University of North Carolina Athletics
What To Watch For: Pitt
November 13, 2014 | Football
Two weeks after facing Duke Johnson, Carolina has another stiff challenge in the backfield as Pittsburgh brings James Conner to town. A sophomore tailback, Conner averages nearly 150 yards per game on the ground, fourth-best in the country.
Conner can break off a 74-yard run as he did against Georgia Tech –he's got escapability and the knack of making people miss– but he's not afraid of contact. He's got the size to lower the boom, and he's got some help, too. “He's a big, 6'2, 250-pound bruising guy that can go,” Tar Heel head coach Larry Fedora said. “They lead him with a 270-pound fullback, they are really big up front in the offensive line.”
Carolina gave up 295 yards rushing to Miami two weeks ago and lost by 27 points. That formula doesn't often equate to a win, so the Tar Heels will have to bear down in the running game. To that end, the team may employ a more traditional look up front defensively, outside of the 4-2-5 used by the coaching staff since Fedora arrived. “They've tweaked some things for this game,” Fedora said. “They (Pitt) are totally committed to running the football and being physical up front and hitting you with the play-action pass when you commit everybody.”
If the Tar Heels are able to, at the very least, limit Conner, they will give themselves a chance to win. Conner has rushed for more than 120 yards in three of Pitt's four wins this season; the Panthers are 1-3 in games when he does not eclipse that mark. “I don't know if you're going to go into the game and say you're going to stop the run,” Fedora said. “We have to control the run. We have to be effective. We've got to force third downs, and then we've got to get off the field on third down.”
