2017 ACC Football: Coastal Division Power Rankings week 3

Austin

For a recap of the game against Old Dominion click here.

I am not going to use Blake Shelton and not find a way to get Austin into the mix. And if I am going to use Austin then I am going to use it on North Carolina and their star receiver.

For the season Austin Proehl has 15 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown. Despite having a slow start he still finished the game against Old Dominion with three receptions for 48 yards and the score on a beautifully thrown ball from Chazz Surratt.

Teams know the Tar Heels want to throw the ball to Proehl and he still leads all receivers in receptions (by five) and receiving yards (by 102). Hopefully he and Surratt will continue to hook up for huge games this season.

Outside of Proehl, the team obviously looked pretty good against the Monarchs. However, several concerns still remain for this team despite the big win.

First, the defense is still susceptible to the big play. UNC gave up five plays of 20 yards or more. Two of those directly led to Old Dominion scores. Against good teams, this can not happen.

Second, is the use of Michael Carter. A week after getting only eight carries against Louisville, Carter did see 13 carries this week. However a lot those came later in the game and he didn’t get his first carry until the fourth drive.

I know Jordon Brown had a big game, but Carter is a homerun threat, much like TJ Logan was last season. The more touches he gets the more successful this team will be. He did score a touchdown in his third straight game, which is even more reason he should see more carries.

Third, are there enough winnable games left on the schedule? This was discussed earlier this week but it is still a concern even with the win. The Tar Heels still play seven teams that are .500 or better.

It is easy to get excited about a big win, but competition is key. Now if the Tar Heels can find a way to beat Duke this Saturday, then talk of a bowl appearance seems a little more likely.