RATTLERS AT A GLANCE
• OPENING WITH THE TAR HEELS
Florida A&M travels to Chapel Hill for their first matchup with the Tar Heels in program’s history. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:10 PM ET. The game can be streamed on the ACC Network and listened to on the Rattler Sports Network.
• WILLIE SIMMONS VS THE TAR HEELS
Head Coach Willie Simmons is no stranger to the Tar Heels after leading the #3 Clemson Tigers back from a 17-0 deficit to win 38-24 when Simmons entered the game in the 2nd quarter replacing an injured Woodrow Dantzler. Simmons, a true freshman threw for 228 yards and four touchdown passes (tied school record) in less than three quarters of play. (October 21, 2000)
• BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD WINNER RETURNS
The Rattlers have the nation’s best defender in Isaiah Land as he won the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award. Land led the nation with 19 sacks, and owns the Rattlers single-game sack record after a five sack performance versus South Carolina State. Land also led the nation in tackles for loss with 25.5.
• ELITE DEFENSE
The Rattlers defense was one of the best in the nation in 2021 as they ranked top 26 in 15 defensive categories: passes intercepted (26th), 3rd down conversion defense (21st), passing yards allowed (17th), 4th down conversion defense (16th), red zone defense (16th), defensive touchdowns (11th), first down defense (10th), total defense (10th), scoring defense (10th), team tackles for loss (9th), turnovers gained (9th), rushing defense (9th), fumbles recovered (8th), team passing efficiency defense (8th), and team sacks (4th).
RATTLER NOTABLES
MAJOR TRANSFERS
The Rattlers were busy active in the transfer portal as they added 34 transfers. Nine of the 34 transfers come from Power-5 programs, including Koby Gross, Jalen Goss, and Christopher Williams who came from down the road at Florida State.
TURNOVER STREAK
The Rattlers forced a turnover in 17 straight games until they were unable to force one versus Grambling State on October 30, 2021. The streak started after the Rattlers did not force a turnover at Central Florida on August 29, 2019. The Rattlers currently have a four game forced turnovers streak.
HOME GAME WIN STREAK
The Rattlers have a ten game home winning streak, which is tied for the fourth longest in FCS.
STRONG SPECIAL TEAMS
The Rattlers ranked 3rd in the nation for punt returns averaging 14.93 yards per return. Punt returner Jah’Marae Sheread ranked 1st in the nation for yards per punt return averaging 19.9 yards and 4th in punt return tds with one. Kicker Jose Romo-Martinez ranked 12th in the nation for field goals per game with 1.42.
TOP DEFENSIVE BACK
The Rattlers return one of the top defensive backs in the nation in BJ Bohler. Bohler finished tied for 6th in the nation for total passes defended (16 (12 PBUs, 4 INTs), tied for 8th in the nation for the most interceptions, and tied for 11th in the nation for most pass breakups.
ONLY PLAYER IN NCAA
BJ Bohler was the only player to record an interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and interception in the same game last season. Bohler did it in the biggest game of the season versus Bethune-Cookman earning the Florida Classic MVP Award.
RETURN OF McKAY
Quarterback Rasean McKay returns after ranking 18th in the nation with 22 passing touchdowns. McKay also ranked 34th in passing yards (2,457), 35th in completions per game (17.58), and 39th in points responsible for (132). McKay threw a career-high 383 yards and 5 touchdowns in three quarters of action at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
North Carolina Tar Heels Notes
HBCU CELEBRATION GAME
The University of North Carolina and Florida A&M University will open the 2022 football season in Chapel Hill on Saturday, Aug. 27 with events and activities planned around the weekend to celebrate historically black colleges and universities.
• HBCU coaching greats Bill Hayes and Rod Broadway will serve as Honorary Captains for North Carolina. Coach Hayes spent 27 seasons as a head coach, won two black football national championships, and is the winningest coach at both North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State. Coach Broadway served as head coach at North Carolina Central, Grambling State and North Carolina A&T. He posted a 125-45 career record and is the only coach to win a black football national championship at three different schools, claiming five national titles overall. Broadway also spent two seasons coaching the defensive line at North Carolina and played for the Tar Heels from 1974-77, earning All-ACC honors as a senior.
