5 Keys To Beating Syracuse

North Carolina hits the road for one of its two crossover games as the Tar Heels take on Syracuse, which is in the Atlantic Division of the ACC.

UNC has not played Syracuse since the Orange joined the ACC and overall the teams have not met since 2003. Carolina last played in the Carrier Dome was 2002.

UNC is 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the ACC while the Orange is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. Cuse’s wins are at Western Michigan, Wagner, 30-7 over Florida State and 51-21 over UConn. It’s losses are in its last two games, 27-23 at Clemson and 44-37 at Pittsburgh two weeks ago.

Here are 5 Keys for UNC to defeat Syracuse:

UNC has just two scholarship quarterbacks available but the staff can’t call a game as if it’s concerned about losing Nathan Elliott or Jace Ruder, whoever happens to be taking snaps at the time. The vanilla approach was a disaster at Cal when UNC didn’t register a first down until its eighth possession. Syracuse is much better than Cal, so playing it too safe would play right into the Orange’s hands and lead to an ugly result for Carolina. This means UNC needs to let Elliott throw the ball over the middle some, he can’t get stuck in a routine of throwing it behind the line of scrimmage and hoping that’s enough balance to the ground attack. And when Ruder gets in, the staff needs to let him run the full offense. Playing it safe will lead to a loss.

While the Tar Heels can’t afford to play it safe offensively, they need to handle the basics: Protect the QB and run the ball effectively and consistently. That’s been this team’s strength so far. Explosive runs are the norm, and we’re not talking 12-15 yard jaunts, Michael Carter has five runs of more than 20 yards in the last two games, including two 49 yarders this past weekend versus Virginia Tech, which entered the with No. 8 rushing defense in the nation.

It’s no secret that UNC has been much better on defense in games Malik Carney has played. Cal scored 17 offensive points against the Heels, Miami had 26 and Virginia Tech had 22 in games he’s played, and keep in mind Cal and Miami scored other points just a few plays after turnovers, too. Without Carney, ECU scored 41 points and Pitt 35. He likely will not play Saturday in the Carrier Dome, sitting out his final game due to a suspension. Allen Cater must play well and John Papuchis’ defense must prove it can excel without its best player who is also its emotional and motivational leader. Syracuse, by the way, has the No. 30 overall offense (464 yards per game) and is No. 11 nationally in scoring averaging 43 points per contest.

UNC is No. 68 nationally in total offense averaging 406 yards per game but No. 119 in scoring averaging 20.6 points because it’s struggled getting touchdowns when in and near the red zone. The Tar Heels are No. 102 nationally in red zone offense. And it’s not just one or two things that are doing them in, it’s a variety of stuff, which was the case last Saturday when Carolina scored one TD in seven red zone trips versus Virginia Tech plus two other times it reached the Hokies' 26-yard-line. The bottom line is that unless UNC improves its touchdown ratio when it gets inside an opponent’s 30, which isn’t even quite the red zone, it will struggle to beat anyone.

The Carrier Dome is a large, loud arena when it comes to Syracuse basketball games, but it’s smallish with a low ceiling and fans just mere feet away from the benches when it comes to Syracuse football games. It’s a weird place to play. It looks odd, feels strange and sounds like no other place any college team plays, as sounds echo, sometimes back and forth until they die off. The Tar Heels must disregard the oddities and make it strictly about football. If it’s about things other than just football, the building will win.