CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Omarion Hampton posted career highs of 35 carries for 244 yards with a key late touchdown that helped North Carolina beat Wake Forest 31-24 on Saturday night, pushing the Tar Heels to bowl eligibility.
It was the latest huge performance for the Tar Heels' workhorse back, who cracked the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth straight game. He found the end zone when he hurdled defenders near the goal line and powering through contact with 2:26 left for a 31-17 lead.
That scoring run set his career highs for both carries and rushing yards, along with ultimately sending the Tar Heels (6-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a third consecutive win.
Jacolby Criswell ran and threw for touchdowns for UNC, while linebacker Power Echols had a leaping snag for an interception and returned it 42 yards for third-quarter touchdown.
Demond Claiborne ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns for the Demon Deacons (4-6, 2-4), who arrived for the latest meeting in this long-running instate matchup with a 3-0 road record. But Wake Forest lost three turnovers, the last being a fumble by Michael Kern on a strip-sack by Joshua Harris deep in its own end with 5:08 left to set up Hampton's score.
Kern threw for 172 yards with one TD and two interceptions after taking over for starter Hank Bachmeier, who was knocked from the game with an apparent upper-body injury early in the third.
Kern hit Taylor Morin for a 40-yard shot down the seam late then found him again from 16 yards in the back of the end zone with 75 seconds left to keep hope alive, but the Tar Heels recovered the ensuing kick to kill the remaining time.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons arrived needing two wins to reach bowl eligibility and aiming to stay perfect on the road after wins at N.C. State, Connecticut and Stanford. They were within reach on this one, twice closing 14-point deficits to one-possession games, only to come up short.
UNC: The Tar Heels have turned things around from a four-game skid that included giving up 70 points in a loss to James Madison on Sept. 21. UNC emerged from an open week with lopsided road wins against Virginia and Florida State while racking up 17 sacks, then had another open week before starting its three-game stretch run with this win.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons hit the road one last time when they visit No. 12 Miami next Saturday before returning home to close the regular season against instate foe Duke.
UNC: The Tar Heels play their final road game when they visit Boston College next Saturday, then return home to close against rival N.C. State.
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North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell (12) goes over Wake Forest defensive back Zamari Stevenson, botttom left, and Wake Forest linebacker Quincy Bryant, right, for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump walked out to a roaring standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, combining two things close to his heart: fierce battles inside the octagon and New York City.
Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats to Kid Rock's “American Bad Ass."
UFC aired a video package of Trump's road to reclaiming the White House, calling it, “The great comeback in American History," while fans stood and applauded. Trump, wearing a suit and red tie, pumped his fist toward the crowd when the video ended.
The president-elect also had his clenched fists pumping back and forth and briefly danced to the Village People’s “YMCA” just outside the cage. He later again thrust his fist skyward as “Takin’ Care of Business” played.
Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined the president-elect and White at the Garden, as did Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration.
Trump was flanked on his front-row seat by White on his right and Musk on his left and politely applauded the fight winners. Besieged by photographers and nearby fans, Trump stood to pose for pictures with White, Musk and other associates in breaks between fights. Trump even had a brief conversation with country singer Jelly Roll after the pair shook hands.
UFC fans wore red Trump hats and some waved flags emblazoned with his image during breaks in the action.
Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team that included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours in the final stages of the campaign ahead of his election win last week. The announcers for the pay-per-view audience later declared, “Festive doesn’t even begin to describe” the scene before later proclaiming, “47’s in the building. Let’s go.”
The MSG crowd chanted “USA! USA!” right before the main card was about to start and then again throughout the action. After a year delay, Stipe Miocic is getting his shot at a third heavyweight championship reign when he battles current champion Jon Jones in the main event at UFC 309.
Trump is a longtime UFC enthusiast and frequent attendee of major fights. He made promoting hypermasculine tones a signature of his campaign — as he looked to further widen the gap among male voters between himself and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump and his top supporters embraced alpha-male terms and often accentuated them with vulgar and demeaning language.
While campaigning, Trump appeared frequently on podcasts, gaming platforms, and with key supporters who described a vote for Trump as a way to demonstrate true manliness. While Trump taped a podcast with Rogan, who himself has spoken about hypermasculinity, Harris failed to do a similar appearance, citing scheduling conflicts.
A return to Madison Square Garden means revisiting the place where a comedian caused an uproar at a Trump rally last month by likening Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.” Yet Trump continues to relish visits to New York, where he lived for decades, before moving to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump's son, Don Jr., also attended the fight.
Except for a day trip to Washington this week to meet for nearly two hours with President Joe Biden, and separately address House Republicans, Trump has been spending his time since his Election Day victory at Mar-a-Lago. The club has hosted galas and conservative events throughout the week.
Trump has been close to White for more than two decades.
White hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Trump has frequently attended UFC matches since – including during his 2024 campaign. Trump has turned up at fights recently with famous entourages, including White, musician Kid Rock and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.
In 2018, during Trump's first term, he and White starred in a UFC video where the then-president was called the “Combatant In Chief.”
As Trump has strengthened his grip on the national Republican Party over the last near-decade, White’s personal political profile has grown exponentially. White spoke at the 2016 and 2020 Republican conventions, and when the party gathered in Milwaukee this past July. He also addressed the crowd at Trump’s Florida victory party in the wee hours of the morning after Election Day.
“This is what happens when the machine comes after you,” White said then. “What you’ve seen over the last several years, this is what it looks like: couldn’t stop him. He keeps going forward. He doesn’t quit.”
Weissert reported from Palm Beach, Florida.
President-elect Donald Trump looks on with Elon Musk, right, at a UFC 309 mixed martial arts flyweight title bout, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
President-elect Donald Trump attends UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York, with Kid Rock, Donald Trump Jr., Dana White and Elon Musk. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Dana White, President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Kid Rock watch as Brazil's Mauricio Ruffy celebrates his win over Peru's James Llontop at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump talks to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., at a UFC 309 mixed martial arts flyweight title bout, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Dana White, Vivek Ramaswamy, President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Kid Rock watch as Brazil's Mauricio Ruffy celebrates his win over Peru's James Llontop at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump talks on the phone next to Elon Musk during a UFC 309 mixed martial arts flyweight title bout, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump talks to CEO of UFC Dana White, left, as Elon Musk, second right, looks on at the UFC 309 mixed martial arts event, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
President-elect Donald Trump poses for a photo with Kid Rock and Elon Musk as they arrive at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
People hold a flag as President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump stands next to CEO of UFC Dana White, left, and Elon Musk, right, at the UFC 309 mixed martial arts event Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
President-elect Donald Trump poses for a photo with Dana White, Kid Rock and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump attends UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Dana White, President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Kid Rock attend UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FILE - Stipe Miocic in action against Francis Ngannou during a heavyweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 220, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
FILE - Jon Jones reacts after his victory over Ciryl Gane in a UFC 285 mixed martial arts heavyweight title bout Saturday, March 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
CEO of UFC Dana White speaks as speaksRepublican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump looks on at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., smiles as President-elect Donald Trump attends a meeting with House Republicans in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Allison Robbert/Pool via AP)
Elon Musk arrives before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
