CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Coach Mack Brown had been clear he didn’t wish to discuss varied eventualities for his North Carolina group to clinch its Atlantic Coast Convention division title, solely profitable.
North Carolina
No. 13 North Carolina can clinch 10-win season vs Ga Tech
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“Everyone will likely be bragging on our guys, everyone speaking about clinching the ACC Coastal (Division), on the point of go to the championship recreation, asking about tickets,” Brown mentioned. “You then’ve obtained your rival (North Carolina State) subsequent week on Senior Day. And this one’s sitting in right here the place we higher get able to play.”
The Tar Heels (9-1, 6-0 ACC) clinched the division race with final weekend’s win at Wake Forest, capping the primary 6-0 season highway report in program historical past. Now they’re again dwelling for the ultimate two video games, the primary coming in opposition to the Yellow Jackets (4-6, 3-4) earlier than internet hosting the Wolfpack as they attempt to attain 10 wins for the primary time since 2015.
Brown may level to the Tar Heels’ lopsided loss at Georgia Tech final 12 months to remind his group of what can occur in the event that they’re not targeted on this weekend.
“There received’t be a lot discuss this recreation publicly as there will likely be with the State recreation and the championship recreation,” Brown mentioned. “So we’ve to get our minds able to go as a result of anyone that watches that movie final 12 months — they’ve obtained adequate gamers and so they completely whipped us in each approach and outcoached us.”
After rallying from a 27-16 fourth-quarter deficit to win two weeks in the past at Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech has had little go proper. Its high two quarterbacks are achieved for the season with accidents following final week’s lopsided loss to Miami, however interim coach Brent Key likes how his group has responded in follow.
Key mentioned no one’s feeling sorry for themselves.
“Who’s obtained time to try this?” he mentioned. “We now have an opportunity to play soccer this weekend. These children have likelihood to play soccer with one another once more and never solely play soccer however play a extremely good dadgum soccer group at their place. Which, everyone’s enthusiastic about.”
Second-year UNC passer Drake Maye has been sensible from the beginning of the season. It’s now inflicting a rising buzz about Maye’s potential as a Heisman Trophy candidate, with this system’s official Twitter account posting about it Sunday.
Maye is tied for first within the Bowl Subdivision in landing passes (34) with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and No. 1 in complete offense (399.6) whereas rating second in passing offense (341.2).
Whereas Maye is rolling, high receiver Josh Downs is on fairly a run, too.
Downs is coming off an 11-catch, 154-yard day at Wake Forest that included three first-half touchdowns — with Downs taking time to emphatically rely off all three on his fingers after the third scoring seize.
He’s now gone 4 straight video games with 100+ yards receiving and has three straight video games with 11+ catches.
Georgia Tech misplaced its high two quarterbacks within the span of some days. Jeff Sims, the Yellow Jackets’ starter since 2020, is out indefinitely present process medical remedy for an injured foot. Zach Pyron broke his collarbone within the third quarter of final week’s 35-14 dwelling loss to Miami and is out for the remainder of the season.
Queue up Zach Gibson, a switch from Akron who will make his second begin since finishing two of three passes taking part in the primary sequence of a 41-16 loss at Florida State three weeks in the past. Gibson’s backup will likely be Taisun Phommachanh, a Clemson switch who has but to take a snap this 12 months.
North Carolina’s protection has been among the many nation’s worst statistically all season however has proven a knack for developing with key performs on the proper time, too.
The Tar Heels rank 124th in FBS in complete protection (460.9) and 109th in scoring protection (31.3), although the latter is significantly better (25.8) in ACC play. And in final weekend’s win in opposition to Wake Forest and star quarterback Sam Hartman, the protection got here up with a fourth-down cease inside its personal 10-yard line, a vital interception close to midfield to arrange the go-ahead area aim and one other fourth-down cease within the fourth quarter.
“It’s been a fairly opportunistic protection,” mentioned Gene Chizik, who’s within the first 12 months of his second stint overseeing UNC’s protection. “The fourth quarter, we didn’t hand over some extent. Someway or one other, we have been capable of shut out three straight drives. It wasn’t at all times fairly, however we’re in search of outcomes.”
Barring a spectacular crash by each North Carolina and No. 1 Georgia, the Jackets will miss out on a bowl recreation for the fourth straight 12 months. Key has considerably stabilized this system with a 3-3 report since Geoff Collins was fired with the worst profitable share in program historical past, however contemplating that he’s more likely to end 3-5, that mark won’t be sufficient to steer new athletic director J Batt to convey him on full-time.
AP Sports activities Author George Henry contributed to this report.
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North Carolina
North Carolina governor says Harris 'has a lot of great options' for running mate
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Cooper, barred by term limits from seeking reelection this year, had been among roughly a dozen potential contenders that Harris’ team was initially looking at for a vice presidential pick. He’s been a surrogate for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid and now for Harris.
“I am going to work every day to see that she is elected,” Cooper told WECT-TV. “I believe that she will win, and I look forward to this campaign because she has the right message and she is the right person for this country.”
In making his decision, Cooper confirmed Tuesday that he was concerned in part about what Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson could do if he left the state to campaign as part of the Democratic ticket. The state constitution says that “during the absence of the Governor from the State … the Lieutenant Governor shall be Acting Governor.” Robinson is running for governor this fall.
