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North Carolina football fans can't be happy with the Tar Heels' 48-14 loss to TCU Monday night.
But Max and Jake Johnson, products of Oconee County, gave them something to cheer about.
Max, who replaced starting quarterback Gio Lopez after a injury in the third quarter, stood out immediately. He completed eight of his nine pass attempts on his first drive, which finished with a 2-yard touchdown to Jake.
The moment was especially poignant for the two brothers after Max nearly had his leg amputated this offseason. He broke his femur in North Carolina's season opener last season and wasn't sure if he'd ever play football again.
Ex-Oconee County QB ‘couldn’t stop smiling’ with horrific leg injury behind him
“What an even more special moment to have that moment with my brother," Johnson told reporters after the loss, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
Now, Johnson will keep competing for that starting spot he first earned a year ago. The severity of Lopez's injury has not been announced, and he was 4-of-10 passing with 69 yards, no touchdowns and two turnovers before leaving the game.
"You know, give Max a lot of credit. He came in after being off for a long time, hung in there and made some plays in a tough situation," UNC coach Bill Belichick said. "So give him a lot of credit for what he did tonight, but we’ll take a look at it after we see where things are at it and go from there."
He talked the trash, and then he turned the Tide.
Tommy Castellanos called his shot back in June, predicting a shocking Florida State win over Alabama in Week 1.
“I dreamed of playing against Alabama," Castellanos told Pete Nakos of On3. "They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
Castellanos was largely mocked for his comments this summer, but the Ware County product made sure Alabama was the butt of the joke on Saturday.
The Seminoles' new transfer quarterback wasn't there for Florida State's 2-10 finish in 2024, but he saw the program struggle firsthand when he beat them 28-13 at Boston College last season.
None of that matters now, though, as the Seminoles are 1-0 with the biggest win of the young season under their belt.
And Castellanos is taking advantage of his opportunity, monetizing the same comments that the country scoffed at months ago.
It's remarkable enough that West, Whit and Zach Weeks all get to play linebacker for LSU this season.
Then the Weeks family's "special opportunity" got off to an incredible start Saturday night. West and Whit, the two oldest brothers and LSU starters, led the way defensively in a 17-10 win at No. 4 Clemson.
Oconee County brother trio gets ‘special opportunity’ with LSU football
West co-led the Tigers defense with five total tackles. Whit totaled two more tackles, helping an LSU defense that allowed just 31 yards rushing on 20 carries.
LSU picked up its first season-opening win since its 2019 national championship season. That was the same year West and Whit helped lead Oconee County to a state championship appearance.
Zach, who is listed as the third-string linebacker at West's position, did not see any snaps in the road opener. The true freshman has a much better chance of seeing action this Saturday as LSU hosts Louisiana Tech.
“(Zach is) such a fun guy and he really just brought his friend group in, so that’s kind of helped our whole team kind of mesh and come together because he’s friends with all the freshmen, so now all the freshmen will come over and hang out with us, too,” Whit told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “... He really came in here and made his own friend group. Like, he’s not following in my and West’s footsteps in everything. He’s really carving his own path and being his own person.”
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