NC State (7-3) and UNC (2-8) will kickoff in Kenan Stadium at 12:20pm today, to close out the ACC schedule.
A quick glance at the Tar Heels record, and you would assume they’ve been completely uncompetitive, but that hasn’t been the case. If you take out the disasters that were East Carolina (L, 19-41) and Miami (L, 10-47), UNC lost their other 6 games by an average margin of 6.6 points. They even managed to beat Pitt (38-35), who shocked everyone, claiming the Coastal Division Championship.
Moving the ball offensively hasn’t been the Tar Heels problem in 2018. The Tar Heels rank 44th nationally in rushing yards per game (197.0), and 51st in passing yards per game (231.7). UNC ranks 35th in Total Offense (443.4). Their biggest problem has been the inability to get in the end zone, despite moving the ball effectively. UNC ranks 80th in points per game (27.3).
North Carolina’s rushing attack is a three headed monster. Carter (Sophomore) and Williams (Junior transfer from Ohio State) both average 5.5+ yards per carry, with the former ranking 8th in the ACC in rushing yards per game. Fortunately, NC State ranks 16th nationally in rush defense.
Junior Quarterback Nathan Elliott pales in comparison to what UNC fans were used to seeing in Mitch Trubisky a few years ago. Elliott ranks 12th in the ACC in passing efficiency rating (123.5). It’s hard to win football games when you rank 109th in the nation in interceptions thrown. It’s not all the fault of the offense, but UNC ranks 107th in turnover margin.
Junior Wide Receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams and Sophomore Dazz Newsome are the nucleus of the Tar Heels receiving corps. Ratliff ranks 9th in the ACC in receiving yards per game (61.3), and 3rd in all-purpose yards (123.5). Elliott likes to dump to his receivers, with Carter and Williams ranking 3rd and 4th on the team in receptions.
Newsome is also a dangerous specialist, averaging 16.1 yards per punt return, which ranks 2nd in the ACC, and 13th nationally.
Defense hasn’t been the Tar Heels strong suit. They rank 116th in rush defense (220.1), 111th in total defense (451.8) and 108th in points allowed per game (34.6).
Senior Linebacker Cole Holcomb leads the ACC in tackles (99 – 1 more than NC State linebacker Germaine Pratt), and Senior Defensive End Malik Carney leads the ACC in tackles for loss per game (1.64) and 5th in sacks per game (0.79). Carney is a big reason UNC ranks 15th nationally in sacks, but fortunately, NC State ranks 2nd in the nation in protecting the quarterback.