Not long ago, North Carolina’s home game versus Georgia State was thought as a buffer between the opener at Virginia Tech and third game versus Virginia; an opportunity for the Tar Heels to fine-tune what was learned from Blacksburg before diving back into ACC play.
That remains the case, only that UNC has much more to shore up than what was expected. Saturday night’s contest versus the Panthers isn’t exactly a litmus test on where the Tar Heels exactly are right now or on how the rest of the season might go. But it will offer some insight into areas that might be serious concerns, thus this is an important game.
Carolina is coming off a 17-10 loss at Virginia Tech in which it was pushed around during the first half, as the Hokies set the tone with more physical play. UNC Coach Mack Brown even noted in his press conference a week ago Tech had been “tougher” and “more physical” in the two previous meetings since he returned, so changing that was obviously high on the team's pre-game check list.
But the Tar Heels did not grade out well at all in that respect, certainly not in the first half. So that will be something to look for this weekend.
Also, improved pass protection is on the docket. Sam Howell was sacked six times, and was nearing a seventh sack when, while in the grasp of a Hokie defender, threw his third and final interception of the night, ending UNC’s hopes of a comeback.
Keeping Georgia State's hands off Howell is a must for Stacy Searels' o-line group Saturday night.
The Panthers come in after getting throttled at home by Army, 43-10, a game that was 27-7 at halftime. GSU finished the day with 48 yards rushing on 28 attempts, which is a paltry 1.7 per attempt. Overall, the Panthers totaled just 177 offensive yards on the day.
On paper, it appeared before Saturday that Georgia State might be a dark horse contender in its division in the Sun Belt Conference, but after such a poor opener, this now looks more like a team the Tar Heels have no excuses but to handle.
Army, by the way, totaled 356 yards on offense, which isn’t a great number, but the Black Knights were 10-for-16 converting on third downs.
So, even though Georgia State might not present an enormous challenge to the Tar Heels, it should be noted that No. 20 Washington lost at home to FCS member Montana on Saturday scoring just seven points in the process, so focus and intensity will still be paramount for the Heels. And given how difficult the days following Friday’s loss have been, it’s fair to expect a very dialed-in group of Tar Heels.
“This will be an uncomfortable couple of days for all of us, but when something’s not working, as it didn’t tonight, you gotta be real honest with each other,” Brown said following the loss in Blacksburg.
“Kids say ‘facts,’ these are facts: we gotta get things fixed. (Linebacker) Jeremiah Gemmel addressed the team and said we can still win out, and we can, we just gotta go back to work. We can’t sit around and point fingers and talk about all the negative things that are gonna happen.”
The result of these uncomfortable days and Carolina’s effort in fixing things will be somewhat revealed Saturday. Georgia State is heading to Chapel Hill at a good time, so the Heels need to make the most of it.
