UNC football transfer Alijah Huzzie takes a ‘star’ turn for the No. 15 Tar Heels
If he had his druthers, North Carolina’s Alijah Huzzie probably would be playing football this weekend.
Which is understandable. When you’re hot you’re hot, and Huzzie was one guy who helped the Tar Heels turn up the heat on the Pitt Panthers last week in the ACC opener.
The defensive back picked off two passes. He returned two punts for big yardage, going 52 yards for a touchdown on the second, as the No. 15 Heels took a 41-24 road victory at Acrisure Stadium.
The Tar Heels, who have a bye week, will take a 4-0 record into their ACC game against Syracuse next Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
Huzzie’s two punt returns against Pitt were UNC’s first of the season after what he said were a lot of “shanks and bad punts.” He went 29 yards on the first, then went the distance on the 52-yarder for a 21-14 lead.
Huzzie said he spotted his mom, Misty, in the stands and gave her a “Hey I scored” shrug. Mom likely has seen that before — at East Tennessee, where Huzzie was an FCS All-American — but after a pick-six.
“It was my first touchdown in a while so that felt really good,” Huzzie said.
UNC coach Mack Brown said he had sensed a big punt return coming from Huzzie, saying he told the staff during practice, “We’ve just got to give him a little more room.”
The Heels gave him the room. Huzzie said he saw a hole and had a simple thought: “That’s it.”
And it was. He was gone.
“Man, he broke some tackles,” Brown said. “You go north and south and that’s when returns happen. …He’s fun to watch.”
Add in Huzzie’s two picks and it’s the kind of play the Tar Heels anticipated when Huzzie transferred to UNC after four years at East Tennessee State. UNC brought him in as a cornerback, but a season-ending injury to DeAndre Boykins has had the 5-10, 200-pound junior lining up at the defensive “star” position, more like a blend of safety and linebacker.
“What we saw at East Tennessee State was an All-American who had 12 interceptions,” Brown said. “He’s just a ball hawk. He’s got the instincts. He competes and has tremendous hands.”
Huzzie’s first interception was more like fielding a punt than hawking the ball. Pitt quarterback Christian Veilleux, under a rush, was hit as he threw and got off a long pass that drifted high and into Huzzie’s hands a yard or so short of the goal line.
“I was like, ‘Oh, the ball’s coming,’” Huzzie said, smiling. “It felt good to get my hands on the ball again.”
It won’t always be that easy, of course, but Huzzie is a key part of UNC’s improved defense this season, underscoring the immediate help an experienced transfer can make. It’s not a shutdown defense, but it is an improved one and done its part in getting the Heels to 4-0.
“He’s been a great asset to our defense,” senior linebacker Cedric Gray said. “Great guy, knows football, knows tendencies, very smart, very skilled.”
In a tense two-overtime game with Appalachian State, Huzzie nearly intercepted a pass in the second OT and then had tight coverage on a fourth-down pass as UNC won, 40-34.
Huzzie’s play against Pitt had Gray saying, “You’re him!” on the sideline after the TD punt return. That’s become a well-used sports phrase the past few years — LeBron James, among others, saying “I’m Him” — and from Gray it was quite the compliment.
“All it means is ‘You’re great, you’re him, you’re a person everybody looks up to,’” Gray said.
Huzzie said it was “very respectful” to hear that coming from Gray, the Heels’ defensive leader, adding, “It put a smile on my face.”
Another smile came when he was reminded quarterback Drake Maye had promised to take him to dinner this week — “Wherever he wants to go, on me,” Maye said.
Tough decision.
“Is there a Texas Roadhouse in Chapel Hill?” Huzzie said.
Next up: UNC vs Syracuse
When: Saturday, Oct. 7, 3:30 p.m.
Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill.
TV: ABC or ESPN.
