Football Hosts Louisville Saturday For Homecoming, Military Appreciation Game

First and Ten
• Carolina is in its 136th season of football (139th year) in 2026 and the Tar Heels own an all-time record of 760-588-54.
• Carolina will host Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 14, in the program's Military Appreciation Day Game, Homecoming and Monogram Day. Kickoff from Kenan Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2 with Mike Couzens (PxP), Tom Luginbill (Analyst) and Lauren Sisler (Sideline) on the call.
• Louisville and UNC are meeting for the ninth time in the history of the programs and the first time since 2017 when the Cardinals earned a 47-35 victory against the Tar Heels in Kenan Stadium. Carolina's offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was Louisville's head coach that season.
• In their last outing, the Tar Heels won their third consecutive road game with a 38-21 victory at UConn on Saturday, scoring a season high in points. UNC possessed the ball for 36:23 to just 23:37 for the Huskies and forced three turnovers to pick up its fourth win away from home this season.
• Timir Hickman-Collins recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown, becoming the first Carolina player with a pick six since Power Echols accomplished the feat in November 2024. He was named the ACC Linebacker of the Week on Monday, the fourth time a UNC player has claimed the honor.
• For the second consecutive game, North Carolina tight end Jelani Thurman reeled in two touchdown passes, as he tied the UNC single-season record for touchdowns by a tight end with his eighth of the year. Thurman is third among Power Four tight ends with 45 catches for 525 yards. His 285 yards after catch are the second most by a P4 tight end. He was named one of nine semifinalists for the Mackey Award on Wednesday.
• Sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Lewis was named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding defensive player, on Tuesday. He's the first Tar Heel semifinalist for the award since 2001 when Julius Peppers won the Bednarik Award. Lewis has tallied 43 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and seven sacks this season. His 0.78 sacks per game mark is tied for 15th nationally, while his 1.11 tackles for loss per game is 27th in the nation.
• UNC has scored on its last 13 trips to the red zone, highlighted by 10 touchdowns. The Tar Heels lead the ACC and rank 10th nationally in red zone offense, converting on 93.9% of their attempts.
• The Tar Heels are fifth in the nation in fewest penalty yards (309) and fewest penalty yards per game (34.33), both of which lead the ACC.
• UNC is fourth nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage at 76.9% to lead the conference.

A Win Over Louisville Would…
• Make the Tar Heels bowl eligible in their second season under head coach Bill Belichick.
• Give Carolina its fourth win against Louisville in program history.
• Be the program's first win versus the Cardinals as an ACC opponent in the second meeting.
• Be Carolina's 761st all-time victory in program history.

Thurman Named Semifinalist For Mackey Award
• In the midst of one of the best seasons by a tight end in program history, North Carolina's Jelani Thurman has been named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, which recognizes the nation's top collegiate tight end.
• Thurman is UNC's first Mackey Award semifinalist since Bryson Nesbit in 2023. He is one of nine semifinalists nationally and one of two representatives from the ACC.
• The Fairburn, Ga., native has put together a record-setting season, recording eight receiving touchdowns to tie UNC's single-season record for touchdowns by a tight end. The mark, originally set by Mike Chatham in 1979, is the most among tight ends nationally and tied for the second most among all ACC players.
• Thurman's 45 receptions and 525 receiving yards both rank third among Power Four tight ends. He has also totaled 285 yards after the catch, the second most among Power Four tight ends and the most on the Tar Heel team.
• Of his 45 receptions, 28 have resulted in either a touchdown or a first down. Thurman has recorded at least three catches in every game this season, highlighted by career-high performances of seven receptions against Syracuse and at UConn.
• He has also been a consistent big-play threat with 25 receptions of at least 10 yards, including nine of 20 or more yards.

Lewis Named Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist
• North Carolina defensive tackle Xavier Lewis has been named one of 18 semifinalists for the 2026 Chuck Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Tuesday. The award is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding defensive player.
• Lewis, a sophomore from Rolesville, N.C., is the first Tar Heel semifinalist for the award since 2001 when Julius Peppers won the Bednarik Award. He is the only representative from a North Carolina school and one of three ACC players on the list.
• Lewis has tallied 43 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and seven sacks this season. His 0.78 sacks per game mark is tied for 15th nationally, while his 1.11 tackles for loss per game is 27th in the nation.
• He turned in one of his best performances of the season in Carolina's 21-17 road victory over No. 25 Pitt on Oct. 10, recording a career-high 11 tackles and adding half a sack.

Hickman-Collins Named ACC Linebacker of the Week
• Carolina's Timir Hickman-Collins has been named ACC Linebacker of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday.
• The honor marks the fourth time a Carolina linebacker has earned the weekly award this season, joining Derek McDonald (twice) and Peyton Seelmann.
• Hickman-Collins put together the best game of his collegiate career on Saturday to lift the Tar Heels to a 38-21 victory at UConn. He recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown, becoming the first Carolina player with a pick six since Power Echols accomplished the feat in November 2024.
• The Fort Mill, South Carolina, native logged his second turnover in the game in the second quarter when he ripped the football out of the quarterback's hand before he was ruled down to get credit for the forced fumble and the fumble recovery.
• Hickman-Collins became the first Tar Heel to recover a fumble and intercept a pass in the same game since Cedric Gray versus Miami in 2023.
• He graded out at 93.7 in the game, according to Pro Football Focus, headlined by a 90.3 coverage grade.

