UNC's Passing Offense In Limbo Through Four Games

ORLANDO, Fla. — North Carolina enters the bye week with plenty of areas of concern, and the quarterback situation is near the top of the list.

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Gio Lopez, who won the starting job entering the season, left Saturday’s game against UCF with an apparent lower-body injury. Before he left the game, he struggled against the Knights’ defense, throwing two interceptions and averaging 7.9 yards per completion. He completed 11 of his 14 passes for 87 yards and took two sacks.

Max Johnson came in for the second time this season when UNC was trailing 27-3, though he didn’t look spectacular. He did throw a touchdown pass to Kobe Paysour, but in total, he completed 11 of his 19 attempts for just 67 yards. His longest pass went for 15 yards.

North Carolina ranks last in the ACC with 150 passing yards per game, a number that places the Tar Heels 123rd nationally among 136 FBS teams. UNC has yet to clear 200 passing yards in any game this season.

Bill Belichick didn’t elaborate much when asked about Lopez’s and Johnson’s performances after Saturday’s game when asked about the two of them.

“We’ve scored points the last two weeks,” Belichick said on Saturday. “We had trouble doing it (Saturday). … Look, football is a sport with 11 guys out there. I’m not talking about one guy. It’s the 11 guys who have to operate efficiently, and at times we’ve done that, and at times we haven’t. (Saturday) wasn’t one of our better ones.”

Lopez has completed 62.7% of his passes for 430 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for UNC. His totals against the two Big 12 teams UNC faced are 156 passing yards, three interceptions, four sacks taken and completions on 15 of his 24 pass attempts.

Johnson has come in twice in relief of Lopez, both times in games that were already out of reach. In those two games, Johnson posted 170 total passing yards with two touchdown throws. He’s completed 66.7% of his passes, and despite being hit and hurried, he hasn’t taken a sack yet.

Lopez hasn’t reached the level of play he attained at South Alabama last season, where he didn’t turn the ball over much and often utilized his mobility as an asset throughout the year. With the Tar Heels, Lopez has struggled to find his footing and help the offense push the ball down the field consistently.

UNC has converted on third down just 34.7% of the time, ranking 107th nationally, going 17 for 49 in those situations. Of those 49 third downs, Lopez and Johnson have attempted a combined 23 passes, with 13 completions on those throws and four going for a first down.

“(UCF) is a good pass-rushing team,” Belichick said. “Third-and-long’s a problem with these guys for everybody, so it’s a situation we want to stay out of. And when we were in it, it was hard. When we weren’t, we had a little more success. But they are a good pass-rushing team.”

Behind Lopez and Johnson are freshman QBs Au’tori Newkirk and Bryce Baker. Newkirk played two plays against Richmond, getting intercepted on his first pass. Baker has yet to play this season for the Tar Heels.

Lopez’s status after Saturday’s injury is currently unknown as the 2-2 Tar Heels enter the bye week. Coming out of the open date, North Carolina will need to find more effective ways to move the ball through the air, starting with the quarterback play.

“I just think we have to execute better,” Johnson said on Saturday about what the offense needs to do better to move the chains. “Just come together as a team, listen to what the coaches are saying, put it all you know into what Coach is telling us. Put it all in perspective and just come to work every single day, and just move the ball.”