually living in California.

Evidence presented at a short trial, the court said, showed that while Kennedy was a New York resident for decades — his father represented the state in the U.S. Senate — he has lived in the Los Angeles area since 2014, when he married “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines. Kennedy had listed a home address in the tony suburb of Katonah, New York, but that was actually the home of a friend.

“This is not a situation where Kennedy erroneously listed a former residence in the nominating petition, but rather, Kennedy listed an address at which the record evidence reflects he has never resided,” the panel of judges wrote.

Kennedy’s New York attorney, Jim Walden, said he would appeal.

In North Carolina, the elections board’s three Democrats outvoted two Republicans to reject a request made by the recently certified We The People party of North Carolina to remove Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, from the party’s ballot line.

State board officials said that they had previously received a request signed by Kennedy to withdraw, but since he was the nominee of the party, it was the job of We The People to formally seek the removal.

The Democratic majority said making the change would be impractical, given that state law directs the first absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 elections be mailed to requesters starting Sept. 6. North Carolina is the first state in the nation to send fall election ballots.

By late Thursday, 67 of the state’s 100 counties will have received their printed absentee-by-mail ballots, , board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said. The chief printing vendor for the majority of the state’s counties has printed over 1.7 million ballots. Ballot replacement and mail processing would take roughly two weeks, and the reprinting would cost counties using this vendor alone several hundred thousand dollars combined, she added.

“When we talk about the printing a ballot we are not talking about … pressing ‘copy’ on a Xerox machine. This is a much more complex and layered process,” Brinson Bell told the board.

The two Republican board members suggested the state could have generated new ballots.

“I think we’ve got the time and the means to remove these candidates from the ballot if we exercise our discretion to do so,” Republican member Kevin Lewis said.

Board Chair Alan Hirsch, a Democrat, called the decision not to remove Kennedy “the fairest outcome under these circumstances.”

The state Democratic Party unsuccessfully fought We The People’s certification request before the board and later in state court.

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Associated Press writer Michael Hill contributed from Albany, New York.