Carolina’s home game with Duke marks the first of a three-game homestand in Kenan Stadium for the Tar Heels. UNC is favored against the Blue Devils and should be favored again next week against Florida State. To get their season back on track, these next three home games all stand as must-wins for head coach Mack Brown and company.
Brown said morale among the team remains high, while also acknowledging that he and the rest of the coaching staff have to let the growing talent on the team flourish.
“Practice has been really good. The guys are focused. They understand that we haven’t met our expectations,” Brown told reporters Wednesday. “We have better players than record. There’s a transition between being good and being great. And all of us were hoping in preseason… that we would’ve taken that step right now and we haven’t.”
Despite scorebooks making the Tar Heels 20-point favorites, Brown said the Blue Devils are a very dangerous team, one coming off three straight wins after dropping its opener to Charlotte. To Brown, a hot team like Duke is one to be wary of.
“Confidence is so key, and right now we’ve gotta get our confidence back,” he said. “And Duke’s got a tremendous amount of confidence coming into the game. They’re moving the ball, they’re having fun, they’re winning. And we’re coming off of a very difficult loss. But I think the advantage for us is we’re at home. We’re 10-4 [at home in the last three seasons], our crowd’s been great. And since we’ve been here, we’ve played well at home.”
Carolina has won the last two games against Duke, including a 2019 thriller in Chapel Hill decided on Chazz Surratt’s goal-line interception. The Tar Heels haven’t won three straight battles for the Victory Bell since 2011.
Looking to break the losing streak for Duke will be star running back Mataeo Durant. Durant has scored eight rushing touchdowns this season, which matches the total of every UNC rusher combined. Durant is also averaging six yards per carry, and will face a Carolina rushing defense that was torn apart by Georgia Tech in Week 4.
“I have a lot of respect for him as a football player,” UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said. “I think he’s a really complete football player. He catches it, he blocks, he’s a very physical runner… I think he’s fast, I think he’s tough. I think when he gets his shoulders square, he’s a very hard guy to tackle. I think he’s a really, really good player.”
The Blue Devils offense also ranks in the nation’s top 10 in third down percentage, converting almost 56 percent of third downs faced. UNC’s defense, meanwhile, is tied for 82nd in the country, allowing opposing offenses to convert 40 percent of third down chances. But senior linebacker Tomon Fox remains confident he and the Tar Heels will be able to neutralize a strong Duke attack.
“Duke is very efficient in the run game,” he said. “So I think that’s what sets up their third downs, not putting them in tough situations or situations they can’t reach. But I feel like they also do a good job in their passing game. Throwing the quick routes, making sure they convert the down rather than going for the big play. But I feel like from film, we’ll be able to handle that.”
Sitting at 2-2 after four games, UNC’s loftier ambitions for the 2021 season may have gone up in smoke, but Mack Brown prioritized winning in-state games when he came back to Chapel Hill in December 2018. And since he’s been back, the Tar Heels are 6-2 against opponents from North Carolina.
Featured image via Associated Press
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