Not since 1952 has the UNC football team gone three weeks between games, but that’s the new reality during a season clouded by a pandemic.
With all the extra preparation now out of the way, the 12th-ranked Tar Heels are set to take on Boston College this Saturday in their first road game of the year.
It was a polio outbreak that created that three-week break all those years ago, while this one happened when Charlotte didn’t have enough healthy offensive linemen to play at UNC two weeks ago due to COVID-19.
The Tar Heels were then unable to fill their open week last Saturday before finally agreeing to host Western Carolina in December.
With so many new developments during that time, the season-opening win over Syracuse has begun to feel like a distant memory. Boston College has played and won twice since the Tar Heels last took the field, which has UNC head coach Mack Brown treating this Saturday like it’s another season opener.
“We’re having to look at all the things that you’d talk about in an opening game,” Brown said. “We’re going back to it because three weeks is a long time. It’s more like an opening game or a bowl game because you’ve been off so long and you’ve just practiced and tried to keep your conditioning. I think all of that’s been done really well.
“Who knows if it’s a better advantage for them to play two weeks in a row and win, or for us to have played three weeks ago and been practicing for three weeks?” he added.
One of the key factors to watch on Saturday will be how the Tar Heels are able to adjust to game speed after such a long layoff.
Boston College plays an in-your-face style and will not be afraid to try and pack on big hits on both sides of the ball.
The offensive line has four returning starters from a group that was among the best in the ACC last season. Defensively, the Eagles have racked up six sacks, 22 quarterback hurries and three interception in their wins over Duke and Texas State.
Senior wide receiver Beau Corrales told reporters earlier this week how important it is for the Tar Heels to be ready for a smash-mouth type of game.
“They’re a physical group,” Corrales said. “They’ve got some key guys on their team that like to play pretty physical and like to hit. They play really sound. The coverages that they mainly play, their two main coverages, they’re really sound in what they run. They’re going to be a really technically sound team and we just have to come at them instinctively and fast and keep the tempo on them and keep the pace up.”
The ability to shake off any rust will play a large role for UNC, but it will also be critical for the Tar Heels to not underestimate their opponent as well.
Should UNC jump out to an early lead, it could be dangerous to take the foot off the gas for any reason. Boston College rallied to score the last 17 points of the game in last week’s win over Texas State, while the Tar Heels made a habit last season of putting themselves in games that come down to the wire.
Defensive lineman Tomon Fox put it best when he spoke about the mindset needed to compete in the ACC week in and week out.
“That’s a huge thing for us to make sure we play every quarter, from the first to last, in that we never try to take any plays off,” Fox said. “Because in this league anybody can beat anybody for real, so you just can’t take nobody lightly. Even if you’re up big, it don’t matter, you’ve still got to play to the end of the whistle.”
Photo via Matthew Fedder/UNC Athletics
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