2017 ACC Football: Coastal Division Power Rankings week 5

Long Way to Go (Headed Home)

For a recap of the game against Georgia Tech click here.

I was originally going to go with the song “I’m Tired”, which has to be how the defense felt after the Georgia Tech game. The embattled defense put up a good fight but just ran out of gas by the end of the game.

Georgia Tech used two long drives to keep the Tar Heels defense on the field for 72 percent of the first half and 64 percent for the game.

That is just too much time that the defense had to be on the field, focused on stopping one of the more nuanced running attacks in college football.

Instead, I went with “Long Way to Go” because this team, particularly the offense has a long way to go this season.

In the past two games, UNC is 5-of-28 on third down (17.8 percent) and is averaging 13 first downs a contest.

That starts with the quarterback Chazz Surratt, who failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season against the Yellow Jackets.

The youngster has now thrown two interceptions in the past two games, after throwing none in his first three.

It also falls on the running game, which has only produced one 100 yard rushing performance this year and is averaging only four yards per attempt.

Finally, it falls on the receiving core, which has been decimated by injuries. It is hard enough to move the ball with a redshirt freshman quarterback making difficult throws but when he makes a good one and the receivers drop them, it only hurts more.

Regardless, the team is headed home.

Of course, things don’t get any easier there, as they are 0-3 in Chapel Hill this season and still have a long ways to go as they take on the 3-1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.