ACC Availability Report: No Injury Status Designation for UNC QB Gio Lopez

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez isn’t listed with an injury status designation for this week’s ACC football matchup at California, as per the league’s new policy that mandates availability reports prior to conference games.

Offensive lineman Aidan Banfield (probable), cornerback Khalil Conley (probable) and safety Peyton Waters (out) showed up with notable status designations on Wednesday night’s initial availability report for the Tar Heels (2-3 overall, 0-1 ACC), who play Friday night on the West Coast against the Golden Bears (4-2, 1-1).

Here’s a quick rundown of UNC’s portion from Wednesday night’s first injury report for the Cal game. The ACC requires coach Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels, along with coach Justin Wilcox and the Bears, to submit two more availability reports — another on Thursday night and then a final version on Friday, two hours before the game’s scheduled 10:30 p.m. kickoff (7:30 p.m. local time in Berkeley, Calif.).

OUT FOR UNC
DB Ty White
DB Thad Dixon
DB Peyton Waters
LB Chinedu Onyeagoro
LB Tyler Houser
LB Jake Bauer
OL Peter Pesansky
DL Laderion Williams
DL Kamarion Thomas
TE Cort Halsey
TE Deems May
K Guytano Bartolomeo

PROBABLE FOR UNC
DB Ty Adams
DB Khalil Conley
OL Aidan Banfield

UNC and Cal both are coming off open dates on their schedules, and thus have had bye weeks allowing extra time to prepare. The Bears, who have dropped two of their last three games after starting 3-0 to open the season, have been installed as 10½-point favorites over the Tar Heels by the oddsmakers.

Carolina will have played just once across the previous 26 days when kickoff arrives Friday night at Cal, and Lopez missed that game — the 38-10 beatdown loss to Clemson — due a leg injury suffered nearly four weeks ago at UCF. Max Johnson started in Lopez’s absence on Oct. 4 against Clemson. The Tar Heels have lost back-to-back games by a combined margin of 72-19.

Banfield has been the starter at left guard on UNC’s offensive line. But he missed the Clemson game, and Will O’Steen filled in there. Conley and Waters have played as second-teamers in backup roles in the defensive backfield for the Tar Heels.

Thad Dixon, who’s considered to be UNC’s top defensive back and perhaps the team’s best player on either side of the ball, is expected to miss an extended amount of time. Last week, Inside Carolina first reported the injury, which he suffered late in the first half against Clemson.

“I’m not sure exactly how that’s going to turn out,” Belichick said Monday, referring to Dixon’s status. “We’ll just take it day-by-day, or week-by-week here for a couple weeks and see. Thad was certainly one of our best players. Trained very hard as one of our team captains and gave a lot of leadership to the team. As one of our most experienced and oldest players, he played a lot of football, has seen a lot of football. So it’s a tough injury for him. Especially kind of a non-contact, when he landed, it kind of hit in a weird place.

“I’ve seen him. I’ve talked to him. He’s a great competitor. He’s already bouncing back, and we’ll see what happens.”

For ACC league games this football season, availability reports are required to be submitted two nights before a game, the night before a game, and then two hours before the game’s scheduled kickoff time. For basketball and baseball games during those upcoming seasons, the ACC is requiring availability reports to be turned in the night before a game, and then two hours before the game’s scheduled tip-off time.