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Must Win Game Sharpens Tar Heels' Focus

The magnitude of Saturday's game at Miami has the Tar Heels focused for the Hurricanes.
The magnitude of Saturday's game at Miami has the Tar Heels focused for the Hurricanes. (Bruce Young, THI)


CHAPEL HILL – To hear offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Chris Kapilovic say it, the Tar Heels put themselves in this situation.

North Carolina has a must win game this Saturday at No. 16 Miami if the Heels are to reach their stated goals. One of them is to again win the Coastal Division title, and a loss to the Hurricanes would make it seemingly next to impossible for that to occur.

Carolina was on track to push for a repeat spot in the ACC championship game until last Saturday’s monsoon-soaked 34-3 disaster against Virginia Tech. Forget the weather, everyone in the program is saying it was an awful performance and a damaging one, too.

“There’s no question that there was some disgust and understanding that we failed Saturday,” Kapilovic said. “And we need to bounce back in a big way.”

Perhaps that’s a reason the team had its best Tuesday and Wednesday practices of the season this week. They know the deal.

“I’m not sure it’s been fueled by the frustration, it’s kind of like a do or die for us,” senior wide receiver Ryan Switzer said. “If we drop another one in the Coastal with the teams that are in it we’re hurting. Plus, it’s a big-time opponent, ranked team and Coach (Mark) Richt has Miami back in the spotlight.”

To get back on track the Tar Heels must face a team that is No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 12.8 points per contest, and is No. 10 in total defense, allowing 284 yards per outing.

The Hurricanes, who start three true freshmen at linebacker, are a load up front and talented everywhere else. But they also employee a lot of deceptive looks and unique schemes, especially among their back seven.

“They’ll blitz and play zone behind it and a lot of different facets of it,” wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer said. “They play a lot of different things, and that’s one their smoke-and-mirror things that they’re very athletic and they can cover you man. But they give the illusion sometimes that they’re going to play man, bring a blitz and play zone behind it. So you’ve got to be on point.”

Senior offensive tackle Jon Heck described what the Hurricanes do as “exotic.” So, what is exotic about Miami’s approach?

“A lot of times when defenses blitz there’s a standard blitz that they do, the type that you see very day,” Heck said. “And Miami brings a bunch that you don’t see every day. They’re involving safeties, defensive backs, blitzing three guys on the side.

Thus, recognizing tendencies is crucial, making communication even more important along the offensive line in this game.

“When you’re playing a heavy blitz team, communication is one of, if not the biggest things,” Heck said. “We have to have everyone on the same page every play. Guys have to know where they’ve got to be, who they’re blocking. If you cut a guy loose, sack.”

The challenge of the opponent, the location, exorcising last weekend’s performance and the obvious importance of the game has the Heels’ attention.

There’s no way to downplay the importance of their trip this weekend.

“It kind of got us back on track,” Brewer said about the team embracing what’s at stake in Miami. “The kids were determined that we have some goals that we want to obtain and this is a big part of it and they know they let an opportunity slip away from us last game.

“We’ve got to buckle down and laser focus.”

Or else they will be reshuffling their goals.

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