Across the Beat: Getting to know UNC

By process of elimination and by a road win against Miami, North Carolina looks like the favorite in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

There’s a lot at stake in Saturday night’s matchup at Wallace Wade Stadium, between UNC looking to distinguish itself in the Coastal and Duke looking to pull even at 2-1 in the ACC – and there’s the issue of the Victory Bell, which UNC has retained since 2019, having won three straight in this series.

To get to know more about the Tar Heels, we’ve sought out Andrew Jones, the publisher of Tar Heel Illustrated on the Rivals network.

Here is our five-part Q&A:

1. I’ve been starting these with a simple vibe check so … it looks like UNC is the favorite in the Coastal? How are people within the program feeling after a solid road win at Miami?

Answer: More at ease for sure. There was considerable concern after the Notre Dame game because the defense had been horrid, and as good as Drake Maye and the offense can be, the collective whole wasn’t going to be good enough to be quality teams.

But the defense has made strides the last two weeks, and they won a road game with Maye not being great and the offense not scoring a TD in the second half, so I think the vibe around the program is the best it’s been since heading into the Orange Bowl two years ago.

2. Let’s start with the defense, in particular against the run: How much of the last two weeks – 99 yards and 42 yards allowed against Virginia Tech and Miami, respectively – is improvement on UNC’s part, and how much is those offenses struggling to get a run game going?

Answer: I think it’s both for sure. Virginia Tech is terrible on offense and Miami is very much trying to figure things out.

But UNC allowed its previous opponents to run and throw well above their averages and that didn’t happen the last two games, certainly with respect to the ground game. More players are in the rotation up front now, too, and I think a more mentally relaxed defense has simply been better at the snap.

This weekend will be a test, though. If UNC has truly made progress, it should be reflected in its performance against the run Saturday night.

3. Looking at the defense as a whole, have any specific players or units stood out in the past two games?

Answer: Linebacker Cedric Gray is really good every game, even though pass coverage is still an issue, but that’s the case with the entire defense. He has been an emotional and cerebral key to the defense appearing to made progress the last two games.

DeAndre Boykins (star/nickel) is a very physical player and gets better each week. He has flashed playmaker qualities, and that should only continue.

Linebacker Power Echols is often really good, but he has also been a bit inconsistent.

4. Sam who? Drake Maye has seemingly been a revelation – he’s one of two ACC QBs averaging more than 300 total yards per game, and his 368.5 clip is far ahead of Sam Hartman’s 301.2. Are there any hints of a regression coming, or do you think this torrid pace continues for a full season?

Answer: His first game at a P5 was last weekend and he threw two picks, so maybe we will see who he really is now moving forward with only P5 opponents on the slate and teams having a lot of film on him to study.

That said, he is really good, and people in the program believe he’s already better than Sam Howell was.

Maye can make every throw, he is quick going through his progression, usually gets rid of the ball quickly, has terrific ball placement, can run well, and is an absolute gamer. He is awfully good and will only get better.

With that said, I think he will continue tearing it up for the most part, but a so-so game or two are likely, especially against teams that can cover well forcing him to make a lot of challenging throws.

5. Taking a 10,000-foot view to end this: Has this season taken on a new importance/meaning for UNC? I say that with an outsider’s perspective that this lined up as a bit of a rebuilding year, but given Maye’s emergence and the wide-open nature of the Coastal, I’m sitting here at the halfway point thinking there’s a lot more the Tar Heels could accomplish this season, right?

Answer: You are correct. I called it a bridge to 2023 in August, but Maye is better than anyone imagined, and some of us knew he’d be really good. Talent isn’t an issue at UNC, though the majority of 4-star and 5-star guys are still quite young.

But yes, they suddenly have a realistic path to Charlotte, and if the defense is just average, which is a stretch given its performances so far, the offense is good enough to get them nine or ten wins.

Yet, I wouldn’t plunk down a bunch of cash on the Tar Heels winning the Coastal just yet. This program has a history of losing a game or two each season it shouldn’t, and it has a history of not handling success well.