“We had concerns that he would try to seize the limelight because there would be a lot, if I were the vice presidential candidate, on him, and that would be a real distraction to the presidential campaign,” Cooper said.
Cooper pointed to when he traveled to Japan last fall on an economic development trip. As acting governor at the time, Robinson held a news conference during his absence to announce he had issued a “NC Solidarity with Israel Week” proclamation after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack inside the country.
Cooper also said Tuesday that he informed Harris’ campaign “early in the process” that he would not be a candidate, but that he didn’t reveal publicly that decision at first so as not to dampen enthusiasm for Harris within the party.
“My name had already been prominently put into the media and so I did not want to cause any problems for her or to slow her great momentum,” he told WRAL-TV while in Supply, located about 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Raleigh. Cooper said he announced his decision when “there had begun to be a lot of speculation about the fact that I was not going to be in the pool of candidates, and in order to avoid the distraction of the speculation.”
Tuesday’s event at Green Swamp Preserve celebrated a $421 million grant for projects in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland to reduce climate pollution. The money will be used to preserve, enhance or restore coastal habitats, forests and farmland, Cooper’s office said.
North Carolina
Josh Heupel Explains Important of North Carolina To Tennessee Vols
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The state of North Carolina is uber-important to the Tennessee Volunteers on the recruiting trail and should only get more important in the coming years.
The Tennessee Volunteers are currently on a hot streak on the recruiting trail. They added commitments from Toombs County safety Lagonza Hayward and Derby High School tight end Da’Saahn Brame over the weekend, putting them at the No. 8 overall class in the 2025 cycle. They still have several important announcements in the near future, several from the state of North Carolina.
The Vols have been adamant about successfully recruiting the state of North Carolina for years, and as more blue-chip talent continues to come from the Tarheel state, the more Tennessee will spend its time within that footprint. They’re firmly in the race for Providence Day School offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who ranks as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class. He announces his decision on August 17th, and the North Carolina native is quite high on the Vols.
Additionally, Grimsley High School quarterback Faizon Brandon decides between Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State, and Tennessee this weekend. The No. 9 prospect in the 2026 class also hails from North Carolina and is Tennessee’s top target at the quarterback position.
There are plenty of examples of future standouts coming from the state and past ones who’ve made an impact at the University of Tennessee – the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 was North Carolina native Jaylen Wright, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media ahead of fall camp and discussed why they continue investing so much in the state.
“It is a border state,” Heupel explained to media on Tuesday. “For us, we believe and look at it and view it as part of our footprint. We are intentional in how we recruit that state.”
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Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline
![Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline](https://ncnewsline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Vice-President-Harris-in-Fville.png)
Enthusiasm is growing among Asian Americans in North Carolina.
With Kamala Harris stepping into the race and the potential for the country’s first president of Asian American heritage, it’s ignited excitement in the community.
“I’ve already participated in a half dozen Zoom calls about ways members of the Asian American community can help and turn out the vote,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County.
Harris marked many “firsts” when she became vice president after the 2020 election: she was the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American in that position. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian.
Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“What people are excited about is recognizing the historical significance of it, that her lived experiences as an Asian American and Black woman really bring a different, inclusive level of representation to the highest level of government,” North Carolina Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said.
The organization is focused on channeling that energy into voter outreach efforts, as well as raising awareness and education about key down ballot races.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in North Carolina has steadily increased in recent years.
It’s grown 63.3 percent since 2012 for a population size of about 456,655 in 2024, according to AAPIVote — a nonpartisan group dedicated to strengthening civic engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
There are roughly 235,900 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in North Carolina, marking a 55.4 percent growth in voter eligibility from 2012 to 2022.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 2.97 percent of the electorate in the swing state. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes.
“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that major campaigns cannot ignore us anymore,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We are too consequential to elections — every election, local, state, and federal, where we’re changing the political landscape in North Carolina.”
The population is concentrated around urban areas. Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, and Orange counties have the highest proportions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Nearly 60 percent of Asian American adults in North Carolina speak a language other than English at home, according to AAPIVote.
Along with low voter contact, language barriers have accounted for low voter turnout for Asian Americans.
“We do see the gaps when it comes to language access and communication,” Rep. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County, said. “We know that we need to continue that and more so now.”
That’s why groups like NCAAT work to make voting as accessible as possible. In the past, NCAAT has translated mailers into different languages and made an effort to reach out to voters in their native tongue.
Another issue is avoiding treating the Asian American community as a monolith. With so many different backgrounds and cultures, there’s a wide variety of views across the political spectrum.
“A majority of AAPI voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We’re really independent thinkers who are voting on issues and not all party lines.”
Top issues vary for individual voters, but there are general themes.
Younger voters prioritize lowering the cost of living, protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and making healthcare more affordable, according to a poll by NCAAT. Older voters are more concerned about crime and public safety, as well as the economy and job creation.
The Harris campaign has invested more money into more media than ever in order to reach Asian American voters, according to the campaign.
“In just the first week since Vice President Harris became the presumptive nominee of our party, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from AANHPI voters across North Carolina who are fired up to elect Kamala Harris as the first Asian American president in U.S. history,” according to Natalie Murdock, the campaign’s North Carolina political and coalitions director.
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