UNC vs NC State for revenge and 9 wins

This year’s football team has had plenty of things that the fan base have picked on (especially in the first seven games of the season), but if you polled the fans I doubt you would get one major problem coming out as the winner. On the other hand, if you polled the same fan base about last season I wouldn’t be surprised if the debacle that was the game against N.C. State would come out as the resounding winner. Remember, that game where somehow, someway the Wolfpack came to Chapel Hill and handed the Tar Heels a 41-10 lopsided loss in the friendly confine of Kenan Stadium? The one that had the web boards talking about the fact that the coaching staff didn’t put enough emphasis on the rivalry? I know I do, and I also believe this year’s team does as well, hopefully they want as much revenge as I do!

North Carolina (8-3, 4-3 in the ACC) is headed just down the road to Carter-Finley Stadium to take on N.C. State (4-7, 1-6 in the ACC) in what is the regular season finale for both teams. As the record show the Wolfpack just isn’t that good, and especially on defense, they should be no match for the Heels. So this should be an easy game and a way to get revenge on what they did to the Heels last year, right? Yes and no! Yes, if the game is played as it should this should easily go Carolina’s way. However, forget the records and the talent for a second, this is a rivalry game! And we all know how those go in college football. If you do not believe in that theory then you haven’t been watching football this week (Alabama and Texas both having their difficulties against much weaker teams). Lastly, checking the records we all know that the Heels will be heading to the post season, while for the Pack this is their post season!

Then you add the fact that the Wolfpack will be playing for their offensive coordinator, Dana Bible, who is fighting leukemia. I know the feeling his family must be going through as I have my wife going through that same battle, so let me wish the whole Bible family all the best in winning this disease!

So now you see that this game is not just about a good team playing against a lesser team, it’s one of those games that the Tar Heels were have a mindframe as though they were going up against the best team in the nation. T.J. Yates needs to get his game together in this one and help the offense score and score quickly, because the last thing you want to do is have an underdog with causes hanging around. The more they do, the more they believe it can be a victory. That also means that the Heels need to find a good running game, to both wear out the already weak Pack defense and use up the clock in the Heels favor. It means that the offense has to play with the same intesity has they have done in the three spoiler games Carolina has had. No bad throws when a first down is needed, no OLine breakdown, no dropped passes.

The Heels D needs to just be themselves. Play hard, fast and force turnovers. Something that has been their “par for the course” in the last month. Both the offense, by moving the ball against a very weak Wolfpack D, and the defense, who can play against practically anyone in Division I, need to put this game away by the time the two teams go into the locker rooms at half time.

For the Heels this game will give them nine wins, with a chance of getting to 10 in the bowl game, something that few people, if any, thought would happen this season after the 0 and 3 ACC start. This means that UNC also has plenty of motivation, so I do not see Carolina losing this one. Actually I see head coach Butch Davis’ team coming home with a win of the same proportions of the one the Wolfpack had last season against them. The Vegas gurus have North Carolina a six points favorite and I think that is just way too little. I see the Heels winning this one going away with the final score being 35 to 10.

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