UNC Football In Must-Win Scenario for ACC Coastal Division Race

As it prepares for its third consecutive top-25 opponent this weekend, the UNC football team has done its best to put last Saturday’s crushing loss to Virginia Tech in the rearview mirror.

No longer in control of their own destiny in the ACC Coastal Division, the Tar Heels understand that from this point forward winning is their only option.

After getting a chance to dissect the film from the Virginia Tech game, UNC head coach Larry Fedora concluded that yes, his team played every bit as bad as it appeared. Just like on Saturday, he also refused to make excuses about the weather.

Instead, he called out the offense for its ineffectiveness while praising the defensive line for playing its best game of the season—especially given that the offense’s four turnovers continually put the defense in tough situations.

What Fedora didn’t do during his press conference on Monday, however, was show any type of panic. One game, in his mind, is no way to define an entire football team.

“I think this team’s got a lot of grit, I really do,” Fedora told reporters. “I’d hate to put everything—I’m not gonna put everything—on that performance the other day.

“They’ve shown that they care tremendously, play for each other, they have each other’s backs and they play hard,” the coach continued. “It just leaves a bad taste in [our] mouth the way we performed the other night.”

More than anything else, the Tar Heels understand they’ll need Virginia Tech to lose twice in conference play during the second half of the season if they want any shot at making a return to the ACC Championship Game.

That’s been the team’s main goal since the season started and nothing has changed yet.

Defensive tackle Naz Jones didn’t waste words when explaining what needs to happen this weekend against No. 16 Miami—and in each of the Tar Heels five games after that.

“We’ve gotta be goal-oriented and know that we’ve gotta win out to accomplish our goals,” Jones said. “We all have the same goals and the same mindset when it comes to things not going our way [last] Saturday.”

Last season, UNC was able to reel off a school record 11 straight wins in order to claim its first ever Coastal Division crown.

With that in mind, it’s not wrong to think the Tar Heels are perfectly capable of putting together six in a row at this point. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has had the offense rolling for the most part this year, while Jones and the defense have begun to make modest gains.

Looking at things from that perspective, a positive mentality could do wonders for this group. And since the schedule lightens up a bit down the stretch, there really isn’t any massive overhauls that need to take place.

The Tar Heels simply need to remain confident and do what they do best.

“We just have to prepare the same way we would have if we had won the game [against Virginia Tech]—not be too down on ourselves, or trying to change anything,” Jones said. “We can just practice and prepare like we’ve done every other week.”

One major pitfall the Tar Heels must avoid, however, is getting caught scoreboard watching. Knowing they need some help from other schools to get back to their perch atop the Coastal Division is bound to cause distractions at times, worrying about what Virginia Tech is up to.

Of course, players like Trubisky are saying all the right things at the moment—and it’s probably a genuine feeling. A tough road game at Miami awaits UNC–one which would likely put the Tar Heels out of contention no matter what if they lose.

At this point, what other teams are doing means nothing.

“We just gotta control what we can control,” Trubisky said. “We can’t control who beats who or [any of that].

“We can only focus on Miami this week.”