By Colin McGuigan
Media Coverage:
Television: ESPN – (pxp) Chris Cotter (analyst) Mark Herzlich (sideline) Coley Harvey
Streaming: ESPN App
Radio: UConn Sports Network from Learfield – (pxp) Mike Crispino (color) Wayne Norman (sideline) Adam Giardino
Flagship Station – Fox Sports Radio 97-9 FM (Hartford)
Affiliates – WAVZ 1300 AM (New Haven), WGCH 1490 AM (Greenwich), WILI 1400 AM/95.3FM, (Willimantic), WICH 1310 AM/94.5 FM (Norwich)
SIriusXM 81 and on the SiriusXM App
Online: The Varsity Network App
Live Stats: UConn.Statbroadcast.com
Websites: UConnBowl.com
UConn Game Notes UNC Game Notes
Wasabi Fenway Bowl History
2022 – Louisville 24 – Cincinnati 7
2023 – Boston College 23 – No. 17 SMU 14
Game Offensive MVP
2022 – Jawhar Jordan, RB – Louisville
2023 – Thomas Castellanos, QB -Boston College
Game Defensive MVP
2022 – Monty Montgomery, LB – Louisville
2023 – Kam Arnold, LB – Boston College
Setting the Scene… The UConn Huskies close out the 2024 season playing in their second bowl game in the last three seasons under head coach Jim Mora. The Huskies will face the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston. Kick-off is scheduled for 11:am on ESPN and the ESPN app.
Saturday’s bowl match-up is the fourth ever meeting between the Huskies and Tar Heels and the first since the 2009 season. UNC is 3-0 in the all-time series. This will mark UConn’s fifth match-up against a Power Four conference this season and fourth against a team from the ACC.
The Huskies earned their eighth win of the season thanks to a 47-42 win at New England rival UMass to close out the regular season. It marks the program’s 10th eight win season and first since 2010, which also marks the last winning season for the program. If the Huskies can grab win number nine, it will be just the third time in program history a UConn team has won nine games, the last two coming in 2007 and 2003. The Huskies have won 10 games just once, during the 1998 campaign.
Last Meeting vs. UNC…
Sept. 12, 2009 — UNC 12 – UConn 10 – East Hartford, CT
North Carolina scored a safety on a holding penalty by UConn in its own end zone with just 1:32 remaining to give the 19th-ranked Tar Heels a come-from-behind, 12-10 victory over the Huskies in Connecticut’s home opener before 38, 087 at Rentschler Field. UConn took a 10-0 lead with 55 seconds left in the third quarter as sophomore back Jordan Todman plowed in for six from four yards out. UNC found their offense in the fourth quarter after rushing for -2 yards through three quarters. Quarterback TJ Yates led the Heels inside the UConn 10 before the drive stalled and UNC had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Casey Barth. After a three-and-out by the Huskies, Yates and reserve running back Ryan Houston teamed to lead North Carolina 76 yards in 13 plays, capped with a Yates to Zack Pianalto two-yard touchdown pass with 2:36 to play to knot the score at 10-10. The Huskies took over after the kickoff, and after a mishandled snap, faced third-and-22 from their own eight. QB Cody Endres faded back and completed a pass to Todman, however left tackle Dan Ryan was called for holding in the end zone, giving the Tar Heels the decisive safety. UConn had one more chance as Dave Teggart’s onside kick was recovered by the Huskies but their drive stalled with the UNC defense delivering the road win. Todman led the Huskies with 66 yards on the ground on 18 carries. The Huskies defense was solid for most of the contest, recording six sacks and a total of nine tackles for loss. Lindsey Witten had four sacks, while Lawrence Wilson led the Huskies with 11 tackles.
Scouting the Tar Heels…
The Tar Heels finished the 2024 regular season 6-6 and qualified for a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season, which is the second-longest streak in Carolina football history. Star RB Omarion Hampton became a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist and finished the season second nationally in rushing with 1,660 yards, while OL Willie Lampkin was tabbed the Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner, which goes to the ACC’s Most Outstanding Blocker. Carolina’s explosive offense averaged 32.3 points per game during the regular season and racked up 432.4 yards per game. Defensively, the Tar Heels finished eighth nationally in sacks with 39.
UConn vs. the ACC…
The Huskies are 7-28 all-time against the ACC. UConn went 0-3 this season against teams from the ACC, with a loss at Duke and Syracuse and a home loss to Wake Forest. UConn’s last win against the ACC came over Boston College in the 2022 season. The Huskies are 0-1 against the league in post season bowl games, losing to Wake Forest in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl (24-10). UConn is 2-2 against Duke, 2-2 against Virginia and 1-3 against Wake Forrest. The Huskies are 1-4 against Boston College since the Eagles joined the league in 2005 and 0-4 vs. Syracuse since the Orange jumped to the ACC in 2013. UConn has also faced Clemson (0-1), Georgia Tech (0-3), North Carolina (0-3) and NC State (0-4). The Huskies were 1-3 against Maryland when the Terrapins were a member of the conference through 2014. The Huskies have also faced Louisville, Miami, Pitt, SMU and Virginia Tech in their history but prior to those teams joining the ACC. The Huskies have never faced Cal, Florida State or Stanford.
