With a road trip to Syracuse awaiting the UNC football team this Saturday, the Tar Heels must quickly put last week’s heartbreaking loss to Virginia Tech behind them as they prepare to face one of the ACC’s best quarterbacks in one of the league’s most unique environments to play in.

Last week’s loss showed plenty of things about this particular group of Tar Heels.

For one, it’s clear that there has been major progress on both sides of the ball.

No matter which quarterback is behind center this weekend, UNC has proven that its strength on offense actually lies within its rushing attack, one that ranks third in the ACC at 5.7 yards per carry. The combination of Antonio Williams and Michael Carter provides the Tar Heels with a steady blend of power and speed behind an offensive line that has also improved during the year.

UNC sophomore tailback Michael Carter ran for a career-high 165 yards last week vs. Virginia Tech, but also fumbled the ball away at the goal line late in the fourth quarter. (Gerry Broome/ AP Photo)

In addition, the UNC defense played its best game of the season against the Hokies. Although it did allow that 18-play game-winning drive, the defense racked up nine tackles for loss and a season-high four sacks in that game–showing that it’s capable of putting pressure on opposing offenses.

What UNC has lacked, however, is the ability to score touchdowns when it gets the ball into the red zone. That, ultimately, is what doomed the team last week, and it’s something head coach Larry Fedora has emphasized to his team as it prepares for Syracuse this week.

“I go back and look at what we used down there, what we called, what we had planned for,” Fedora told reporters at his weekly press conference on Monday. “And that was no different from how I felt about things we had in other areas of the field. I thought we had a good plan. We’ve got to finish, we’ve got to execute, you’ve got to have a nose for the end zone.”

Through five games, the Tar Heels have scored on just under 79 percent of their trips inside the opposing 20-yard-line. That number ranks 102nd in the nation out of 129 eligible teams.

While it’s true that UNC will have to improve on that no matter who it’s facing off against, it may loom even larger this week against a Syracuse team boasting the top scoring offense in the ACC at 43 points per game.

Every point will be that much more important for the Tar Heels, in order to help take some of the load off their defense.

Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey will present the UNC defense with all kinds of problems this Saturday at the Carrier Dome. (Photo via Associated Press)

Virginia Tech found much of the success it did have against UNC by letting quarterback Ryan Willis make plays with his feet, which is something Syracuse’s Eric Dungey can do just as well—if not better.

Dungey leads the Orange in both passing and rushing and is often listed as someone who could hear his name called at some point during this upcoming NFL Draft.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for their quarterback,” Fedora said, of Dungey. “He’s a tough, gritty, hard-nosed guy who can throw it. He doesn’t look to slide; he wants to run over you. You can tell the team feeds off him. Who wouldn’t want to play for a guy like that?”

Not only will the Tar Heels have to find a way to counter Dungey’s presence on the field this weekend, they’ll also have to deal with the tough opposing crowd.

This will mark UNC’s first visit to the Carrier Dome since 2002, and it’s the first time the two programs have met as ACC opponents since Syracuse joined the league prior to the 2013 season.

The 4-2 Orange have already beaten Florida State at home this year, and have gotten their fans excited by posting their best start to a season since 2011.

“I’ve done a lot of research, talked to a lot of people who have been there,” Fedora said. “The common theme everyone talks about is how warm it gets in there. That’s something everyone talks about. And you always know in a dome you’ve got a chance for it to be loud. We’ve got to be prepared for everything.”

 

 

Cover photo via Associated Press