When UNC and California take the field Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium, both teams will be filled with young players and new staff members—which means establishing a new identity takes on almost as much importance as battling for the all-important season-opening victory.
It’s been well documented throughout the Tar Heels’ fall training camp that nearly every position on the offensive side of the ball is up for grabs.
This includes a quarterback battle which has included up to four different signal-callers at some points.
For head coach Larry Fedora—who has made himself a lot of money with his high-tempo offensive system—more hands-on involvement has been required as he looks to find the next leader of the huddle.
Although anyone would like to have an All-ACC type quarterback like Marquise Williams or Mitch Trubisky lining up behind center, Fedora recognizes the reality of the situation.
Head coach Larry Fedora is faced with some big decisions entering this week’s season opener against Cal. (Smith Cameron Photography)
“This is what we’ve got to deal with,” Fedora told reporters on Monday. “We’ve got guys that are competing for a job, and we were hoping we would have somebody that would separate sooner than now. It hasn’t happened.
“But it doesn’t change our plan, and the way we go forward,” the coach added.
Beyond the quarterback dilemma, UNC is also searching for new playmakers to step up at the skill positions.
Fedora said at his weekly press conference that the team will likely rotate as many as three tailbacks against Cal in an effort to find the hot hand.
Receivers Anthony Ratliff, Dazz Newsome and Beau Corrales have all shown flashes of brilliance during the offseason, but Saturday will finally provide an opportunity for at least one of them to stand out as another go-to option alongside senior Austin Proehl.
“I’ve watched these young guys come through and really make some nice plays in practice,” Fedora said. “So, I’m excited about seeing what they do Saturday.”
On the other sideline, Cal is a team which has undergone a massive facelift over the offseason as well.
Gone is former head coach Sonny Dykes and his air raid offense. The Golden Bears have now turned to Justin Wilcox as their head coach, a man who coached some of the top defenses in the country at Wisconsin and LSU before arriving in Berkeley.
Cal also has new coordinators on both sides of the ball, only one upperclassman projected to start in the secondary and a quarterback, junior Ross Bowers, who will also be making his first career start.
This all goes to show that Fedora and his staff really haven’t had a great idea for how to prepare for this matchup.
“There’s a lot of unknowns,” Fedora said, of the Tar Heels’ opponents this weekend. “We’re looking at a lot of tape, wasting a lot of time when it comes down to it.
“Really, when you get into the game, here’s what they’re going to do,” he continued. “You prepared for all these different things and you really didn’t need to because that’s not what they were gonna do—but you have no way of knowing.
“You spend a lot of time trying to overprepare, so that your kids have some kind of idea of what’s going to happen in the game.”
While the last month—or the entire offseason, really–has served as time for speculation and predictions, this weekend is the time for everything to play out for real.
Both teams will be looking to find a win—of course—but Saturday will also provide a measuring stick for each program as they look to move into the future.
“You’re at that point in the season now, early, where you’re tired of practicing against each other and you’re tired of preparing” Fedora said. “You’re ready to get out on the field and find out what your team’s made of.”
Kickoff Time:
The game between UNC and Cal is scheduled to begin Saturday at 12:20 p.m. It will be televised live on the ACC Network and broadcast through the radio on WCHL (97.9 FM, 1360 AM).
Photo via Smith Cameron Photography
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