Tar Heels Football: Takeaways from UNC vs. Georgia

North Carolina’s Run Defense, or lack thereof

Let’s be blunt and honest. North Carolina’s run defense was horrible on Saturday.

Georgia did their homework on Carolina. Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb rushed 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Chubb averaged 6.9 yards per carry. His biggest run was a 55-yard touchdown that sealed the win for Georgia.

Chubb was merely unstoppable on Saturday, his first game back from a season-ending injury he suffered in 2015. He looked unstoppable at times and gave UNC fits. The bad thing about this was the simplicity to Georgia’s offense. The Bulldogs ran the ball 52 times compared to 12 passes, but that really wasn’t surprising seeing that UNC couldn’t stop the run.

Two of Georgia’s passes took place during pivotal moments in this game. UNC’s true freshman Patrice Rene was called for two consecutive passing interference calls against the Bulldogs. These calls set up a touchdown for Georgia, cutting UNC’s lead to 24-21.

Although Georgia committed to the run, they used pass plays sparingly. Georgia’s decision to continuously run the ball was based on Carolina’s inability to stop it.

In addition, the announcers discussed how Georgia ran the same play over and over again during the game. Watching the game, I thought the same thing. I was constantly saying to myself, “It’s going to be a run.”

This loss to Georgia represents a blueprint for other teams to beat UNC. Run the ball against them and avoid throwing the ball towards M.J. Stewart, Jr. or Des Lawrence.