UNC Football Focused on NC State, with ACC Coastal Chances Still Alive

When the UNC football team welcomes its bitter rival—the NC State Wolfpack—into Kenan Stadium on Friday, the Tar Heels will have one final opportunity to try and play their way into the ACC Championship Game.

Needing a win against State and a loss from Virginia Tech to do so, however, head coach Larry Fedora said he believes UNC is focused on the task at hand.

The list of distractions the Tar Heels could face against NC State is enough to cause any team to fall into a trap scenario.

There’s the obvious fact that they don’t control their own destiny in the ACC, but also the emotions of Senior Day—with longtime stalwarts like receivers Ryan Switzer and Bug Howard and cornerback Des Lawrence making their final appearance in a Tar Heel uniform.

Then, of course, the elephant in the room is whether junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky—projected to be one of the top quarterbacks in this spring’s NFL Draft—will also be playing his last home game.

Add in the rivalry element and there’s enough obstacles present for Fedora to remind everyone what it will take for UNC to win this game.

“You guys know how it is in a rivalry,” Fedora told reporters on Monday. “You can throw the records out. None of that matters.

“They’re gonna be physically prepared,” the coach continued. “But it’s about who’s gonna be mentally prepared to play a hard-fought, physical game and come out on top.”

The Wolfpack come into Friday with a 5-6 record, meaning that they too have more to play for than just beating the Tar Heels. Head coach Dave Doeren could be fighting for his job after four mediocre campaigns as the man in Raleigh, while NC State also needs a win to have a shot at a bowl game this year.

Heartbreaking losses in the final minutes to top teams like Clemson and Florida State have hurt the Wolfpack’s credibility this season, but make no mistake.

With a defense that ranks among the top 25 nationally in yards allowed, NC State is fully capable—on any given day–of overcoming the struggles it’s faced offensively throughout the season.

“They’re a very talented team,” Fedora said. “Just starting with their defense and what they’re doing over there. I mean, their defensive front is exceptional. They’ve got linebackers that can run. They can cover you on the back end. They are really good defensively,”

“And then on offense, they brought in a new offensive coordinator, changed the offense, and brought in a new quarterback,” he added. “I don’t think that anybody expected it to happen in one year.”

Understanding that the ACC race isn’t fully under their control, the Tar Heels really shouldn’t be worrying about anything other than sending their senior class out with a win—and giving their fans bragging rights at work for another year.

Fedora said he will have a meeting with all of his seniors about handling the commotion that goes along with those festivities, but he doesn’t feel like he has to explain to the team why this week is important on so many levels.

“I don’t think I have to sell them on much,” Fedora said. “They understand what this game is about. They truly get it.

“I think we’ve gotten the culture now where our guys prepare the same way week in and week out,” he continued. “So I think they totally get it.”

There’s a sense of tunnel vision that Fedora wants the Tar Heels to operate with on Friday, while he tries to shield them from all the outside noise—whether it be the ACC race or mindless chatter about how a loss may affect the trajectory of the program heading toward the future.

For proof, look no further than his switch in the team’s stated goals.

Having openly coveted the Coastal Division title all year, that mantra has shifted since losing to Duke took UNC’s destiny out of its own hands.

“For us, our goals changed after that loss,” Fedora said. “So now our deal is to be 1-0.

“That’s what we were last week, and that’s what we wanna be this week.”