North Carolina Tar Heels blowout Illinois
The North Carolina Tar Heels dismantled the Illinois Fighting Illini in a performance that was about as complete as the score indicated. Sure there was an early Marquise Williams interception and Illinois did take the opening drive all the way down the field before folding but the Tar Heels did what they were supposed to do. There are still some hanging defensive questions for a unit that is two weeks away from facing Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
X – Men on the Run
Despite an injury to starting left tackle Bentley Spain, the Tar Heels cranked out not one but two one hundred yard rushers. Quarterback Marquise Williams was the first to touch that boundary, and the quarterback gathered 105 yards on the ground in the read option and designed run plays. That added to his 203 passing yards and three touchdowns on the day.
Elijah Hood had added 83 yards through the third quarter, and there was some question whether he would be sat down at that point to be saved for the next game. He was not, earning one more drive where captured forty more yards and a score to add to a very efficient day.
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Y – The Late Late Show with Josh Ferguson
There was another runner who gained a hundred yards, Josh Ferguson of Illinois. He averaged 6 yards a carry and gained 133 yards. Most of his damage occurred in spread formations, where the Heels had to match personnel with the four wideouts on the field. Still, his success does not bode well for a team whose next serious game is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets will do little other than run the ball. Of course they won’t run spread formations to get there.
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Z – Complacency: The Real Danger
Last year, the Tar Heels went on a drive for bowl eligibility that ended with a complete victory over Duke. Then the team painted the Duke facilities and forgot to play State the next week. The Tar Heels just beat Illinois soundly and they will likely beat Delaware as well next week. That could lull them into a false sense of achievement with the Yellow Jackets on the horizon. The team needs to make sure they do sleep walk into Atlanta, or they will not like what happens when they get there.