Is Larry Fedora dealing with a stacked deck?

Carolina’s 24-17 loss at Cal to open the season was worse than the final score indicated. After building a 24-3 lead, the beatable Bears of the Pac 12 looked like they just wanted to get the game over with. The Tar Heels finally made some plays and might have even tied the score if they had executed and then recovered one of two onside kicks in the final minutes.

But what did the second-half rally and overall good defensive effort prove? That Fedora’s seventh UNC team is better than it played, or were the four turnovers and 13 penalties signs of more bad football to come? If the latter, Fedora will be coaching uphill for the rest of this season and likely coaching for his job next year.

Fedora took over in late 2011 under a cloud and despite four straight bowl teams that cloud is seemingly still hovering over the program. After injuries and close losses turned 2017 into a 3-9 disaster, and now 13 suspensions, are there enough good football players left to turn it around?

To this point, Nathan Elliott does not appear to have the skill set to lead a major college program to a winning season. We all hope that changes, but his four picks at Cal had social media buzzing before the game ended. Most of the critics were crowing for the suspended Chazz Surratt, who had good moments as a freshman but spent most of the fall banged up.

Carolina’s offense – a run-and-gun attack nicknamed the Fed Spread – looked anemic for most of the game. That was not a Fedora offense, so the only plausible explanation is that he doesn’t have enough players who can play like he wants to play. Much of the time, it is a deep shot to a double-covered Anthony Ratliff-Williams, who can pull the ball down in traffic. But there has to be more, or the Heels are easy to defend.

So ECU turns out to be a must win in the second week of the season because a much rougher road follows. Based on the opener, games against Central Florida, Pitt, Miami and Virginia Tech seem only winnable with a real stretch of imagination.

If there are any more good, smart football players on the team, they need to show up. Fast.

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