Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
When: Saturday, October 25, Noon
TV: Raycom
Records: UNC 5-2, 1-2 ACC; BC 5-1, 2-1 ACC
Must win for the Heels.
Well at least in terms of Coastal Division aspirations. UNC should still end up with a good season which will be progress within itself, however I still hold out hope for a division title. I also think it is important for a young team to bounce back. The Heels did so successfully after the Virginia Tech loss to beat Miami on the road. Following the loss to UVa, the Heels get a home game versus a BC team which has been a bit of a surprise. Everyone assumed the loss of Matt Ryan to graduation would dilute the quality of the BC team as they entered that transition period from one coach to another. That has not been the case so far.
In all likelihood this game will be decided by the defenses. Both offenses are struggling for different reason though I have high hopes UNC can better adjust to the loss of Brandon Tate with a better passing scheme. Greg Little has been cramming at the wide receiver slot all week. It remains to be seen if he can pick up the huge load left by the injury to Tate. Cam Sexton had his first real shaky game since regaining his starting job. The need for him to recover his form from the Miami game to make the offense more effective. There is also the question as to whether Shaun Draughn has arrived or not. I think he has and the past two games have shown him to be good enough to give UNC a palatable presence in the running game.
With all that in mind, the defense is where UNC could me made or broken. There is lots of angnst in the fan base over the way the Heels handled the final two minutes of regulation versus Virginia as well as other instances where opposing offense rack up plenty of yards only to be stopped by a timely turnover. The primary question is whether the defense can begin to stop teams from moving the ball in terms of yard while also continuing the turnover fest. BC is turnover prone and the Heels should be able to register some big defensive plays at their expense. As was the case against UVa, if the defense can do it's part holding BC in check, the weight of responsibility shifts to the offense to post enough points to win the game. That might prove tough versus an Eagle defense that has been very good so far.
At any rate, it should be a great matchup and I will be in attendance for this one. GO HEELS!
UNC 26 BC 19