Preview: Quarterback Conner Harrell prepares to start against Charlotte

Heading into its first home game of the season, North Carolina's long-running quarterback battle reached an unexpected resolution. 

For months, during spring training and fall camp, graduate quarterback Max Johnson and sophomore quarterback Conner Harrell competed for the starting position. And last Thursday, Johnson earned the starting spot in the season opener against Minnesota. 

But in the third quarter, the transfer suffered a season-ending leg injury. So, with the Tar Heels down 14-13, second-string sophomore quarterback Conner Harrell took the reins. Fortunately for UNC, Harrell stepped up to the moment, throwing the 32-yard pass setting up for graduate place-kicker Noah Burnette's eventual go-ahead 45-yard field goal in the final two minutes.

After a single play, the sophomore's role on the team changed: from coming off the bench to being named UNC's starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. And on Saturday against Charlotte, all eyes will be on Harrell and his first starting performance at Kenan Stadium. He will be expected to make those clutch plays often. 

But even with attention on the new quarterback, North Carolina will also be looking to make much-needed changes after narrowly scraping by Minnesota, 19-17. Here are three keys for North Carolina heading into the program's first-ever match-up with Charlotte:

All eyes on Harrell

During a press conference on Monday, head coach Mack Brown made his plans with Harrell for the rest of the season clear. The sophomore will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. 

"It's his," Brown said. "And when you're not the guy, it's hard to feel like you're the guy, and he's been told he's got it."

And while the spot is his, Harrell has yet to really prove himself as the leading signal-caller. Last season, the sophomore appeared in only five games behind former standout Drake Maye. In December, Harrell recorded his first start in the Duke's Mayo Bowl against West Virginia. Although the Tar Heels lost 30-10, Harrell passed for 199 yards and rushed for 25, recording one touchdown and two interceptions. 

Heading into Saturday as QB1, Harrell isn't planning on changing much. His approach, from making his bed every morning to having the same breakfast, will stay the exact same. 

But Harrell will still have the added challenge on Saturday of proving himself as a reliable leader of UNC's offense. 

"Guys are looking at me in the huddle," Harrell said. "So, there's a different type of excitement."

Looking at Charlotte 

After a disappointing 3-9 record last year, Charlotte shifted its offense.

At quarterback, the 49ers have added 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore Max Brown. 

Before coming to Charlotte, the transfer played at Florida for one season where he passed for 192 yards. During his stint as a Gator, he played six games and started once against then-No. 5 Florida State. 

In Charlotte's recent 30-7 loss to JMU, Brown threw for 193 yards and rushed for 12, recording one touchdown and two interceptions. 

With the new play-caller on the field, the 49ers are looking to move away from relying solely on running the ball to becoming more of a pass-heavy offense.Last season, Charlotte ranked 10th out of 14 schools in the American conference in rushing yards and 12th in completed passing yards.

And while the 49ers loss to the Dukes might not show much change from last year, UNC's defensive line must not become complacent. Even as the favorite for Saturday's game, the Tar Heels will still have to work to disrupt the offense and pressure Brown to avoid a potential upset. 

"They do a lot of misdirection stuff to try and send people one way, move you this way and bring you back," sophomore linebacker Amare Campbell said. 

Ever-evolving defense

Last season, UNC gave up more than 404 yards and 27.3 points on average per game, ranking 10th in the ACC in total defense. 

However, under new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, the season-opener in Minneapolis was a different story. 

Against Minnesota, the Tar Heels only surrendered 244 yards. North Carolina recorded five sacks and seven tackles for losses led by the efforts of graduate defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie. The graduate totaled six tackles and three sacks, earning ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week and Outland Trophy National Player of the Week.

While the North Carolina defense showed strides toward improvement from last season, Brown still saw areas where the team could refine its game plan. The head coach emphasized that his players need to create more explosive plays, tackle more in open field and stop the run game. 

To do this, Ritzie will need to build on his success along with the consistency of players like graduate Kaimon Rucker, senior linebacker Power Echols and Campbell to create disorder within the offense Charlotte is working to solidify. 

@_emmahmoon

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