UNC vs Boston College

North Carolina vs Boston College, 3:30 PM, RSN

North Carolina, sitting at 1-5, must find a way to bounce back from the heartbreaking loss to Miami nine days ago. The Tar Heels still hold out marginal hope of making a bowl game but that requires going 5-1 the rest of the way. With the schedule being somewhat easier down the stretch, it isn't impossible but losing to Boston College would put the Heels in essentially an elimination game in the remaining five games. Of course at that point, hope will have pretty much disappeared for this season.

Boston College has made a tremendous turnaround from the disaster which was the Frank Spaziani Era. Steve Addazio came from a successful stint at Temple and has turned the Eagles around in just one season. At 3-3 the Eagles have not really beaten anyone terribly impressive but played both Florida State and Clemson close scoring 34 on the Seminoles defense and maintaining a lead in Death Valley into the second half. In both of these games Boston College faced a definitive talent deficit but played well enough to mitigate it for a good portion of each contest.

The match-up between these two teams is interesting since it pits the two worst defenses in the ACC. The question is who can exploit the other team's...well...suckitude more? Both teams have solid quarterback play with the caveat being Boston College doesn't permit Chase Rettig to pass the ball nearly as much as Bryn Renner does. Rettig only averages 21 pass attempts per game versus Renner's 37 attempts. That probably makes Rettig's four interceptions a little more glaring that Renner's. In all likelihood, the Eagles will lean more on running the football there they average 4.3 yards per carry. Against UNC's rushing defense, that could prove very effective.

On the offensive side, Larry Fedora would like nothing better than to see freshman T.J. Logan have a break out game. Logan ran for 61 yards and 16 carries last week in his first start against Miami. The feeling is Logan is getting better with each game and it is only a matter of time before he hits his stride. That doesn't mean he will turn into Gio Bernard and the offensive line is the same one UNC has had all season. However, Logan is the best option at tailback for the Heels. He is an instinctive runner who needs to find the end zone more than anything else. A big game from Logan could spark this team towards a win here and a much needed run down the stretch.

UNC 35 BC 31