5 Reasons UNC Needed Another Football Game

Whether or not Charlotte or whoever North Carolina could have replaced the 49ers with would have given the Tar Heels a competitive game isn’t really an issue. What matters is that the Heels needed a game, they needed to play someone else in a big way before leaping back into ACC play with a game at Boston College on Oct. 3.

But that’s not going to happen now unless Bubba Cunningham and Rick Steinbacher can work some magic and find an opponent for this coming weekend. As it stands, UNC is proceeding forward as if this is an open week, and with that is a lost opportunity to get better via game reps.

At 1-0 after last week’s season-opening victory over Syracuse, the Tar Heels will go into October having played just once and with plenty of unanswered questions. A year ago, Carolina played five times before an Oct. 5 game at Georgia Tech.

Think about it: Thrilling come-from-behind wins over South Carolina and Miami to start the season, narrow losses at Wake Forest and at home to Appalachian State followed by the nail-biter loss to Clemson were all in the books at the same stage in the season this fall in which the Heels will have just that one game to draw from.

So, with that in mind, here are 5 reasons UNC needed another game:

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Although UNC’s special teams was improved in the second half last week from the first half, the overall grade wasn’t too high, so Carolina needed to test this group against literally anyone. Live ammo in the kicking game can only help a team, even if facing an inferior opponent, espeically when using a lot of young players on those units, as the Heels did versus the Orange.

The OL had some so-so stretches versus Syracuse and some really good ones. Again, like the special teams, this unit not only needed to play again but to also have an opportunity to work in some players the staff wants to see enter the trusted rotation. With Joshua Ezeudu out for the opener and likely the Charlotte game – it’s uncertain if his status would have remained in question for a Sept. 26 contest – the line would have had another chance at making strides before getting back its best player.

Furthermore, shuffling in some of the second-team players mixing them with starters would have been huge, especially with the importance of chemistry up front. You never know when one of those guys might be forced into a major role, so game reps against anyone would have been valuable.

The Heels looked a tad off at times last week with their timing on offense, which can be expected in an opener, so having another game to get more in sync would have been extremely valuable. Also getting back the feeling of taking the top off of a defense a few times in a game, some huge run plays from scrimmage, and an offensive eruption would have been exactly what this club needed before heading to Chestnut Hill. Now as it stands, Sam Howell’s first completed pass thrown 20 or more yards downfield will have to come in a league road game.

Jay Bateman said the staff wanted to get true freshman defensive tackle Myles Murphy into the Syracuse game earlier than they did. Getting Kaimon Rucker more reps along with Ja’Qurious Conley also would have been points of emphasis versus Charlotte or whoever else could have visited Chapel Hill. Add Tony Grimes, sophomore linebackers Eugene Asante and Khadry Jackson, and the others who badly needed game reps to the list, too.

Building depth on defense is hugely important, and games like the one Carolina won’t play present such an opportunity. Now it’s a missed opportunity.

Carolina has high ambitions for this season, so losing an opportunity to play a game like this will affect what the overall record looks like and it could impact movement in the national rankings and perhaps even more. Now, beating the Charlottes of the world won’t move much of a needle, but when you’re a program that a year ago was 6-21 over its previous 27 games prior to Brown taking over and was 7-6 a last fall, every win is coveted, embraced and accepted.

And more importantly, everything noted above. UNC needed a game, period.