On September 16, the Minnesota Golden Gophers will go on the road for the first time when they travel to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels.
You can read out previews on Nebraska and Eastern Michigan here.
The Tar Heels are coming off a 9-5 season, including 6-2 in the ACC. They would get to the ACC Championship game, losing to Clemson 39-10 before falling in the Holiday Bowl 28-27.
Notably, it was a hot start for the Tar Heels last year, starting 9-1 on the year, their lone loss coming to Notre Dame. However, they lost each of their last four, including the two aforementioned games, as well as games to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State, both at home.
For a season that once showed great promise, it was a very bitter end of the season for Mack Brown's program. While there has been some hype around the Tar Heels this fall, there are still very many questions about the program as the season grows closer, tempting the overall hype and expectations.
Previewing the Tar Heels' offense
The Tar Heels' offense will likely be one of the better offenses that the Golden Gophers face this season, and a lot of that has to do with their quarterback, Drake Maye. A candidate to go top-10 in next year's NFL Draft, Maye is coming off a phenomenal sophomore season that saw him complete 66.2% of his passes for 4,321 years and 38 touchdowns while throwing just seven interceptions.
Last season, the Tar Heels averaged 34.4 points per game, good enough for 25th best in the country; they also totaled 462.8 yards per game, ranking 19th in the country.
The Tar Heels, however, will have to replace their starting running back, two of their three starting wide receivers, and starting tight end from last season. The biggest of those losses is wide receiver Josh Downs, who totaled 94 receptions for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns. They'll look at Devontez Walker, Nate McCollum, and Kobe Paysour to help replace Downs this fall. Bryson Nesbit will step into the starting tight end role after recording 35 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns last season.
The Tar Heels notably also return four of their starting five offensive linemen, which should benefit Maye and a Tar Heels' rushing attack that was solid but not great last season, averaging 153.5 yards per game in 2022.
The Tar Heels offense will be a good early-season test for the Gophers.
Previewing the Tar Heels defense
North Carolina's defense was their Achilles heel, allowing an average of 30.8 points and 436.5 yards per game. It marked the second straight season the program allowed over 30.0 points per game, and defensive coordinator Gene Chizik may not survive this fall if that trend continues.
The good news for the Tar Heels is they return seven of 11 starters on the defensive side of the ball from last season, including three of four starting defensive linemen and both of their starting linebackers. Their secondary will be the biggest question once again.
After allowing 271.3 yards per game through the air last season, the Tar Heels will replace three of their five starters in the secondary. That being said, the Tar Heels hit the transfer portal hard in the secondary this offseason and hope that doing so will show immediate results this fall. The Tar Heels pass rush will also need to do their part in helping their secondary; last season, the Tar Heels averaged just a little over a sack per game. That will need to change this fall.
The player to watch on the Tar Heels defense will be linebacker Cedric Grey, who can do it all. He is the team's leading returner in tackles, tackles for a loss, and interceptions.
Overall:
North Carolina has a chance to be the darling of the ACC this fall, especially if Drake Maye continues to build on an already impressive resume. This offense will be tough to stop, but the defense ultimately takes a step up and will be the ultimate decider for the Tar Heels this far. For the Gophers, this could be a tough matchup for an offense that may not be clicking just yet three weeks into the season, especially with quite a few new parts. It will be a great test for the Gophers' defense.
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