University of North Carolina Athletics
October 22, 2015 | Football
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the October 20 issue of CAROLINA.
by Turner Walston
Carolina football started ACC play at 2-0 for the first time since 1997 when they beat Wake Forest last weekend. The Tar Heels' 50-14 win was the largest margin of victory in an ACC game since the team beat Duke 59-21 in 2000. On Saturday, the Virginia Cavaliers come to Chapel Hill seeking to follow up a triple-overtime win over Syracuse.
The Cavaliers are 2-4 on the year, but their might be more than meets the eye to their record. “Their four losses are against teams that were all ranked at one point,” Tar Heel head coach Larry Fedora said. “They've played a difficult schedule. When I look at that film, I'm saying that's a good football team that's going to come in here. Now, they've lost four games, but you look at UCLA, Notre Dame, Pitt, Boise State .. . I would say they're a good football team, and they're going to come in here into our stadium and they're going to expect to win a football game.”
Two of Virginia's four losses, to Notre Dame and Pitt, are by a touchdown each. Last year in Charlottesville, the Tar Heels trailed for nearly 56 minutes before Mitch Trubisky hit T.J. Thorpe for the go-ahead score, and Carolina prevailed, 28-27.
You can bet that the Cavaliers haven't forgotten that game, particularly as the very player that scored that touchdown is now in a Virginia jersey: Thorpe, who graduated in December, is playing out his eligibility at Virginia. A broke clavicle sidelined him for the early portion of the season but he did score a 75-yard touchdown against Boise State.
Virginia quarterback Matt Johns was 24-37 for 234 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception against the Orange last weekend. The Cavaliers rank 119th nationally with 112.2 rushing yards per game. If the Tar Heel secondary can make Virginia one-dimensional, forcing them to play away from their strengths, it will be tough for the Cavaliers to keep pace with the high-voltage Carolina offense.
On the flip side, the Tar Heels should be able to move the ball against a Virginia defense that allows 413 yards per game. Carolina has gained 440 yards or more in five of six games this season, while the Cavaliers average giving up more than six yards per game.
While the records are on opposite poles, the Tar Heels won't take Virginia lightly, jumping at the chance to move to 3-0 in conference play.
