Head coach Mack Brown and the UNC football team won’t have much time to celebrate their biggest win of the season. Just five days after defeating No. 9 Wake Forest, Carolina will take on No. 21 Pittsburgh in the Steel City Thursday night.
Like the Demon Deacons, the Panthers can score in bunches, and pose a huge threat to a UNC defense which has given up 40 points in three straight games. Pitt’s senior quarterback Kenny Pickett is one of the best in the country, with 29 touchdowns and just three interceptions to his name this season. His performance has shot him up NFL Draft boards, even past Sam Howell.
Pickett represents yet another pro prospect Mack Brown will have to plan for this season, leading the veteran head coach to say he thinks the ACC’s quarterback talent is unmatched.
“I haven’t been able to study it all across the country, but I would have to think that the ACC’s got the best quarterbacks in the country,” Brown told reporters Monday. “And therefore, we can score points in this league and move fast… This league is absolutely full of quarterbacks, and makes it a nightmare for defensive coaches. But it’s fun to watch.”
Pickett and Howell have only faced off once in their careers, a 2019 overtime contest in Pittsburgh. Howell threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns in the game, but it was Pickett and the Panthers who came away with the victory. Pickett threw for 359 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in the 34-27 final.
“He’s hard to keep in the pocket,” Brown said. “And the best quarterbacks in the country, when they get out of the pocket, have the ability to run, or when you come up, throw it over [your] head. And with the 29 touchdowns and… three or four interceptions I think, he’s very, very accurate.”
Pickett’s favorite target this year has been receiver Jordan Addison. Addison’s 11 touchdown catches this year are best in the nation, and his 986 receiving yards place him in the top 10, just behind Carolina’s Josh Downs. It’s likely Addison will see a healthy dose of UNC cornerback Storm Duck on Thursday night. Duck firmly re-established his presence on the field Saturday by providing clutch defensive plays against Wake Forest.
The Pitt defense is also poised to present some problems for Carolina’s offense. Pittsburgh ranks second in the ACC with 31 sacks this season, while UNC is still last in the conference in sacks allowed with 34. The Panthers sacked Howell five times in the 2019 meeting.
“We have our work cut out for us,” offensive coordinator Phil Longo said Monday. “We played them two years ago. They’re not much different than they were two years ago. They’re still super physical. They tackle well, they pursue well. I think they mirror the personality of their head coach [Pat Narduzzi], and as long as he’s there, they’re going to be physical, and they’re gonna punch you in the mouth defensively and they’re gonna make you beat them.”
Since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2013, Carolina is 6-1 against them, and hold a 10-4 advantage all-time. Each of the last nine meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer. Pittsburgh has also never won consecutive games against the Tar Heels in program history, but will have a chance to do so Thursday night.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
