THI begins our 12-part series looking at North Carolina’s football opponents for the upcoming season.
The Tar Heels went 6-7 last season, falling to South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, but made three staff changes, including bringing in defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. UNC will also have a new quarterback after three years of Sam Howell setting most QB records for the Tar Heels.
So, here we dive into each of Carolina’s 12 opponents for the season that begins August 27 at home versus FCS member Florida A&M. Mack Brown’s team begins practice July 29.
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FLORIDA A&M RATTLERS
Date: August 27, Kenan Stadium
North Carolina will kick off its 122nd football season on August 27 when Florida A&M travels to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels.
This matchup will mark UNC's first with an HBCU since 2015, when hosted North Carolina A&T. UNC Coach Mack Brown is excited to celebrate the history of HBCU football.
"I'm really excited about Florida A&M at home and celebrating HBCUs,” he said a few weeks ago at the Kenan Football Center. “We've got Coach Bill Hayes (longtime A&T coach) and Rod Broadway (former Central & A&T coach) as our honorary captains. Florida A&M has Coach Rudy Hubbard coming in for their honorary captain, and they may have some more as they go.
"We are going to honor their bands. We're going to honor the black fraternities and sororities on our campus. There will be a lot of different ceremonies going on before the game, and it will be a highlighted game on the ACC Network at eight o'clock at night, so I'm really excited to start the season in that fashion."
Note: Broadway also played defensive tackle for the Tar Heels in the 1970s.
Before those celebrations begin, we take a look into the Tar Heels’ opener with Florida A&M:
Head Coach:
Former Clemson player Willie Simmons leads the Rattlers in his fourth year at the helm. With the recent success of the program, Simmons likes the direction things are going.
"I'm so excited about the things happening here,” he said. "We had pro day, and when you look at the fact that 31 of 32 teams showed up to evaluate our young men, it just shows which way our program is going."
Recent Noteworthy:
Florida A&M is 18-5 over its last two seasons, including a 9-3 record and a berth in the FCS playoffs in the 2021 campaign. The Rattlers finished the season ranked No. 24 in the FCS coaches’ poll.
Starters Returning:
Offense 5, Defense 8
Star Players:
Entering the 2022 season, Florida A&M has two players recognized by Athlon Sports as FCS Preseason All-Americans in Isaiah Land and Jah'Marae Sharead.
Land, a 6-foot-4, 218-pounder out of Buffalo, is the defensive player that could make it challenging for the Tar Heel offense to get into a rhythm. Land led all of FCS in sacks with 19.5. He also led the nation in tackles for loss with 25.5. He was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and was awarded the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the best defensive player in the country.
Sharead is a 5-foot-7, 175-pound receiver that led the country in yards per punt return with 19.8 yards per return. He also was a significant contributor to the Rattler's offense earning 54 catches for 632 yards and nine touchdowns.
Key stats:
The key stat for Flordia A&M can be found in its secondary. Last season the Rattlers tied for first in the SWAC with Jackson State for most interceptions, with 13 in twelve games. In addition, the pass rush of Isiah Land can make opposing quarterbacks make rushed decisions which leads to turnover opportunities for the secondary.
My thoughts:
Going into this 'Week 0' match-up between these two programs, Tar Heel fans should be confident in their team's ability to right the wrongs of the season opener a year ago against Virginia Tech. However, A&M will not roll into Kenan Stadium lacking confidence. Playing Florida A&M is the perfect game for Carolina to open the season with a capable FCS opponent that can expose some weaknesses for the Tar Heels. It is ideal as well considering UNC is ushering in new quarterbacks and a new defense.
