Former Tar Heels Cole Holcomb and Mitch Trubisky have both had intriguing starts to this season, but for entirely different reasons.
The two former teammates faced off on opposite ends of the ball, as Trubisky and the Chicago Bears highlighted a Monday Night Football matchup against Holcomb and the Washington Redskins.
Cole Holcomb
Holcomb has been one of the biggest surprises, not just on the Redskins, but throughout the entire NFL this season.
The rookie linebacker amassed 15 total tackles, three of which were for losses, taking place in his first two career NFL games.
Despite five turnovers from Redskins quarterback Case Keenum, resulting in the Washington defense being on the field for extended periods of time in its 31-15 loss to Chicago, the impressive start to the No. 173 overall pick’s career didn’t stop in Monday night’s matchup against the Bears.
Holcomb tied the team-high of nine total tackles against Chicago, making him one of the few bright spots in an otherwise poor defensive performance by the Redskins.
The former UNC walk-on, who lived with Trubisky while the two played together at North Carolina, failed to get his first sack or interception of his career in the matchup with his past roommate.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Holcomb has been one of the more consistent aspects on a defense that is conceding about 31 points per game.