Keeping It Heel
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UNC Football: Defense made plays when needed in Saturday’s victory

By Spencer Schultz

CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 24: Coach Gene Chizik of the North Carolina Tar Heels against the Virginia Cavaliers during their game at Kenan Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 26-13. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 24: Coach Gene Chizik of the North Carolina Tar Heels against the Virginia Cavaliers during their game at Kenan Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 26-13. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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UNC’s defense stepped up in a big way in Saturday’s 27-24 win at Miami. The victory improved their overall record to 5-1 and 2-0 in the ACC.

The UNC football program completed a big-time victory over the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday. The win positioned them in a perfect spot on the Coastal side of the ACC, as they are the lone undefeated team in the conference now.

In the aftermath of the victory, defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and his unit deserve some credit. It’s a group that has struggled all year long, and they were far from perfect on Saturday. In the first four games, the defense allowed an average of 39.5 points per game.

They excelled against a poor Virginia Tech offense last weekend, allowing just 10 points. After the win over Miami, that’s back-to-back encouraging performances from the group. They’ve done it in two completely different ways too, as Miami was able to move the ball at will on Saturday.

Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke enjoyed a career-high 496 passing yards on the day, along with three touchdowns. Miami’s offense accumulated 539 total yards, but UNC’s defense got stops when it mattered most.

It was the epitome of the “bend but don’t break” defensive approach. In specific, they made Miami completely one-dimensional. On the ground, Miami had 24 attempts for just 43 yards (1.8 yards per carry). North Carolina’s front seven was crucial all day long, not letting Miami get that aspect of their offense going.

Linebacker Cedric Gray made arguably the biggest play of the game, forcing a fumble in North Carolina territory. Fellow linebacker Power Echols had a phenomenal game as well, racking up a team-high 12 total tackles in the win. DeAndre Boykins was able to cap everything off with a game-sealing interception.

In a game in which the offense had a season-low 27 points, the defense stepped up when the team needed them the most. It was expected to be an offensive shootout, but both defenses stepped up.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but for now, Chizik and this defense deserve their flowers.

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