Before every football game this year, The Blue Zone will talk with a football writer from the opposing school’s student newspaper to get the scoop on their team and season.
This week, The Chronicle’s Ryan Hoerger spoke to the The Daily Tar Heel's sports editor Pat James about this Saturday’s pivotal ACC battle for the Victory Bell between No. 21 North Carolina and the Blue Devils.
The Chronicle: North Carolina's defense had been a sore spot the last couple of seasons, but things seemed to have turned around under first-year defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. What are the biggest differences you've seen from the Tar Heels on that side of the ball, and how do you see them matching up against a mobile quarterback like Thomas Sirk?
The Daily Tar Heel: The turnaround the North Carolina defense has made this season is directly correlated to Gene Chizik’s arrival. Two major changes have occurred on defense since he arrived. The first, and probably the most obvious, is the schematic difference. Players have said Chizik’s 4-3 scheme has been much less complicated than the 4-2-5 scheme the team ran in past seasons, and this greater understanding has been evident on the field. Chizik said before the start of the season that he wanted his defense to be known for physicality, and through eight games, the Tar Heels have been more physical than in the past. North Carolina has also significantly cut down on the blown assignments and mental lapses that plagued it a season ago, which is certainly related to the players knowing the defense better. The second major change that has occurred under Chizik has been a cultural shift. In the Tar Heels' 38-31 victory over Georgia Tech on Oct. 3, the defense allowed 21 points to the Yellow Jackets on their first three drives of the game. But instead of falling apart, like it did on multiple occasions in 2014, the defense responded. The Tar Heels forced two turnovers in the second half and held Georgia Tech to 51 rushing yards en route to the largest comeback in school history. The defense might not be completely rebuilt quite yet—North Carolina has still allowed 205.1 rushing yards per game—but it has significantly improved under Chizik’s watch.
Thomas Sirk definitely presents a challenge for the Tar Heel defense. After Wednesday's practice, Coach Larry Fedora referred to Sirk as "a big running back." Fedora also compared Sirk to North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams. Both are built similarly and can hurt you on the ground or through the air. The defense isn't allowed to tackle Williams in practice, but it will be interesting to see if it can apply what it learned during training camp and spring ball to help bring Sirk to the ground. It will be extremely important for the Tar Heels in the box to stay disciplined, and I believe the team's linebackers will do a good job of staying conscious of the fact Sirk can take off and run at any second.
TC: Marquise Williams absolutely torched Duke last November in Durham to bring the Victory Bell back to Chapel Hill. But on Saturday they'll need to find a solution to a problem no team has solved this season in the form of Duke safety Jeremy Cash. How do you see the Tar Heels dealing with Cash, who can be all over the field at any given time?
DTH: On Tuesday, North Carolina offensive guard Landon Turner and running back T.J. Logan both said they need to constantly be aware of where Jeremy Cash is on the field. Because of Cash's ability to wreak havoc in opposing backfields, Logan said he's been working on staying aggressive in his pass protection so he can counter Cash's bull rush. Tailback Elijah Hood also said during Monday'spress conference that the Tar Heels might make a couple of adjustments to deal with Cash—specifically implementing an alert system to make sure the offense is aware of when he is blitzing off the edge.
TC: Before the season began, people pointed to Duke's undersized defensive front as a cause for concern, but the Blue Devils have been very effective stopping the run and could get defensive end Kyler Brown back from injury this weekend. That being said, Elijah Hood is averaging a healthy 6.2 yards per carry this season—do you expect a heavy diet of the sophomore come Saturday?
DTH: Much of North Carolina's offensive success this season has come from having a reliable running back in sophomore Hood, who has rushed for 744 yards this season. The Tar Heels haven't had a player run for 1,000 since Giovani Bernard accomplished the feat in 2012, and Hood would be just the third player to reach that mark since 1997. Even against a vaunted Pittsburgh defense, Hood averaged 4.9 yards per carry and rushed for 98 yards in North Carolina's 26-19 win over the Panthers in Week 9. Hood refuses to go down on first contact, and Duke will have to focus on gang tackling to limit him on Saturday. Hood also benefits from running behind the Tar Heels experienced offensive line, which has been stellar so far this season. Coach Larry Fedora constantly said during the offseason that North Carolina would get their running backs more involved this season, and after Hood has carried the ball 20-plus times in back-to-back weeks, I don't see that changing against the Blue Devils.
TC: Lastly, how do you see Saturday's game playing out—who wins and why?
DTH: I believe there are two keys to Saturday's game. First, the battle between Duke's offensive line and North Carolina's defensive line. The Blue Devils have only surrendered five sacks this season, and the Tar Heels have had trouble applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks. But while North Carolina has recorded only 11 sacks this season, five came against Pittsburgh a week ago. With defensive tackle Nazair Jones likely returning for his first game in over a month, I believe the Tar Heels will be able to pressure Thomas Sirk on multiple occasions. Secondly, the Tar Heels' offense is averaging 469.9 yards per game, which ranks 25th in the country. But over the past two weeks against Virginia and Pittsburgh, North Carolina has had multiple drives stall in the opposing teams' territory. Coach Larry Fedora said after the Pittsburgh win that this is a cause for concern, but added the team had little practice time leading up to the Thursday night game. With the playmakers the Tar Heels have on offense—like Elijah Hood and receivers Mack Hollins and Ryan Switzer—I find it unlikely that leaving points on the board is a topic of conversation in Fedora's postgame press conference for the third week in a row. At the end of the day, I see North Carolina extending its lead atop the Coastal Division with a 34-23 win over Duke.
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