UNC Football: Key Takeaways Against Pitt
Chapel Hill regains a .500 record with their win over Pittsburgh. This sets the Tar Heels up with a chance to go into the red at six-and-five against Duke this upcoming Saturday. UNC must join a lot of the elements they used against Pitt to steal a win over #21 Duke Saturday. Most importantly, the Tar Heels must bring the resiliency they showed this past weekend in Chapel Hill with them to Durham. That was the most essential element in the victory over the Pitt Panthers.
#1: Chapel Hill Fought, Tooth And Nail
UNC was down 14-0, and then down 21-7 to the Panthers early on in Saturday’s contest but kept scrapping. The Tar Heels battled back from that beginning deficit to put up double digits scoring sessions in the second, third, and fourth quarters. It would have been easy to get down on themselves—especially with the bumpy season they’ve pushed through so far, but they didn’t. Chapel Hill fought for that five-and-five record.
Now, they sit at a chance to move into winning territory and a chance to control their own destiny with a bowl appearance if they take Durham.
#2: Chapel Hill’s Offense Played Big When Needed
Marquise Williams. Marquise Williams. Marquise Williams. That’s all I have to say about that. The man went 23/40 for 276 yards and four touchdowns, three of which came by rushing. Williams had no interceptions and ultimately, in my book, was the player of the game for both sides. He was the absolute game changer—and UNC did win, after all. That has to outweigh Pitt’s James Conner’s four rushing TD’s.
#3: The Defense Sealed The Game
It’s no secret to anyone watching the Tar Heels this season, or even glancing at the television in between homework, music, and/or any other background noise going on, what the weakest part of UNC’s team is. I’d even go so far as to say if you were juggling chain saws at a monster truck rally with the game on the jumbotron, you’d know that Chapel Hill’s offense greatly outperforms its defense. UNC needs to improve on that defense.
Tar Heel fans must tip their hats to none other than that shaky defense, however. They got the job done in the closing minutes of Pitt’s final push to the end zone. Hitting Chad Voytik on his quarterback run knocked the ball loose and UNC recovered the fumble to seal the victory. Well done, boys.
#4: Still Not Enough Rushing Yards
It seems like every game UNC participates in is set in The OK Corral surrounded by tumble weeds. Chapel Hill apparently loves a good shootout. Don’t get me wrong, it makes for an exciting game to watch. However, it doesn’t bode well for those teams every game. It takes a lot of energy to win every 80+ point shootout. There are down days every team goes through, just like people. The type of adrenalin needed for weekly heart attacks is nearly impossible to sustain.
This is where rushing becomes imperative and no, that responsibility can’t continue to solely fall on quarterback Marquise Williams. Constant rushing by the quarterback will lead to him getting hit and getting just generally exhausted—thus rending his throwing game weak in the process. While Williams is best used as a dual-threat, he must not be overused. This might lead to him getting injured and decimate UNC’s season.
Chapel Hill only rushed for 181 yards and one touchdown without Williams’ help. This is compared to Pitt’s 264 yards and four touchdowns without their quarterback’s assistance. These type of numbers will continue to lead to last-second prayers and the hope that UNC has the ball last. As seen by the five-and-five season, this strategy does not always translate to victories.