I'll never forget the first time I saw Mack Hollins score.
It was almost exactly a year ago, in North Carolina's 50-14 beatdown of a hapless Wake Forest team. Early in the second quarter, Hollins soared through the secondary and reeled in a 57-yard touchdown on his first touch of the game.
It was the first of his three catches on the day, all for touchdowns. And as he does after nearly every end-zone strike, he shrugged — flashing that cocky humility that only he could manage.
So when Hollins streaked down the field and left his defender in the dust in the second quarter of UNC's 20-13 win over No. 16 Miami, it felt like more of the same. I couldn't help but flash back to that first time I watched him split the defense so effortlessly — the first time he made my jaw drop.
But when Hollins landed hard on his right shoulder at the 7-yard line, my jaw dropped for another reason entirely. And as he writhed in pain, I knew this time was different.
We learned as much on Monday, when the team announced Hollins underwent season-ending injury on his collarbone — effectively ending his career at North Carolina.
He'll still bark "Rivalry Week" and "Coastal Week" during practice if the Tar Heels are fortunate enough to get to that point. And he'll still spur on his teammates and taunt opposing fans from the sidelines, as he did even moments after his injury.
But UNC will be hard-pressed to find an on-the-field replacement for Hollins, whose downfield dynamism and special teams excellence were on display every time he took the field.
And that, I'll never forget.
UNC football takes control of Coastal
- In Saturday's 20-13 win over No. 16 Miami, the UNC defense rewrote the narrative and put the team in position to win its division.
- The victory came at a cost, though, as senior receiver Mack Hollins suffered a season-ending injury to conclude his UNC career.
Stories from the weekend
- The first-years stole the show in the men's basketball team's scrimmage at Late Night With Roy.
- At Late Night, the veterans weren't to be outdone on the dance floor as they showed off their goofy, competitive spirit.
- The baseball team displayed its own free-spirited competition in the team's annual Fall World Series.
- The men's soccer team rallied against Duke to take a 2-1 road victory on Friday..
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