Conner Harrell passed his first test as North Carolina’s starting quarterback.

Pressed into service by a season-ending injury to transfer Max Johnson last week at Minnesota, Harrell made the most of his first regular season start by throwing for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns while leading the Tar Heels to a 38-20 victory in their home opener against Charlotte.

The redshirt sophomore got off to a shaky start by nearly losing a fumble after being sacked on his team’s 1st possession. But he settled in quickly and began to find a rhythm as the game went on. He also rushed for 39 yards and a score.

It wasn’t the kind of performance that will make anyone forget about Drake Maye or Sam Howell.

But it was encouraging nonetheless.

Here were 3 takeaways from UNC’s win against the 49ers:

Injury concerns continue to grow

The Tar Heels’ injury list got a lot longer on Saturday. And because of the names that were added to it on Saturday, it’s starting to look a lot like last week’s Game 1 depth chart.

The attrition began even before kickoff when it was announced that star defensive end Kaimon Rucker had undergone a surgical procedure for a lower body injury that will keep him sidelined for “a couple of weeks.”

UNC then lost starting center Austin Blaske, a transfer from Georgia, to a lower body injury late in the 1st quarter and tight end Bryson Nesbit to an upper body injury after catching 3 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.

The scariest development came late in the 1st half when Omarion Hampton, the ACC’s leading rusher in 2023 and the Tar Heels’ most dependable offensive weapon, was taken to the locker room with what was termed as a lower body issue. Hampton rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries before leaving. Although he returned to the sideline in uniform after halftime and was ruled available for the 2nd half, he didn’t play the rest of the way.

Trick plays produce big results

Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey helped take some of the pressure off his inexperienced starting quarterback by digging deep into his playbook with some trick plays to keep Charlotte’s defense off balance.

And they paid off in touchdowns.

The 1st came late in the opening quarter on a reverse when wide receiver Nate McCollum took a handoff and raced nearly untouched into the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown that extended UNC’s early lead to 14-3.

That touchdown helped set up the next trick play early in the 3rd quarter. And it came at an opportune time. Charlotte had just scored to cut the Tar Heels’ lead to 21-13 when it appeared as though UNC was setting up another reverse. Only this time, the ball ended up back in Harrell’s hands. And he hit a wide-open Christian Hamilton for a 57-yard touchdown that regained separation.

Too many big plays

UNC’s much-maligned defense got off to a strong start in last week’s win at Minnesota. Even though Charlotte’s final touchdown came late in the game against deep reserves, Geoff Collins’ unit wasn’t nearly as efficient on Saturday.

A pair of 49ers quarterbacks combined to put up 309 yards against the Tar Heels.

Of particular concern is the number of explosive plays UNC’s defense allowed. Charlotte had 6 completions of 25 yards or more, including 2 of better than 40. Wide receiver Jarius Mack was a particular thorn in the secondary’s side by pulling passes of 37 and 40 yards from starter Max Brown and a 34-yarder from backup DeShawan Purdie. He finished the game with 5 catches for 118 yards.