• FAMU has invited Rattler legend Rudy Hubbard to serve as its Honorary Captain. A 2021 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Hubbard served as the head football coach at FAMU from 1974-85, compiling an 83-48-3 record. He led the Rattlers to two black college football national championships and the I-AA national title in 1978. For all of his accomplishments, Hubbard was inducted into the FAMU Hall of Fame in 1990.
TAR HEELS AND RATTLERS
North Carolina and Florida A&M will meet on the football field for the first time in the 2022 season opener on Saturday, Aug. 27 in Chapel Hill.
• The game will be the first time the Tar Heels will play on Week Zero of the college football season.
AUGUST FOOTBALL
• Carolina is 5-4 all-time in games played in the month of August. The first occurrence was in 1993 when the Tar Heels knocked off USC, 31-9, in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic.
• The only game ever played previously that fell earlier on the calendar than this year’s opener was the 2001 road game with Oklahoma on Aug. 25 in Norman, Okla. The Sooners came away with a 41-27 victory.
• Carolina’s most recent game in August was Mack Brown’s first game back as head coach of the Tar Heels in 2019. UNC took down long-time rival South Carolina, 24-20, in Charlotte, N.C.
SEASON OPENER SUPERLATIVES
• UNC is 84-43-4 in season-opening games, including a 37-32 mark since the ACC was formed in 1953.
• Mack Brown is 26-7 all-time in season openers, including 10-3 as UNC’s head coach.
GROUND GAME
• North Carolina led the ACC in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons.
• North Carolina’s rushing attack has produced four 1,000-yard performances over the last three seasons. If you include Sam Howell, who rushed for over 1,000 yards prior to sack yardage, Carolina’s five 1,000-yard rushers are the most nationally over the last three seasons.
• Grad transfer running back Ty Chandler earned All-ACC second-team honors in 2021 by rushing for a team-high 1,092 yards. He ranked fourth in the ACC with 84.0 rushing yards per game and third with 13 rushing touchdowns.
• Michael Carter (1,245) and Javonte Williams (1,140) both went over 1,000 yards during Carolina’s record-setting offense in 2020.
• Carter went for 1,003 rushing yards in 2019.
EXPLOSIVE PLAY OFFENSE
• Carolina led the ACC with eight plays of 60 or more yards, 13 plays of 50+ yards, 22 plays of 40+ yards and 42 plays of 30+ yards.
• Since 2019 under the direction of offensive coordinator Phil Longo, UNC’s offense leads the ACC in plays of 20+ yards (257), 30+ yards (124), 40+ yards (66) and 50+ yards (38).
TAKEAWAY ARTISTS
• The Tar Heels 15 takeaways on defense in 2021 was four more than the whole of the 2020 campaign when UNC had 11.
• UNC was sixth in the ACC with 11 interceptions last season.
• Cam’Ron Kelly was among four players that tied for the ACC lead with four interceptions in 2021.
• Kelly’s four INTs were the most by a Tar Heel defender since M.J. Stewart had four in 2015.
CLOSE CALLS
• Since the return of Mack Brown to take over the UNC program in 2019, Carolina owns a 21-17 overall record.
• 11 of the 17 losses have been by seven points or less with three setbacks coming in overtime.
• The first two losses in 2020 came by a mere three points at FSU and at Virginia.
• Nine of Carolina’s 13 games in 2019 were decided by seven points or fewer. That was the most by any team in the AP Poll era going back to 1936.
• UNC lost 43-41 in six overtimes at Virginia Tech in the longest game in ACC history.
• The Tar Heels also lost twice in overtime on the road at Pitt, 34-27 (2019) and 30-23 (2021).
WINNING THE 4Q
• UNC enjoyed a +25 (115-90) scoring margin in the fourth quarter last season.
• Carolina led the nation in fourth-quarter scoring margin spanning the 2019 and 2020 seasons at +116.
• In 2019, Carolina ranked third in FBS (1st ACC) with a +69 (120-51) point differential in the fourth quarter.
• Carolina was +47 in 2020 in the fourth quarter, the fourth best mark nationally.
• In comparison, UNC ranked ninth worst in FBS in 2017-18 at -72.
