Finding Root in the Fourth-Quarter Defensive Issues

CHAPEL HILL – No matter how well North Carolina’s defense has played through the first three quarters of late, the Tar Heels have found ways to go off the rails in the fourth quarter of their last four ACC games.

The numbers can be numbing, but simply do not lie: In the four fourth quarters noted, versus Miami, Virginia, at Georgia Tech, and against Duke, UNC has allowed 65 points, 790 yards, and 39 first downs. Keep in mind, this is in four quarters of football, which is one game.

Carolina held off the Hurricanes, blew leads to Virginia at home and in Atlanta to the Yellow Jackets in losing, and blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead to the Blue Devils before winning in overtime.

“I think teams may have caught on a little bit to what we were doing in the fourth quarter, maybe different things like that,” senior linebacker Cedric Gray said. “I can’t really point one specific thing out, but I do know that we have been a little bit on the downside these past few fourth quarters.”

More specifically, here is the breakdown:

*Miami 14 points, 177 yards, 9 first downs

*Virginia 7 points, 139 yards, 7 first downs

*GT 22 points, 265 yards, 11 first downs

*Duke 22 points, 209 yards, 12 first downs

Through the first three quarters of those same games, 12 quarters in total, UNC allowed 999 yards, 58 first downs, and 79 points. This equates to three games, meaning per-game averages are 333 total yards, 19.3 first downs, and 26.3 points.

“Going back and looking at Saturday, we were very pleased with the first three quarters to be honest with you,” UNC defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said Monday, referring to the Duke game. “I think they had 142 yards in the first three quarters. And then it was disappointing because the three drives we gave up in the fourth quarter, and they are really attributed to a couple of things.

“Number one, there were some explosive passes, that first 70-yard drive was the one that started everything out. We weren’t great in pass execution and coverage. We probably could’ve done some things better in the rush as well. In some of those cases they made good plays themselves. It was really a lack of execution, and at times a lack of tackling.”

Breaking it down even more:

*Opponents are 28-for-45 with 392 yards

*Opponents have rushed for 398 yards

*Opponents are 9-for-16 on third downs and 4-for-5 on fourth downs.

*Meaning, opponents have converted 13 of those 16 situations.

*Opponents have run 95 offensive plays

UNC Coach Mack Brown said Monday he believes fatigue has been a factor, though Chizik said it’s not an excuse. Brown specifically noted his linebackers needed to be more rested going into the final period, including Gray, who is an All-American.

Gray, however, doesn’t want to come out, and the coaches have a difficult time opting to remove him from the game at any time. He’s just too good to have on the sidelines pretty much ever.

“There has been conversations of maybe taking us out maybe a little bit earlier in the game, so we are fresher for the fourth, but that doesn’t matter,” he said. “You know how I feel about that, I've always felt that you are going to have to drag me off the field. I have a dog mentality. I’m going to play hard every snap.

“So personally, I don’t think that affected me as much. But this is another thing that we are cautious and aware of, we might tweak some things going forward to make it better.”

Tweaking doesn’t necessarily mean make tactical changes, but something must be done.

Carolina has not gotten the job done defensively late in recent ACC games, and given the caliber of the competition the next two weeks, beginning Saturday at Clemson and then at NC State the following week, something must be done soon.