UNC football starting QB Max Johnson injures knee in opener

North Carolina opened its season tonight with a game on the road against Minnesota. Heading into the halftime, the Heels had just 28 yards through the air, and starting quarterback Max Johnson was struggling to get things going.

He came out into the second half and started to click with different receivers. Only two players caught passes in the first half and six different players caught passes on the first drive out of the break.

In the middle of the third quarter, Johnson went down on a third down and was hit low by two Minnesota players twisting his knee and landing awkwardly. Johnson immediately grabbed his knee.

With just over two minutes left in the third, the entire stadium was silent as Johnson could barely make it over to the cart and was obviously in extreme pain.

Conner Harrell will take over as quarterback with UNC down 14-10 and just over a quarter left to play. Johnson, who had one interception and a rushing touchdown earlier in the game, is on his way to the locker room to be evaluated.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.