UNC vs. Virginia Tech: X-Factor
In the aftermath of the disappointing loss to Notre Dame, the North Carolina Tar Heels coaching staff didn’t have many answers to defensive issues this season.
Defensive coordinator Gene Chizik had the following to say about in-game performance versus practice:
You have to be able to adapt and adapt to those on game day. And sometimes we’ve been good at it, and sometimes we haven’t. So you can’t put it on a player or a position. It starts with us as coaches, me first, being able to do these things and pass them on to our guys so we can play consistently. And it’s not happening at a very good pace right now. We are therefore working day and night to solve these problems. And I’m very confident that we can make it happen.
Alright, so the coaching staff is working day and night to fix the defensive issues.
Considering the Tar Heels are second to last sixth in the FBS in total defense, maybe it’s time to blow it all up and start over, right?
Chizik:
I’ll never be that guy who says, “I’m not happy with the results, so let’s blow it up and start over.” I think that’s not realistic. I think it’s best to tweak and keep trying to stay on a consistent path to get the product we want. We want the product to look like the first quarter. This is the bottom line. And we know we have it within us. We believe players that we can do this. Has this ever happened? No, he hasn’t. But we’ll keep working to make sure the consistency is finally there.
Okay, so maybe blowing things up and starting over isn’t the best approach for a team that, despite the terrible defensive performance, is 3-1.
So what are these necessary adjustments for the next game against Virginia Tech?
Chizik:
Well, we haven’t really talked about that. We are always evaluating and evaluating Virginia Tech. I expect us to play a lot better on Saturday.
Well, if he doesn’t know, why should we?
Here’s the bottom line: The defense needs to improve or the rest of 2022 will be just a long and disappointing fall into the ACC basement.
This weekend’s game, pending weather conditions that make it impossible to launch the ball, will be another measuring stick for the defense.
Chizik and head coach Mack Brown both emphasized the run defense last weekend.
Virginia Tech enters this weekend 110 out of 131 teams in rushing offense. The Hokies are averaging 112 yards per game rushing.
Of the myriad issues on defense, let’s pick this one as the X-Factor: Can UNC keep VT at its rushing average on Saturday?
Yes, just maintain a team at their average as an X-Factor.
A seemingly reasonable objective, but so important for this season that it is “a variable in a given situation which could have the most significant impact on the result”.
As noted in the header, these defensive issues will continue to be the talking points until they no longer cost the team games.
