Interview With: Da Beat of N.Y.

Interview With:

Way late this weekend, mostly because of a phone tag dilemna, here is the next edition of “Interview With:” Da Beat of N.Y. for the recap against UConn and a preview of ECU. After the game from last week  we will have plenty to talk about for the team’s first road trip. On the other hand there is also a lot of things to talk about when it comes to the rematch between the Tar Heels and the Pirates. So, sit back, relax and enjoy this edition of “Interview With:”…

A.E.M.: First off, what did you think of the game between the Tar Heels and the Huskies?

Da Beat: Those that think North Carolina won this game by luck do not know much about the progression of this team since the arrival of their head coach. The defense has gotten better and better, putting more and more pressure on the opposing offense. What people saw Saturday was nothing compared to what they could have seen if the game had been played on a dry field. Let’s face the facts for a minute, a bad field kills speed, and North Carolina is all about speed on defense. What can’t be killed is the passion and hustle, and if you saw the first offensive play by Connecticut you can totally see how much this team has of both of that!

On offense the team has been fighting on two front since the beginning of the season, as they have to face who is against them as well as fighting the injury bug that has been around them since the pre season. I can garuantee you that on a team like this one, where it seems someone goes down every week, players begin to get scared and do not play freely, but begin to second guess themselves. That is never going to be good! Once the team stops losing players to injuries that will go away as well and you will see a much better game flow.

A.E.M.: This last game was hard fought, do you believe the right team got the W?

Da Beat: I do, and mostly because the other team never took the game when they could have. There is less than one quarter to go and in a game where in the first 45 minutes 10 points have been scored, and have been scored all by your team, you should not lose the game. Yet Connecticut did and they did so because North Carolina would not let them beat them. But, if you check the stats of this game, with the exception of INTs, where UNC has one extra, all things pointed to Carolina having the better performance. In the long run things like that will catch up with the opponent, just like they did Saturday.

Do not get me wrong, if Connecticut had won no one would be complaining that they stole the game, it was that kind of game. Those kind of games are also they type of performances that make (or break) a season. Without a doubt this game is as much an up for the winner as it is a down for the loser, especially since it was the home team losing and they had the lead for three quarters of the game. Now the coaching staff needs to use this in order to push Carolina forward to the game against East Carolina and the rest of the season.

A.E.M.: Since you touched on it, with the Pirates coming to Chapel Hill can the team that played in Connecticut beat ECU this weekend?

Da Beat: I think this, too many people are looking at the negatives in this game, like the running game was not working. I think that coach Skip Holtz can’t just think about stopping the run against Carolina, because the passing game worked pretty well on a field that isn’t the best to have an aerial attack. We all know that defenses win when they can chop off pages from the offensive playbook (2nd or 3rd and long). If East Carolina was going to work on the run stop for the most part, well now they have to work on both the run stop and the dropping down in coverage. That alone is a victory for coach Butch Davis and his team.

A.E.M.: What do you see as the key match up in the upcoming game between ECU and UNC?

Da Beat: I would have to say it has to be: Patrick Pinkney (East Carolina’s sixth year senior quarterback) against the front seven of North Carolina’s defense. ECU returns the whole front line from a year ago, but I do not think they are going to be ready for the speed that UNC will unleash on them. If Carolina can get to Pinkney early and often this is going to be a long day for the Pirates, on the other hand, if ECU can expose the rush with slants and screens the Tar Heels will have to slow down the rush and that could help East Carolina.

A.E.M.: Any other things that someone should be looking for when watching this game?

Da Beat: Believe it or not, and I never thought I would be saying this this year, the North Carolina wide receivers and the East Carolina defensive backs. If the script keeps following what happened last week for both of these units you will see T.J. Yates have over 250 yards through the air and a couple of touchdowns against what is the weakest link of the ECU defense. But again, this is going to happen if the offensive line can gel and does not get any more injuries.

A.E.M.: Anything else you like to add?

Da Beat: First off, look for another very ugly game that won’t always be flowing like we would like. Being in Chapel Hill, with a couple of teams that are both hungry for one another. On one side ECU’s players  thinking that they have been labeled “not good enough for the ACC”, and therefore not good enough for North Carolina. On the other side the UNC’s players wanting revenge from the 34 to 31 lost. This is going to make it for a tight fought game, which will also help my theory of this being an ugly game.

A.E.M.: And the final score will be?

Da Beat: I am going to go with North Carolina winning the game 19 to 10, with the kickers being the main focus of the game, both for field position and for scoring three points.

As usual, nothing else to say but to thank Da Beat of N.Y. for his great insights in both recapping last week’s game and looking forward to this Saturday’s match up. Looking forward to hearing from him next week, and to see if his very bold predictions come true!

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