UNC Football's Noah Taylor Out for Season

The UNC football standout was a major piece of a Tar Heel defense that has continued to make progress under Gene Chizik.

Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports

The North Carolina defense impressed in the second half of Saturday's 42-24 victory over Pittsburgh, but Gene Chizik's unit will now be without of its most impactful contributors for the remainder of the season.

On Monday, UNC announced that fifth-year graduate student Noah Taylor will be sidelined for the rest of the year. 

Taylor, who transferred to Chapel Hill after four years at Virginia, exited Saturday's game in the first quarter following non-contact injury to his right knee.

Through eight games, Taylor recorded 446 snaps, while tallying 28 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. The Silver Spring, Maryland native currently leads the roster in sacks and tackles-for loss, marking a big loss for a defensive unit that has continued to make strides since the Tar Heels' loss to Notre Dame.

North Carolina defensive lineman Ray Vohasek, who was an experienced member of the UNC defense, was also ruled out for the season earlier this month.

At 7-1, the Tar Heels find themselves inside the top 20 and in prime position to play for an ACC Championship, but will now rely on multiple reserves and underclassmen to fill the void of Taylor.

According to Inside Carolina, we can expect Chris Collins and Malaki Hamrick to receive more playing time and attempt to help Gene Chiziki's group continue their growth.

North Carolina will begin a two-game road trip on Saturday when they travel to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers.