UNC looking to bounce back vs. Georgia Tech
by Sharon Thorsland
It’s a rough time to be a North Carolina football fan. The Tar Heels got everybody excited with their 3-0 start before imploding and losing three straight, most recently last week to Pitt. So it’s understandable if UNC fans are reverting to their familiar chant of “wait ’til basketball.” The good news is, basketball season is upon us. The bad news is, the Tar Heels still have a bunch off football games to play, starting with Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. Kick-off is set for noon at Kenan Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets started off the season with an impressive win over Florida State in Ireland, and are 4-2 on the year. They’re riding high after a huge win over previously undefeated Duke last week that moved them to 2-2 in the ACC. Much of their success starts with quarterback Haynes King, who has turned out to be one of the best in the ACC this season. The junior is a dual threat with 1,441 passing yards and eight touchdowns to go with just one interception, and has another 246 yards and four scores on the ground. The Tar Heels have had trouble containing quarterbacks like King all season so let’s hope they’ve come up with something new on defense to defend him.
King has a pair of outstanding receivers in speedy Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr., they’ve combined for 854 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Jamal Haynes had over 1,000 yards rushing last season and is coming off a 128-yard performance versus Duke. He’s got 366 yards on the year with five touchdowns. They’ll face a UNC defense that has really struggled the past three games, particularly in the fourth quarter.
Offense has not been a problem for the Heels, they’ve put up over 800 combined yards the past two games. But Georgia Tech is allowing just 19.3 points per game, that’s 36th in the nation. Linebacker Kyle Efford leads the team in tackles, and defensive back Ahmari Harvey has been disruptive with the team’s only interception and a forced fumble. The good news is the Yellow Jackets don’t get a lot f pressure on the quarterback, they’ve only got six sacks on the season. The bad news is they are outstanding against the run, they allow just 87.5 rushing yards per game, that’s 11th in the nation. We’ll see how they fare against UNC star Omarion Hampton, who is one of the best in the country and already has 764 rush yards on the season. One key here though will be the play of Jacolby Criswell. The quarterback has picked up over 210 passing yards in four of the last five games, while the Yellow Jackets have lost their only two games where they have allowed more than 210 yards through the air.
After the meltdowns the past three weeks, no one thinks beating Georgia Tech is a given. This is a team that has always given the Tar Heels fits – UNC hasn’t beaten Tech in Chapel Hill since 2016 and they’ve won just once in the past six tries overall. But the Heels are in desperate need of a win and I think they will find a way to get it done. Go Tar Heels!
