Tar Heels look to rebound versus Wolfpack

by Sharon Thorsland

It’s rivalry week in college football, and for North Carolina that means a showdown with NC State. The Tar Heels head to Carter-Finely Stadium for a Saturday night showdown with the Wolfpack, kick-off is set for 7:30 on WBT. It’s been a tough season for the Tar Heels, who lost the Victory Bell to Duke last week to fall to 4-7 overall and 2-5 in the ACC. State is having its own issues this season but still managed to become bowl eligible after an ugly win over Florida State last week. The Wolfpack sits at 6-5 on the season, 3-4 in ACC play. But they’ve got some impressive wins under their belt, including knocking off ranked Virginia and Georgia Tech.

State’s offense revolves around sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers, who I think has one of the best names in college football. Smothers has lived up to that this season, rushing for at least 100 yards four times this season, including a 164-yard mark at Wake Forest. He’s got 907 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Freshman Duke Scott is also in the mix, with over 400 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey is also a threat on the ground with five rushing touchdowns. He’s thrown for 2,683 yards and 21 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. His top target is Justin Joly, who has 42 catches with six touchdowns. Terrell Anderson is a big play threat who is averaging over 16 yards a catch with 596 yards and five scores. They’ll face a UNC defense that has been inconsistent this season but boasts a pair of excellent pass rushers in Melkart Abour-Jaoude and Tyler Thompson, who have combined for 17 sacks.

The Wolfpack defense has been up and down this season but looked pretty solid against FSU last week, limiting the Seminoles to just 11 points. They’re a physical group led by linebacker Caden Fordham, who has a team high 118 tackles. They don’t get a lot of pressure on quarterbacks, though, with just 19 sacks on the season. And the really good news for UNC is that State is really bad against the pass. The Wolfpack is literally dead last in the nation allowing over 291 passing yards per game. Of course, UNC quarterback Gio Lopez isn’t exactly known for his passing acumen, but he did look better against Duke last week.

This is the 115th meeting between these schools, which are just 22 miles apart. And while a postseason bid isn’t on the line for the Tar Heels, no doubt this team will come out swinging. UNC has lost four straight to the Wolfpack, and seven of the last nine. They’d love to get Bill Belichick a win to end his debut season and beat their rival in the process. I say they get it done – go Tar Heels!