University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: 1-0
November 18, 2016 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
There's still a chance, a sliver of hope for Carolina to repeat as ACC Coastal Division champions and return to the ACC Championship Game. Two weeks ago the Tar Heels were tied with Virginia Tech, but the Hokies had the tiebreaker due to their win in Chapel Hill in early October. Even if the Tar Heels were to win out, they'd need the Hokies to catch another loss somewhere along the way.
Pitt and Duke made it interesting; they both lost by three points to the Hokies as Carolina took care of Virginia and Georgia Tech. But then, last Thursday, the Tar Heels slipped up, blowing a two-touchdown lead at Duke. Le désastre. Now it would take Virginia Tech losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia for the Hokies to finish at 5-3 in conference, and Carolina would need to win the season finale against NC State to finish at 6-2 and win the Coastal outright.
Virginia Tech lost to Georgia Tech last weekend. Of course that happened. Had Carolina won at Duke, they'd now be in the driver's seat in the Coastal. But such is life. "Of course they lost," Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky said on Monday. "That's just how it goes sometimes. We blew an opportunity, and they didn't finish on their end as well. That's just how things work. It's ironic, but there's nothing we can do about it except get ready for this week." Is it in fact 'ironic'? I don't know; don't ask Alanis Morissette. But what it means is the door remains open.
For another two weeks. Carolina and Virginia Tech both step out of conference for their penultimate regular season games. The Tar Heels host The Citadel, the 10-0 FCS team out of Charleston under the direction of first-year head coach Brent Thompson. Virginia Tech travels to South Bend to take on struggling Notre Dame, the ACC football team that isn't. Neither game will affect the Coastal Division race, but neither team can afford a late slip-up as they attempt to finish strong. The Tar Heels round out the regular season with NC State next Friday; Virginia Tech hosts Virginia the following day.
Carolina can't go back and play that Duke game over again, can't ask Virginia Tech to come back for a do-over in non-hurricane conditions. And so they must play the game in front of them. The Citadel Bulldogs are the Southern Conference champions, ranked sixth in the FCS polls and one of just four remaining unbeaten FCS or FBS teams. They're dangerous, and if the Tar Heels look past them, they are in for a rude awakening.
"This is an undefeated football team," Larry Fedora said Monday. "An undefeated football team that has a lot of things going for them. They run the ball very, very effectively. When they do throw it, they hurt you with it. They eat the clock, limit the possessions that you get offensively.
You better be very effective with your possession."
The Tar Heels have business to take care of, and if they overlook The Citadel, they'll lose. "I wouldn't say it's a trap," said safety Donnie Miles. "I'd say it's the next team on the schedule, so we've got to get ready for The Citadel just like we get ready for everybody else. They're undefeated., They do the triple option and they do it very well. They're good at what they do, so we've got to get ready for them."
Carolina can't beat NC State this Saturday. They can't send reinforcements to Charlottesville to help defeat the Hokies next weekend. Yes, the Coastal Division is still in play, but it can't be won this weekend. What can be won is a game against The Citadel, an opportunity to bounce back.
"There's still a chance," Trubisky said of the Coastal Division. "There's still hope . . . We missed a big opportunity last Thursday, and we can only move forward and learn form there, so what' what we're trying to do this week."
They lost last week. They can't let Duke beat them for a second week in a row. "We've just got to bounce back and focus on being 1-0 this week and get another 'W,'" Trubisky said.
So while it's tempting to look past the Bulldogs, to reach out and try to touch that championship trophy, there's business at hand. "Our focus is just really being 1-0," Fedora said. "We just want to be 1-0. If we take care of being 1-0, we'll be OK. That's it. We're not going any further than that."
