People around here are approaching the season with cautious optimism. UNC is young – there's only one senior starter on offense, and there only six seniors on the two-deep depth chart – but the talent level is as high as it has been in a while, especially at the skill positions on offense. The Tar Heels haven't won more than eight games since 1997 (UNC finished 11-1 that year), but there's a belief that UNC can finally break through this season. It helps, too, that the ACC's Coastal Division is wide open (UNC was picked to finish 4th in the preseason poll).
The biggest question heading into the game tomorrow is obviously the QB position (where Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky have been battling hammer and tongs since the start of spring ball, with no clear cut winner between the two), the next biggest question mark actually is where this game is most definitely won or lost, and that is in the trenches:
UNC lost two starters on both lines, and both position groups are without their best players from last season. Offensively, the Tar Heels are starting three first-time starters on the line, including left tackle John Ferranto. Defensively, UNC doesn't have a proven pass rusher outside of Norkeithus Otis, who plays the bandit position – a hybrid defensive end/linebacker. How the Tar Heels come together up front on both sides will determine their success.
I mentioned the battle between Williams and Trubisky, so I asked Andrew about wheether or not there is a disadvantage to having both QBs available this weekend. While the adage is sometimes true that says "if you have two QBs, its like having no QBs", Andrew doesn't really think that the Heels have a problem here:
I'm not sure there's a disadvantage there but the advantage is that UNC has two quarterbacks it feels strongly about. Williams is a fourth-year junior who started five games last season, and probably exceeded expectations. Trubisky is a redshirt freshman who arrived as a heralded recruit. They competed throughout the spring and the preseason for the starting job, but I'd be stunned if Williams didn't start Saturday. That said, the quarterback competition could continue into the season.
Obviously the Tar Heels are the favorite in this matchup, with the most recent line that I have seen sitting at -30.5 (according to 5Dimes.eu), but Liberty has shown a natural ability the last 8 seasons to stay very competitive in their FBS games (losing by 7 to Kent State by 7 last year, beating Ball State in Muncie in 2010, losing to UNC's fellow ACC compatriot Wake Forest by 3 in 2011 and losing 43-21 to NC State in 2012, although they were only down 9 late in the 4th quarter), so I asked him what the key would be for UNC to avoid becoming the 4th ranked 1-A/FBS school to lose to an FCS school:
The key for the Tar Heels
will be to get off to a strong start, take Liberty out of the game early
and then don't make mistakes that allow the Flames to hang around. It
always comes back to the cliché things. Don't turn the ball over. Don't
allow big plays. If UNC succeeds in those two areas on Saturday, it probably shouldn't have too much trouble.
I think that the first two possessions for each side are going to say a lot about which side will come out on top. The Tar Heels take their first trip out west when they face off with the Aztecs of San Diego State next Saturday night. Often times, when a team has a big game after a less than competitive game on the schedule, you will see them kind of "sleepwalk" through the first game, which can lead to either a lackluster victory, or sometimes, a loss. I asked Andrew how the team is preparing for this week and hoping to avoid that sort of malaise:
UNC hasn't had any problems
with overlooking FCS opponents during Fedora's tenure (defeating Elon 62-0 in his debut and routing Old Dominion 80-20 last November). The Tar Heels
have completely dominated this kind of competition in recent years, and
that's a testament to how well Fedora has prepared his players for these
types of games. It's difficult to explain exactly why, but the Tar
Heels just haven't had any trouble against lower-division opponents.
This is also the first game of the season. Guys have been looking
forward to it, regardless of the opponent, for a long time.
Finally, this post was delayed because Andrew was dealing with a late breaking story this week centering around an alleged hazing incident, that I believe was later termed a "prank gone wrong" or something. This incident led to the suspension of 4 players, all defensive backs including two players slated to start this weekend. I asked how this affected the team mindset headed into the weekend:
It's difficult to know exactly how investigation into an off-the-field altercation is affecting the team. As you mention, four players defensive backs (sic) are suspended for this game, including the two starting cornerbacks. The whole thing is another controversy, on top of many, for the athletic department, and it certainly takes some of the luster off the start of the season. How will it affect the team, though? Difficult to say. Saturday should provide some answers.
Thanks again to Andrew Carter from the Raleigh News and Observer for answering a few questions for me. You can check out his work at www.newsobserver.com/sports
