With some fans eyeing next week’s Thursday night showdown Pittsburgh–one of two teams tied with UNC atop the ACC Coastal Division–it’s worth noting that the Tar Heels still have to face the Virginia Cavaliers this Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
Despite coming in to the game as heavy favorites, they refuse to let their focus stray from the task at hand.
Virginia enters this week 2-4 against all competition. In the ACC the Cavaliers have put together a 1-1 mark after a wild 44-38 overtime victory against Syracuse in their last outing.
When UNC Head Coach Larry Fedora looks at the tape, though, he doesn’t see a 2-4 team at all.
Virginia has played tough against some top level opponents this season. (UVA Athletics)
“If you really look at Virginia, their four losses are against teams that were all ranked at one point,” Fedora said at his weekly press conference. “When I look at that film, I’m saying ‘That’s a good football team that’s gonna come in here.”
A 34-16 opening week loss to then No. 13 UCLA was followed by a heartbreaking 34-27 defeat at home to a Notre Dame team ranked 11th at the time. The Cavaliers’ other losses were to Pittsburgh on the road—a close 26-19 score—and a 56-14 blowout at home against Boise State on national television.
UNC sophomore tailback Elijah Hood says there is no way Virginia can back down from anyone after going through that kind of early season gauntlet.
“When you play a schedule like that, it definitely toughens you up,” Hood said. “I mean, they’re used to seeing talented players, guys who can do a lot of things—some special guys. So they won’t be phased by us.
“They’ve seen some of the better teams in the country already,” he added. “So they’re not gonna be too phased by just, ‘Oh, it’s North Carolina.’”
Traditionally speaking, Hood is right when he says Virginia shouldn’t be phased by the Tar Heels. After all this is a program without an ACC title since 1980. What is there to fear?
Well, the 2015 group has won five games in a row and looks like it has the potential to at least compete for the conference crown—something Fedora continues to hammer home to his players.
“Most people, they get complacent or they [think], ‘Oh things are going great, so I’ll just relax.’” Fedora said. “Well, that’s not how [we] got here. And so we gotta make sure that we continue to do the little things that we harp on a daily basis.
Kenan Stadium has been a tough place for opponents to play this season, with the Tar Heels winning all four of their home games in blowout fashion this year. (UNC Athletics)
“They get tired of me, I say it every single day–all these little things that I talk about every day,” the coach continued. “Most of the time it’s going in one ear and out the other, but I’m still saying it every day to reemphasize it that that’s how [we] got to this point. And that’s what it’s going to take to keep being successful.”
Some of those little things may be nitpicky–like getting more consistent offensive drives instead of relying on big plays—but others Fedora has mentioned, such as better defense on third downs will be crucial if the Tar Heels want to win games late in the year.
Sophomore defensive end Dajaun Drennon says the difference between this year’s group and last year’s group is overall team chemistry, which has made learning from criticism much easier for everybody.
“A lot of guys we’re just buying in more to what the coaches are saying,” Drennon said. “And I wouldn’t even say it’s really the coaching staff. I just feel like we’re playing together as a team. We’re trying to get this done for each other.”
Although they’ve won big in recent weeks, the Tar Heels are still a team learning how to manage the expectations that come with winning every week, especially in the dominant fashion with which they’ve been doing it.
The best way they can show their progress in that regard is to come out on Saturday and defeat Virginia in convincing fashion.
Pittsburgh can wait.
Broadcast Information:
The game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on WCHL’s airwaves. It will also be televised on the Regional Sports Network.
Game Notes:
UNC head coach Larry Fedora wasn’t pleased with the way his football team played Saturday in Charlottesville. But the Tar Heels snuck past the Cavaliers and in turn, kept alive their dreams of playing in the ACC Championship game.
***Listen to the story***
It was a complete team victory for Carolina. Defensive tackle Nazair Jones stepped up with a momentum-shifting interception late in the contest and wide receiver Mack Hollins snagged a pair of electrifying touchdowns.
But despite only coming in for a single play, backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky may have been the player of the game. After losing his helmet a play earlier, junior signal caller Marquise Williams was by rule, forced to sit out the following play and on a third down and 15 in the red zone, Trubisky took center stage.
