Mucking Things Up With a Tar Heel

Although it's coming a little late this week, I've once again had the opportunity to ask a few questions with someone writing about the opponent, this week with TH from CarolinaMarch:

1. I'll be honest, I've yet to see UNC play a football game this season. If I had been watching, which player or players would I be most worried about being beat by this weekend?

TH: Connor Barth. Yeah, it may seem silly to worry about the kicker, but Barth had a rare missed field goal and a botched XP snap in his last game against SC. Connor Barth will be angry, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry. Barth Smash!

2. After the big win over Miami, the loss to South Carolina was probably tough to take. How will the bye week affect the team's momentum, and will it make a difference against Wake?

TH: I'm not sure it was that tough to take. In a game no one thought the Heels had any chance in, they dominated the Gamecocks throughout the second half and a couple of opportunities to walk away with the game.

UNC made it through the most brutal part of their schedule with an upset over the Hurricanes and no loss by more than seven points. They were 3-3 coming off byes under Bunting, including wins over FSU in '01 and undefeated Miami in '04. They're a resilient team.

[editors note: my bad for not thinking that South Carolina thing all the way through]

3. Where do the Tar Heels match up best against Wake? Where are they most likely to struggle?

TH: UNC's defense has gotten faster and smarter of late, with good secondary coverage disrupting a lot of opposing quarterbacks. I think they'll be able to handle the option. You guys do still run the option, right?

4. What must Carolina do to win this game?

TH: Not turn the ball over and to not have the defense come out sluggish. UNC's defense has had to dig itself out of quite a few holes this season after slow starts and bad turnovers on the offensive end. It's hard to win these games when the other team has the clock on their side.

5. Put your stamp on it: when all is said and done on Saturday, what will the final score be?

UNC 20, Wake Forest 17. The Deacons struggled with last year's squad, and this year's team hasn't really shown much improvement. And I'm
enternally optimistic.

Thanks to TH for the friendly banter, its nice to get a more light-hearted approach to these type of things. And please make sure to check out his blog, CarolianaMarch.com