North Carolina Tar Heels: Future is Now
In the beginning of the season, the North Carolina Tar Heels were a team without answers at defense. New defensive coordinator Gene Chizik installed a new scheme and new personality to rebuild the Tar Heel defense.
I personally thought it would take more than a year to implement completely, and the Heels might be vulnerable (especially among the defensive line) in the meantime. I suggested expectations should be limited and that the real change would occur in 2016.
I was wrong. The future is now for the Tar Heels. The Coastal Division is once more in chaos. Nobody in the division is unbeatable. The Tar Heels are sitting much prettier than I had them projected for at the beginning of the season. North Carolina owns road wins over Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech that I had going the other way preseason. So why is the future now for the Tar Heels?
1. The defense is progressing much faster
The Tar Heels may have had some trouble with individual running backs, but their ability as a total defense is light years ahead of last year. The team is 17th in the country in scoring defense, something that would have been impossible last year.
In the secondary the Heels have five corners that are legitimate cover guys. The defensive line has suffered some injury problems, but there has been some bright spots from the defensive end position. Then there is the linebacking corps, but they deserve their own section.
2. The senior linebackers
A lot of the defense may come back next year, but the two men at outside linebacker will not. One of those guys is Jeff Schoettmer, who has been steady for the last two years.
The other is Shakeel Rashad, who has embraced his new role in the defense and outperformed expectations. Fifty four tackles does not lead the team (Donnie Miles) but Rashad is all around the field on defense. If there is a pick or a fumble, Rashad might be there too. Not bad for a guy who played with his hand in the ground for most of his careers.
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Next year these guys are gone. While Andre Smith and Cayson Collins are their logical replacements, you can’t know what they will do next year. A 7-1 record does not come along every day.
Another senior, Williams has been key to every Heels victory except Delaware. Teams have not been able to truly adjust to him. Part of that is the new threat of Elijah Hood in the backfield. Part of that is just Williams using his athleticism.
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Now Mitch Trubisky can run too, but he does not have frame to take hits like Marquise can. If Williams can keep up his awareness, then the Heels should be happy to ride his production. He has weapons at just about all of the receiver positions.
The offensive line is better, and big Turner is a standout on it. He has one won multiple ACC linemen awards this season. He helps grind the road for guys like Hood and Williams. He is also another senior whose efforts will be missed next season.
5. The Schedule
The Tar Heels have benefitted from down years at Virginia and Georgia Tech so far. The last games also offer opportunities. Duke has to come to Chapel Hill after they were roughly handled by the Heels last year. Miami has no head coach. Virginia Tech is down.
The hardest nut on the schedule may be NC State. State’s strategy of last year won’t entirely work this year. The Wolfpack have had their own problems with high powered offenses.
Next: North Carolina beats Pitt
6. The Offseason
There are a number of openings in college football already this year. While it is possible that some schools might target Larry Fedora, it is more likely that some school might target Gene Chizik. Chizik has to want to get back in the head coaching business where a won a title at Auburn. I don’t know what level of a job he would accept to do that. If this is the only year of Chizik, the Tar Heels need to make the most of it.
North Carolina plays Duke next weekend for first place in the Coastal.