Mack Brown met with reporters on Saturday night following North Carolina’s 38-20 win over Charlotte.

Brown covered several topics from the game, including the status of star running back Omarion Hampton. The Tar Heels’ lead running back exited the game in the first half with an apparent leg injury and did not return for the game.

In his post game press conference, Brown indicated that UNC held Hampton out of the game as a precaution.

“Omarion could’ve played, but we pulled him out,” Brown said.

Hampton made a pretty big impact in the first half while he was able to play. He rushed for 77 yards on just 11 carried and helped UNC build an insurmountable lead  early on.

Carolina was still able to run the ball very effectively in the second half even with Hampton sidelined. Davion Gause rushed for 105 yards and 1 touchdown on 16 total attempts.

UNC does have a soft spot in its schedule coming up with NC Central in Week 3. The Tar Heels may look to rest Hampton next week in some capacity — whether it be for the full game or with a limited workload — in order to maximize his chances of being healthy for the rest of the season.

Carolina is off to a 2-0 start in 2024.