It seems like a long time ago that North Carolina played a football game. The 12th-ranked Tar Heels will take on Boston College Saturday (kick-off is set for 3:30 on WBT), playing for the first time since their season opening win over Syracuse, since they've had a game cancelled due to Covid-19 followed by an open date.
So there's no doubt the Heels are ready to get back on the field against the Eagles, who are 2-0 on the season after wins over Duke and Texas State.
It took the Tar Heels three quarters to get their offense going against Syracuse, but when they finally did they racked up 21 points in the 4th quarter. They also coughed up the football three times. They can't afford to do that against the Eagles, who have six takeaways in their two games.
After finishing 6-7 last season, Boston College cleaned house, bringing in Jeff Hafley as their new head coach. He's got a solid offense to work with, starting with an experienced offensive line that has four starters from last year.
The Eagles also have an excellent running back in David Bailey, who took over after star AJ Dillon left for the NFL. In spite of that, they're struggling to run the ball – they've got just 171 rushing yards through two games, that ranks dead last in the ACC. And 44 of those are from quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who has been the star of this offense.
The Notre Dame transfer has thrown for 510 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target is tight end Hunter Long, who has 171 yards and two scores. And receiver Zay Flowers torched Duke for 162 yards on just five catches! Jurkovec and company will face a UNC defense that allowed just 202 yards of total offense to Syracuse, and also had seven sacks in the game, which is bad news for the Eagles offensive line that has allowed eight on the season.
The Eagles will no doubt have a tough time with UNC's potent offense, which is led by sophomore quarterback Sam Howell. But they had five sacks last week and can pressure the quarterback. The star of the defense is junior linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, who leads the team in tackles and sacks and also has an interception. Stopping the run has been an issue for the Eagles, which means the Tar Heels could have a field day on the ground with their talented backs.
On paper the Tar Heels are clearly a superior team. Granted, they haven't played in three weeks and could have some rust. On the flip side, though, they're well-rested and have had plenty of time to prepare for a less talented Eagles team. This should be a win for UNC - go Tar Heels!