By Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina goes on the road Saturday to take on the University of Central Florida in Orlando. The Tar Heels (2-1) have won two in a row now after knocking off Richmond last weed. The Knights (2-0) are coming off a bye week after opening the season with wins over Jacksonville State and North Carolina A&T. Kick-off is set for 3:0 on WBT.
Thanks to the craziness of college sports these days, the Knights are in their third season of competing in the Big 12 Conference. The first two didn’t go so well, going a combined 10-15. But expectations are higher this season now that Scott Frost is back as head coach. Frost is the man that led the Knights to a 13-0 season back in 2017 when they claimed to be the National Champions after not getting invited to the playoffs. Frost parlayed that into an unsuccessful four-year stint at his alma mater Nebraska. He’s back after spending last season in the NFL, and he’s got the Knights off to a good start in 2025.
UCF boasts a fast-paced offense that likes to run the ball. Junior quarterback Tayven Jackson was a starter at Indiana and has thrown for 471 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He spreads the ball around to a bunch of talented receivers, including Charlotte transfer Duane Thompson and DJ Black. They’ve combined for 13 catches for 203 yards. Running back Myles Montgomery has also been an excellent target, he’s averaging nearly 26 yards a catch. Montgomery teams with Western Michigan transfer Jaden Nixon to form a potent backfield. Montgomery has picked up 114 yards on the ground, while Nixon is an explosive playmaker, with touchdown runs of 86 and 66 yards this season and a kickoff return of 96 yards for a score. And keep an eye out for backup quarterback Jacurri Brown – he’s a dual threat who picked up two scores on the ground against the Aggies. After a horrid start to the season against TCU, the UNC defense has tightened up considerably. The Tar Heels have only allowed a combined 470 yards and nine points in their last two games.
The Knights have a new defensive coordinator this season in Alex Grinch, who put together some excellent defenses at Oklahoma. He brought in a ton of transfers, including former Sooners linebackers Lewis Carter and Picciotti. Edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly had 5.5 sacks last season, he teams with Malachi Lawrence, who had five sacks a year ago. Former UNC defensive lineman Rodney Lora is also in the mix; he’s got six tackles and a sack. UCF’s secondary is opportunistic, with ball-hawking safeties Phillip Dunham and Demari Henderson leading the way. The Tar Heels have looked better offensively the past two weeks, led by freshman running back Demon June, who picked up 148 yards and a touchdown against Richmond. The Knights haven’t been strong against the run so far this season, so look for the Heels to try to get June going early.
This is the first ever meeting between these teams. The Knights will provide much stiffer competition than UNC’s last two opponents, and the Tar Heels are actually 3-point underdogs headed into the game. But they’re riding some momentum after back-to-back wins and the defense is finally starting to come together under coordinator Steve Belichick. If they can clamp down on the Knights early and get the offense going, they should come away with their third straight victory. Go Tar Heels!