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The Matchup
North Carolina vs. UConn
Saturday, December 28, 2024
11:00 a.m. ET | ESPN
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park | Boston, Mass.
North Carolina (6-6, 3-5 ACC)
Interim Head Coach: Freddie Kitchens
Record at UNC: 0-0-0
Career Record: 0-0-0
UConn Huskies (8-4)
Head Coach: Jim Mora (Washington, 1984)
Record at UConn: 17-20 (3rd Season)
TV: ESPN
Play-By-Play: Chris Cotter
Analyst: Mark Herzlich
Sideline: Coley Harvey
Radio – Tar Heel Sports Network
Local: WCHL-FM 97.9 (Chapel Hill) | WCHL-AM 1360 (Chapel Hill)
Sirius: 81
Play-by-Play: Jones Angell
Analyst: Bryn Renner & Joe Jauch
Sideline: Lee Pace
Pre-Game Show: Dave Nathan & Na’ Brown
Series History
All-Time Series Record: UNC leads, 3-0 *Two wins were later vacated.
Last Meeting: North Carolina won, 12-10 (2009, Storrs) *victory was later vacated.
Shipping Up to Boston
Before ushering in a new era of Carolina football, the Tar Heels will look to
finish its 2024 season with a victory over UConn in iconic Fenway Park. The Tar Heels
and Huskies have not faced each other since the 2009 season and this marks the first
matchup at a neutral site location between the two schools.
A Win Would…
» Give Carolina its third consecutive winning season and its fifth in six seasons.
» Give the Tar Heels its first bowl game victory since the 2019 Military Bowl.
» Cement Freddie Kitchens‘ first win as a college head coach.
» Extend UNC’s winning streak to four in against UConn.
Tylee Strong
To honor their teammate, members of the wide receiver room decided that each game, starting with the Oct. 12 contest against Georgia Tech, a different member of the receiving corps will wear Tylee’s number 13 for the remainder of the season. J.J. Jones, Kobe Paysour, Christian Hamilton, and Chris Culliver have worn the number 13 jersey so far this season.
My “O” My
Omarion Hampton finished the season with the second-most rushing yards in the country (1,660). Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty of Boise St. (2,497) was the only running back to out-rush Hampton this season. In addition, Hampton will finish his UNC career in third place all-time with 40 touchdowns scored and fourth place all-time with
3,565 career rushing yards.
Thirty Threshold
Over the past six seasons, the Tar Heels are 76-11 when they score 30-plus points and 49-2 when they score 40-plus points
All-American Duo
Omarion Hampton and Willie Lampkin were each named All-Americans by multiple outlets.
- AFCA All-America (1st Team)
- AP All-America (2nd Team)
- Sporting News All-America (2nd Team)
- Walter Camp All-America (2nd Team)
- CBS Sports All-America (2nd Team)
- CFB Network All-America (2nd Team)
- Sports Illustrated All-America (HM)
- AFCA All-America (2nd Team)
- AP All-America (1st Team)
- Sporting News All-America (1st Team)
- Walter Camp All-America (2nd Team)
- Action Network All-America (2nd Team)
- The Athletic All-America (2nd Team)
- CFB Network All-America (1st Team)
- Sports Illustrated All-America (HM)
- USA Today All-America (2nd Team)
A New Era
On December 11th, the University of North Carolina announced the hiring of legendary football coach, Bill Belichick. A three-time AP NFL Coach of the Year (2003, 2007, 2010), Belichick has an all-time NFL head coaching record of 333-178 (.652) and is only 14 NFL wins away from the overall wins record. He is a member of the NFL’s All- Decade Team for the 2000s and the 2010s, and he also was a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and holds the record for most NFL Playoff victories
(31).
Numbers To Know
2,500 –Jacolby Criswell needs just 48 passing yards to eclipse 2,500 on the season despite not starting until week three.
0 –Willie Lampkin is the highest graded offensive guard in the Power 4 by Pro Football Focus, and has not given up a sack this season.
3 – Carolina has three interception returns for touchdowns this season, one shy of the program record of four, set in both 2008 and 2009.
6 – UNC has a total of six non-offensive touchdowns this season; three interception returns, a blocked punt return, a punt return and a kickoff return.
32.3 – The Tar Heel offense averaged 34.5 points per game last season. UNC ended the season ranked 20th in the FBS in scoring.
1,000 – North Carolina players have a total of six 1,000-yard rushing seasons since 2019. That is the most of any team in the country.
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