Last Time Versus Louisville
• Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson accounted for 525 total yards and six touchdowns to help No. 17 Louisville pull away late and beat North Carolina 47-35 on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017.
• Carolina led 28-27 entering the fourth quarter, but Louisville outscored the Tar Heels 20-7 in the final period to earn the win.
• The Cardinals tallied 705 total yards thanks to 393 passing yards and 132 rushing yards from Jackson, while the Tar Heels had 401 on the strength of 384 yards passing from quarterbacks Brandon Harris and
Chazz Surratt.
• Jackson threw for 393 yards and three scores while also running for 132 yards and three TDs. The last came on a spinning-through-tacklers 11-yard run with 3:06 left to punctuate a dominant fourth-quarter effort by the Cardinals (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Louisville-UNC Connections
• North Carolina offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino served three separate stints with the Louisville coaching staff with his first starting in 1998 as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator.
• Petrino returned to Louisville as head coach in 2003 and remained through the 2006 season, compiling a dominant 41-9 record over those four years. His 2004 team led the nation in total offense (539.0 ypg) and scoring offense (49.8 ppg) while posting 50+ points in seven games. That squad also set an NCAA record by scoring 55+ points in five consecutive games en route to an 11-1 record and a Gator Bowl appearance.
• He hired Louisville's current head coach, Jeff Brohm, as his quarterbacks coach in 2003 and Brohm worked several seasons with Petrino.
• Petrino's third stint at Louisville came during the 2014-2018 seasons as head coach, where he worked alongside current UNC wide receivers coach Garrick McGee and quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi. McGee served on the staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, while Lombardi was a special teams quality control coach and tight ends graduate assistant.
• Bobby Petrino's brother, Paul, is now Louisville's tight ends coach and his nephew, Mason, is a quality control specialist.
• Louisville's offensive coordinator Brian Brohm played quarterback under Bobby Petrino from 2004 through 2007.
• Carolina wide receivers coach Garrick McGee spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons working under Jeff Brohm at Louisville before coming to UNC.

Four Straight For Shipp
• Carolina wide receiver Jordan Shipp has reeled in a touchdown pass in four consecutive games, dating back to the Duke game.
• Shipp is the first player to accomplish the feat since Bryson Nesbit caught a touchdown in four straight games in 2024.
• The Charlotte native is seventh in the ACC in receiving yards with 642 on 50 catches.

Red Zone Offense
• Carolina's offense has been strong in the red zone this season, as the Tar Heels rank 10th nationally and second in the ACC with a 93.9% success rate.
• The Tar Heels have scored on 13 consecutive trips to the red zone with 10 touchdowns.
• In total, UNC has 31 red zone scores in 33 trips with 23 touchdowns and eight field goals.
• The Tar Heels went 5-for-5 in the red zone against Miami, scoring touchdowns on all five trips, and 4-for-4 against UConn, with three touchdowns and one field goal.

McDonald Having A Breakout Season With UNC
• North Carolina's Derek McDonald has turned in a breakout season for the Tar Heels, as he was recently named a Butkus Award Semifinalist, which annually recognizes the nation's top collegiate linebacker.
• McDonald leads the ACC and is tied eighth nationally in tackles per game with 10.0 and his 90 total tackles are eighth in the nation and best in the conference.
• He has been named ACC Linebacker of the Week twice this season, most recently earning the honor following a career and game-high 16 tackles against Syracuse.
• The Atlanta native has tallied 10 or more tackles in six games this season and has led the Tar Heels in tackles in each game.

Dynamic Duo
• McDonald and fellow linebacker Peyton Seelmann have formed the ACC's most prolific duo on defense this season.
• In addition to McDonald's 10.0 tackles per game, Seelmann is third in the conference with 9.1 to rank 23rd nationally.
• McDonald has 83 tackles this season and Seelmann has 82.
• One of the two has led the Tar Heels in tackling every game this year with McDonald leading the way against TCU, Clemson, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse and Miami, while Seelmann paced UNC on defense versus ETSU, Duke and UConn.

Smart Football
• Carolina has committed just 40 penalties for 309 yards this season, which is the fifth fewest penalty yardage in the nation.
• The Tar Heels had only three penalties in their season-opening win against TCU, five penalties against ETSU, five at Clemson, three against Notre Dame, three at Pitt, six at Duke, three against Syracuse, six against Miami, and six against UConn.
• UNC's 40 penalties are the fewest by an ACC team and ninth fewest nationally.

Starting Fast
• The Tar Heels have scored first in seven of their nine games this season with Pitt and Miami as the only teams that have scored before Carolina in a game this year.

One-Score Games
• Carolina has played six one-score games this season with the Tar Heels owning a 3-3 record in those contests.
• Both of UNC's last two home ACC games have been decided by one score.

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Players Mentioned

Timir Hickman-Collins

Xavier Lewis

Derek McDonald

Peyton Seelmann

Jordan Shipp

Jelani Thurman

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University of North Carolina Athletics