UNC takes on Stanford on Homecoming Weekend
by Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina finally got back into the win column last week with a 27-10 victory over Syracuse. Granted, the Orange has not been able to generate any offense for weeks now, but a win is a win! Now the Tar Heels (3-5, 1-3 ACC) will try to start a winning streak when they welcome Stanford to Kenan Stadium on Saturday. The Cardinal (3-6, 1-5) is also struggling under first year coach Frank Reich, who you might remember spent 11 games as the Panthers coach and also coached the Colts. Kick-off is set for 4:30 on WBT.
Like Syracuse, Stanford’s main problem has been an ineffective offense, which is averaging just 307 yards per game. Of course, the Tar Heels can’t point fingers – they’re even worse, managing just 298 yards a contest. They are the only two teams in the league averaging less than 20 points per game, with Stanford putting up a measly 17.8 per contest. They do have a top-10 ACC receiver in CJ Williams; he’s got 598 yards and four touchdowns. Sam Roush is one of the top tight ends in the country with 37 receptions for 409 yards. But quarterback Ben Gulbranson has been playing with a knee injury and has thrown just nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions, that’s second worst in the nation. So Reich is making a change this week, going with redshirt freshman Elijah Brown to see if he can kickstart the Cardinal offense. Runing back Micah Ford has been solid, he has three scores. They’ll face a UNC defense that ranks 5th in the ACC and has been hot recently, allowing just 15.7 points per game the last three contests and held Syracuse to under 150 total yards.
The Cardinal’s defense is in the opposite category. They rank as one of the worst units in the country allowing 425 yards per game, and they’ve given up at least 29 points in four of their last five games. They run a 3-4 scheme, and the front line has been a sieve, with running backs finding plenty of holes. The passing defense is also terrible, giving up over 293 yards per game, that’s third worst in the country. Defensive end Clay Patterson has a team high 3.5 sacks. Linebacker Matt Rose leads the team in tackles. The Tar Heels will no doubt keep trying to ride running back Demon June, who picked up 182 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns last week.
These teams last met in the 2016 Sun Bowl, a 25-23 Stanford win. The Cardinal has lost 10 straight road games, and a loss in Chapel Hill would leave them winless on the road for the first time since 2002. Unless Brown can rally the Stanford offense and the defense suddenly turns things around, I think UNC should win this one in front of a Homecoming crowd. Go Tar Heels!
