North Carolina Tar Heels vs Pitt Panthers Preview

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The North Carolina Tar Heels are now in their second year of not doing things the easy way. They are walking the wire with oblivion on one side and lots of opportunity in the other. They are doing this with a defense that has yet to stop anybody and are about to face the most devastating rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Beat the Pitt Panthers and a number of scenarios are possible. Lose to the Panthers and all roads lead to spring practice, assuming the Tar Heels have an athletic program in the future.

Date: November 15

Time: 12:30 PM

TV: ACC Network

Venue: Kenan Memorial Stadium

Last Time: 2013

Last year could really be marked down as the Ryan Switzer game. Switzer, playing in front of his family and friends from West Virginia, returned not one but two punt returns back for touchdowns. He has not seen such great blocking since, and this year has been less exciting. Last year also marked the emergence of James Conner as the main man in the backfield for Pitt.

Oct 16, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer (left) and Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Paul Chryst (right) shake hands at mid-field before their teams play at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Opponent: Pitt Panthers (4-5)

Coach Paul Chryst is a Wisconsin man. He likes to run. Now he has a 250 lb running back and a quarterback named Chad Voytik to do just that. The other hallmark of Wisconsin football is rugged defense, but that is still a work in progress. North Carolina should be lucky that it is, or Pittsburgh might replace Georgia Tech as the worst matchup that the Tar Heels could face.

The Pitt defense does have a strong defensive line, and that could cause problems for the Heels and their line. The Pitt line struggled against the likes Laken Tomlinson last week, but there is no single threat on the Tar Heel line like that. That means that the Heels could be relying a lot on the ad-libbing of Marquise Williams.

Nov 1, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Tyler Boyd (23) makes a catch between Duke Blue Devils cornerback Breon Borders (31) and safety Evrett Edwards (rear) during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

For the North Carolina secondary, we could see the play calling that was so devastating in the hands of DeShaun Watson of Clemson. That would be the one on one matchup with a speedy wide receiver, in this case Tyler Boyd. Boyd is sitting on 791 yards of receiving and is well on his way to having a thousand yard year.

The great hope for North Carolina looks like all their other victories this year in the conference. Initiate a shootout and then find a way to get the ball last.