Mitch Trubisky came up big for the Tar Heels (UNC Athletics)
The go-ahead score to T.J. Thorpe stunned the Charlottesville faithful, but for Coach Fedora, he wasn’t at all surprised by Trubisky’s heroics.
“We’ve got confidence in Mitch. We knew Mitch can go in and execute – that’s why we’ve done what we’ve done with him all year and why he’s played. This team has confidence in what he can do. He showed it,” Coach Fedora says.
But the game was sealed by an improbable gamble by Coach Fedora with the 28-27 lead. In a decision that was reminiscent of LSU head coach Les Miles, Coach Fedora elected to go for an onsides kick. The Tar Heels executed perfectly.
Coach Fedora, who’s now a spotless 5-0 against Virginia in his coaching career, says he had full confidence the play would work. He wanted the ball in his offense’s hands.
“It was there all day. It was a great time to do it. I wanted to have the ball in our hands when the game was over. Those guys did that,” Coach Fedora says.
Despite the dramatic road win that evened UNC’s record up at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in ACC action, Coach Fedora says he didn’t think his team played all that well.
“We didn’t play very well anywhere actually. What we had to do was find a way to win a football game. We did that,” Coach Fedora says.
Nazair Jones snagged a big interception Saturday (UNC Athletics)
The stat sheet backs up Coach Fedora. The Cavaliers had six more first downs than the Tar Heels, gained more yards and dominated the time of possession. But UNC had the edge where it counts most – the scoreboard.
Coach Fedora says the victory was made more special in light of the disturbing conclusions drawn from the Wainstein Report that has a dark cloud hovering around the University.
“We got a lot of people that are getting blasted. There’s a lot of negativity out there. I can assure you, our University, our football team and everybody that’s a Tar Heel will be much stronger from this. We’ll overcome it,” Coach Fedora says.
And with the gutsy win, Carolina’s improbable drive to the ACC Championship game in Charlotte stays alive, at least for another week.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/comeback-carolina-keeps-coastal-crown-sightThe North Carolina football team dispatched the Virginia Cavaliers 28-27 Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium to improve to 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in ACC play.
With the loss, the Cavaliers fell to 4-4 on the year and a 2-2 mark in conference action.
It was Virginia who darted out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks in large part to Kevin Parks’ sturdy legs. The senior running back rumbled down the field, giving the home team a 14-0 advantage at the 3:06 mark in the first quarter.
Then, the Tar Heel offense promptly answered right back. A Marquise Williams 52-yard dash cut the deficit in half, and a 57-yard bomb to Mack Hollins tied the game at 14-all with 55 seconds to go in the opening quarter.
The Cavaliers pushed ahead with a 5-yard touchdown reception by Kevin Parks, but yet again, the Tar Heels responded quickly. It was Hollins again. This time, the explosive receiver snagged a 63-yard strike from Williams to knot the game up at 21 points apiece.
Virginia added an Ian Frye field goal to edge ahead 24-21 as both teams trotted into the halftime locker room.
The third quarter was a defensive stalemate with the Cavaliers able to manage a 37-yard field goal by Frye to push them ahead 27-21 with 5: 39 on the third quarter clock.
In the fourth quarter, with UVA driving, UNC’s Nazair Jones intercepted Lambert’s pass and returned it to Virginia’s 38-yard line. UNC was in prime scoring position with 6:09 to play, down six.
UNC’s Williams was forced to sit out a play on third down and ten inside the UVA red zone. Backup redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky delivered. He threw a clutch touchdown pass to T.J. Thorpe to push the Tar Heels ahead 28-27.
Coach Fedora’s gamble to employ an onsides kick with four minutes left to play paid off. Hollins recovered. UNC ran down the clock to close out the vital ACC Coastal victory with the help of an illegal substitution penalty on UVA.
Next up for the Tar Heels is another pivotal road game next Saturday at 5-3 Miami.
http://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/tar-heels-take-cavaliersWCHL’s Matt Oakes caught up with UVA head coach Mike London as his team prepares to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels this weekend in Charlottesville. London says the game is a ‘must-win’ ACC Coastal matchup. The two discussed the academic side of student-athletes, the Cavaliers’ leading rusher Kevin Parks and how best to defend UNC QB Marquise Williams.
