Peay's View: Records Galore For Opposing Backup QBs
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A concerning trend for North Carolina since Mack Brown returned to Chapel Hill for his second stint with the Tar Heels is the team's inability to perform against non-starting quarterbacks.
It started last season when former UNC linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel admitted in his post-game interview the team wasn’t prepared for Jeff Sims, who didn’t start Carolina’s 45-22 loss at Georgia Tech.
Carolina later matched up with another team facing quarterback issues when it met up with South Carolina in Charlotte for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Gamecocks quarterback room was riddled with injuries and bad play, to the point where then first-year head coach Shane Beamer turned to wide receiver Dakereon Joyner to run his offense.
The Heels allowed Joyner to throw for a perfect 9-for-9 for 160, an average of 17.8 yards per completion. He also ran the ball 10 times and averaged 6.4 yards per rush on his way to MVP of the game.
This season, the results have been pretty much the same. The Heels have struggled to defend quarterbacks in general, allowing most quarterbacks on its schedule to achieve numbers above their season averages, as noted in the chart below.
But more specifically, the Tar Heels' defense continues its struggles with the opposition’s backup quarterbacks. This season, UNC is 9-0 against first-string signal callers and 0-4 against non-starters.
This week, we take a look into the four quarterbacks to put a blemish on UNC’s record:
*Carolina's bad luck with backup quarterbacks started when Notre Dame starter Tyler Buchner injured his shoulder against Marshall. Two weeks later, Drew Pyne rolled into Chapel Hill with the Fighting Irish and looked much more comfortable than he did the week prior against the Cal Bears. Pyne’s 24 completions against UNC are a season-high, and for the majority of the fall, his 289 passing yards were the most of his young career before he surpassed the mark in Notre Dame’s final regular season game against Southern California.
Pyne's passing success stemmed from the Irish's ability to run the ball at will against UNC. In that game, Notre Dame outrushed Carolina 287-66.
*Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Gibson is another QB that played out of character against the Tar Heels. Gibson, a transfer from Akron, has struggled to adjust to Power 5 football. Against UNC, however, Gibson appeared at home. The Heels allowed Gibson to set a season-high in yards per attempt with 9.7, with his second-highest average being 5.7 against Miami. The drastic difference in his yards per attempt average lets us know that there was a certain comfort level Gibson had with Carolina’s defense. And perhaps, that level of comfort came from UNC not getting any pressure on the Yellow Jacket signal caller.
Carolina was the only team of the four games in which Gibson received significant playing time not to record a sack against him. Gibson also set a season-high in first downs responsible for against Carolina, while the Heels also allowed him to record a passer rating of 102.5. UNC also allowed the fourth-string quarterback to run for 44 yards, gain four first downs and score a rushing touchdown in his season debut.
*NC State’s Ben Finley had the best game of his three-year college career when he led the Wolfpack in a win over the Heels on Senior Day in Kenan Stadium. Before facing the Tar Heels, Finley had one touchdown and two interceptions. In the matchup against Carolina, Finley threw for 271 yards, two touchdowns, and a completion long of 52, all of which are career highs for the Arizona native.
The Heels also allowed Pack's backup quarterback to run for his lone touchdown score of the season. Most would think in a situation where State has to use its third-string quarterback, it would depend mostly on the run to advance its offense. Finley, however, also set a career-high in pass attempts, proving that opponents are confident in their ability to move the ball against the Tar Heels through the air.
*Cade Klubnik is the most recent quarterback to establish himself on the college football scene against UNC. Following the struggles of Clemson’s season-long starter DJ Uiagalelei in the first two series, Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney looked to Klubnik to provide a spark. The true freshman finished the game 20-for-24, with 279 yards, and a touchdown.
The moment Klubnik was inserted, the Tigers were a different team showing how much better they were than the Tar Heels in all facets of the game. His average attempt was 11.9 yards, and boasted an NFL quarterback rating of 130.8.