The North Carolina Tar Heels got their season off to a 1-0 start Thursday night with a 19-17 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers in St. Paul.
The game came down to the wire and North Carolina held on when Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich missed a game-winning field goal attempt as time expired.
Despite the win on the scoreboard, North Carolina also suffered a loss. Late in the third quarter, quarterback Max Johnson, who was making his debut with the school following time with the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies, was sacked. Johnson landed awkwardly on the play, immediately grabbed his right leg, and had to leave the game after being carted off the field.
After the game, Mack Brown told Inside Carolina’s Adam Smith that the quarterback suffered a hip injury, not a knee injury, and was at the hospital with his parents. His father, Brad Johnson, spent 15 seasons in the NFL as a quarterback.
UNC coach Mack Brown tells me injured QB Max Johnson’s injury is a hip injury, not his knee.
Johnson has been taken to a local hospital here in Minneapolis, and the Tar Heels will have to figure out if he’ll travel back to Chapel Hill with the team or stay overnight.
— Adam Smith (@adam_smith_IC) August 30, 2024
Before the injury, Johnson was 12-for-19 for 71 yards and an interception as Minnesota’s defensive effort made it difficult to throw the ball. Johnson also scored the game’s first touchdown with a three-yard scramble into the end zone early in the second quarter. Backup quarterback Connor Harrell replaced Johnson and went 2-for-4 with 34 passing yards.
The Tar Heels will await news on their quarterback as they return to Chapel Hill and start preparing for their home opener against the Charlotte 49ers on September 7.
