GoHeels Exclusive: Rivalry week comes early for UNC football

Jordon Brown rushed 18 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's win at Old Dominion.

September 18, 2017 | Football, Featured Writers

By: Pat James

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Larry Fedora says he prefers playing rivalry games later in the season.

But during his weekly press conference Monday, Fedora spent time fielding questions about Duke, which the Tar Heels will face Saturday in their second Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season.

Saturday's game marks the 104th in the rivalry between the Tar Heels and Duke. And it will be their earliest meeting in series history – the previous being Oct. 10, 1925.

Here are four notes from Monday's press conference:

Third-down difficulties

UNC's third-down efficiency was critical to its offensive success in 2015 and 2016, when the Tar Heels ranked eighth and 21st nationally, respectively, in third-down conversion percentage.

But so far this season, UNC hasn't been as productive in such situations.

The Tar Heels have converted on just 13 of 37 third downs through three games, and their 35.1 conversion percentage ranks 96th in the country. Fedora said there's not a common theme in the offense's third-down struggles.

"Whether there's a breakdown in protection based on personnel that you have on the field, a lack of continuity, there's a lot of different reasons," he said. "It's not just one thing that has dictated it. It hasn't been this quarterback hasn't done it or this receiver has run the wrong route. Because if it was, it would be easier to fix if it was one thing."

McCargo keeps impressing

Amid the seemingly constant shuffling on UNC's offensive line, redshirt freshman Jay-Jay McCargo has been a bright spot over the past two games.

After replacing Dillard at center during the Louisville game, McCargo made his first career start against ODU. Fedora said McCargo snapped the ball well once again Saturday and there were few communication issues.

"The guy was a backup, and he prepared himself as if was going to be a starter," Fedora said, "And the opportunity came up, and he took advantage of it and he did a really nice job. That's not easy to do."

Wolfolk wows

Redshirt freshman Myles Wolfolk also capitalized on his opportunity Saturday.

Fedora said Wolfolk was expected to be the Tar Heels' starting nickel cornerback this season. But an injury prevented Wolfolk from playing in the first two games.

Wolfolk finally made his UNC debut against the Monarchs, and in his first series, he hauled in his first career interception. The takeaway set up Jordon Brown's 5-yard rushing touchdown toward the end of the second quarter that pushed the Tar Heels' lead to 39-7.

"That was a big play," said Fedora of Wolfolk's interception. "He really gave us some things that we thought we were going to have at the beginning of the season, so we can do multiple things and do more things with M.J. Stewart now."

Defending Duke

Led by quarterback Daniel Jones, Duke's offense has been one of the most dynamic in the country this season. The Blue Devils rank 17th nationally in scoring offense (averaging 45 points) and 20th in total offense (averaging 497.3 yards).

Jones, a dual-threat quarterback, presents a challenge for the UNC defense, having thrown for 702 yards, rushed for 113 and totaled seven touchdowns.

"He's able to attack you in a multitude of ways," Fedora said. "He can do it with his arm, he can do it with his legs, he's good in the RPOs (run-pass options). All of that is going to open up things for those running backs."