By William Qualkinbush.
There are a bunch of jokes about fake classes and felony fraud and bogus degrees and “pride comes before the fall” references that could begin this feature. In fact, there are so many it was difficult to pick one. This is where the imagination of the reader comes into play.
Contrary to the negative publicity surrounding Tar Heel athletics in recent years, football has managed to remain above the fray in this most recent scandal. That is welcome news for Larry Fedora, who is most definitely ready to shake the stigma of the athletic tutoring irregularities that led to his predecessor—Butch Davis—getting the axe.
This will be Clemson’s first exposure to the high-flying attack Fedora brought to Chapel Hill from Southern Miss. In fact, it will be the first meeting between the Tigers and the Tar Heels since 2011, when Chad Morris’ first offense led an onslaught against an inadequate UNC defense en route to a 59-38 victory.
Fedora has had a couple of years to infuse more athleticism into the program and has arguably his best offense-defense balance to date. Seven starters return on both sides of the ball from last season’s 7-6 team that closed with six wins in its final seven games after a disastrous start against a brutal early slate.
The best news for UNC fans is that quarterback Marquise Williams will be leading the charge from day one. Unlike many of the newer breed of spread offenses, Fedora’s system does not require a particularly mobile quarterback. His system is more Mike Leach than Gus Malzahn.
But Williams, who started the final five games of last season, gives them a dual-threat weapon—a luxury not afforded Fedora in the previous pair of seasons. In those five starts, Williams threw for nine touchdowns and only three interceptions. He also rushed for five touchdowns and totaled more than 2,000 yards of total offense last season.
Super tight end Eric Ebron will not be there to catch passes this season, and the Tar Heel offense will miss one of the nation’s toughest matchups from a season ago. But the rest of a deep, talented, and raw receiving corps returns in earnest to build on the momentum from the end of last season.
North Carolina does not run the ball much at all, which is why sophomore T.J. Logan is a great fit. He is the epitome of an all-purpose back that can fly up and down the field. Incoming freshman Elijah Hood may change some of Fedora’s philosophies on the running game, however, because he is a certifiable man-child that will run right through defenders at 225 pounds.
The Tar Heel defense was porous last season, particularly against the run. No ACC team was worse at stopping the run than North Carolina, and Fedora hopes some of the young talent at his disposal can change that.
The scheme employed by the Tar Heels should look familiar to Clemson fans, as former Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning is in charge of the unit. Jeff Schoettmer is the leading returner in tackles with 85, but he is a man without a set responsibility in Koenning’s defense. He will roam around and make plays while lining up at different places on the field.
Returners like seniors Ethan Farmer and Travis Hughes are solid forces that should help shore up the teeth of the North Carolina defense. One weakness might be disrupting plays in the backfield. The only proven pass rusher is senior bandit Norkeithus Otis, who had 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks last season.
Losing Tre Boston could be an issue at the back of the defense. He was a rock at safety, and the players tasked with filling his slot were relatively inconspicuous a season ago. Unless someone steps up as the leader of the secondary, teams may find throwing on North Carolina this season as easy as running on the Heels was last season.
For the first time in three years, North Carolina and Clemson will meet. UNC will not look anything like the team the Tigers demolished in Death Valley, and coming off of difficult games at Georgia and Florida State, Dabo Swinney will have his work cut out for him to get the team ready for a unique challenge.