UNC Football: Is Phil Longo on thin ice going into the ACC championship game?

The Tar Heels are just days away from squaring off against Clemson in the ACC championship game, and this game feels like it could be Phil Longo’s audition to keep his job as the offensive coordinator for the Tar Heels. Whether or not that is factual in the eyes of Mack Brown is unclear, but how in the world does an offense go from red hot to scoring just 17 points against Georgia Tech, and 24 points against NC State (in regulation)? For a team that scored 32 points in their loss against Notre Dame, isn’t this a huge red flag?

While the defense hasn’t been perfect themselves, the recent struggles on the offensive side of the ball have transpired due to weird play-calling, the offensive line crumbling, and to be completely fair, a little bit of bad luck. The one saving grace going into this weekend is that Clemson’s secondary is not very good, which means it will be even more brutal if UNC isn’t able to capitalize. Talent has saved jobs long enough, and if things fall apart in the title game, I think it’s time to mix things up.

This is a sentiment that was also shared in this week’s podcast episode of What in Tar Nation. Tanya Anderson (@Tanya__Anderson) and Julius Emanuel (@UNC_TarHeelNation) join me in discussing what happened in overtime against NC State, discuss the game against Clemson, and what changes need to be made going into the 2023 season.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tar-heel-blog-podcast-for-north-carolina-tar-heels-fans/id1453446283

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/35RZ2eE5DnZBCVOqtkmmm9

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/tar-heel-blogs-for-unc-tar-heels-fans

The only thing that should save everyone’s job going into the 2023 season is an ACC championship title. While a bowl game win would be nice, this is a program that needs to finally get over the hump and win their first title since 1980. If the program isn’t built to at least win the ACC title despite landing some really talented recruits under Mack Brown, then really, what are we even doing here?