ACC team loses its starting quarterback for the season after the first game

The North Carolina Tar Heels opened their new season on Friday night on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and left the field with a narrow victory. The Tar Heels won the game 19-17 with a field goal by kicker Noah Burnette in the final period.

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However, they lost their starting quarterback Max Johnson due to injury.

He broke his left leg during the game and is now out for the rest of the season. Johnson underwent successful surgery and is expected to make a full recovery from this unfortunate injury.

Johnson suffered the injury late in the third quarter of the game against Minnesota. It looked like his leg got caught underneath it as he fell. It bent at a weird angle and the rest is history.

Before his injury, he had completed 12 of 19 passes for 71 yards and one interception. Johnson also ran for 10 yards and scored a touchdown.

This was Johnson's first game as a member of the Tar Heels after transferring to North Carolina in the offseason. He played for Texas A&M the past two seasons and started eight games last year.

With the Aggies, he threw for 1,452 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Johnson originally signed with the LSU Tigers as a member of the 2020 class.

The playmaker started 12 games for the Tigers in the 2021 season and threw for 2,814 yards with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions. LSU finished 6-7 that season, which eventually led to the firing of former head coach Ed Orgeron.

He transferred to Texas A&M after it became clear he would not be in the starting lineup for the 2022 season. Former Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels eventually landed in the Tigers' starting lineup and helped them to two consecutive 10-win seasons.

North Carolina will now continue with quarterback Conner Harrell for the remainder of the season. He completed just 2 of 4 passes in the game as the Tar Heels relied on running back Omarion Hampton to secure the win.

Hampton rushed for 129 yards and caught five passes for 17 yards. With Johnson out, Hampton will likely play an even more important role in the offense.

North Carolina has a full week to stabilize its offense before next weekend's home opener against the Charlotte 49ers.

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