***Listen to the interview***
http://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/scouting-report-virginia-coach-mike-london
Photo courtesy of idahostatesman.com
Offense: The Tar Heels have shown drastic improvement in this category as the season has progressed. With playmakers like running back T.J. Logan and receiver Bug Howard emerging in recent weeks, Carolina has a solid stable of options for sophomore Marquise Williams to distribute the ball to. Obviously, the big news this week was Bryn Renner’s shoulder injury that abruptly ended his Carolina career. It sure will be strange not having the senior leader out on the field for the Tar Heels on Saturday. But this sophomore Williams is a dynamic player that adds much needed wrinkles to Offensive Coordinator Blake Anderson’s offense. Will he take it and run? Will he sling it down the field? He is a perfect fit for the Fedora-style warp-speed playing style. And boy, we haven’t even mentioned that man named Eric Ebron. He leads the team in receiving yards as a tight end. He’s electric. Look out for him on Sundays in the very near future! So, it appears the Tar Heel offense will be humming nicely heading into The South’s Oldest Rivalry on Saturday.
The Virginia Cavaliers remain somewhat of an anomaly on this side of the ball. On film, the Wahoos appear to have all the makings of a strong offensive unit. They feature a fairly solid quarterback who can wing it around the field, a receiver in Darius Jennings who is a reliable target in the end zone, and an all-star running back in Kevin Parks who has gained 696 yards rushing this season and is an absolute bear to bring down. SO why do the Cavaliers rank 104th in the nation in scoring offense? Your guess is about as good as mine. Maybe they put it all together this week against the Tar Heels. But not likely.
EDGE: Carolina
Defense: The Tar Heels have suddenly figured out how to tackle. One-on-one tackling seemed an impossible task for the hapless Heels in the first three or four games of the season, but now is a different story. And a lot of this improvement has to go to Coach Vic Koenning’s relentless drive in practice. He says the Tar Heels have been simplifying everything and focusing all their energies on playing with passion and taking down the man in front of them. It appears to be paying off. They’re playing faster by avoiding the ‘paralysis by analysis’. The Carolina defense held Boston College to a mere 10 points last time out in Chapel Hill and rose up to hold the Wolfpack attack to field goals rather than touchdowns in the rivalry win in Raleigh a week ago. If you had to pick out one special player for UNC on defense, you would have to go with senior defensive end Kareem Martin. This guy has stepped up tremendously. Zero Dark Thursday didn’t turn the lights out on Martin. It’s as if the light bulb went off and boom! Here he is. He’s been causing havoc in the back field ever since and raising the level of the entire defense with him. Martin is an outstanding leader to many of the under-classmen on the Tar Heel roster. If they continue to make one-on-one tackles and play with the heart they’ve displayed for the last month or so, a ‘W’ may very well be in the cards for Carolina on Saturday.
As for the Wahoos, it is clear they have considerable size on the line. The defensive linemen are able to exert pressure on many opposing quarterbacks. These Cavaliers will certainly test the youthful offensive linemen of Carolina. However, the secondary has been questionable at times for Head Coach Mike London, especially in the fourth quarters. Virginia is giving up over 30 points per contest. And it seems like the defense is gasping for air by the end of the game-not a good sign heading into the Chapel Hill contest.
EDGE: Carolina
Intangibles: This one could be seen both ways I suppose. But it’s a home game for the Tar Heels. Inside Kenan Stadium under Head Coach Larry Fedora, Carolina sports an impressive 8-3 record. What’s more, a raucous crowd on Zero Dark Thursday nearly spurred UNC on to a big upset win against top-ten Miami earlier in 2013. Yes, Chapel Hill is friendly to the Tar Heels. And it’s Homecoming this weekend. Emotions will be flying for many of the players, especially for senior leaders like Kareem Martin and Tre Boston. They will want to put on memorable performances.
On the other hand, UVA has nowhere to go but up following their demolition at the hands of Clemson last weekend. Playing with no pressure is always an added boost. But let’s be honest, how much confidence can a team that has lost six straight really carry into a road contest against a surging squad finally finding their identity?
EDGE: Carolina
QUICK PICK: Tar Heels 28, Cavaliers 17
http://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-sports/breakin-it-down-virginia
WCHL Morning News with Ron Stutts 70.2°F |
| Today: 79°F / 68°F |  |
| Tomorrow | Friday | Saturday |
 |  |  |
| 77° / 67° | 82° / 58° | 79° / 61° |
