UNC Football: Gene Chizik’s defense didn’t get it done
It’s not hard to see why the 2023 UNC football season went off the rails–the defense failed to deliver when this team needed it.
Bear Bryant once said, “Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.” The premise behind that quote has been much debated. But for anyone who paid attention to UNC football in 2023, there really is no debate. A season that for a time, featured talk of a New Year’s Six bid may end with a second-tier bowl bid because the defense didn’t rise to the occasion.
UNC Football finished the season ranked 75th in FBS for total defense. Only 19 other Power Five teams rank lower. Of those 19 teams, only Oklahoma State and LSU have winning records. The Tar Heel defense ranked ninth in the ACC in total defense and is the only unit ranked below seventh that has a winning overall record.
On paper, de facto defensive coordinator Gene Chizik’s defense made a far better account of itself than it did in 2022 when it finished 102nd in FBS, the eighth-worst unit in the Power Five. No Power Five defense ranked lower than UNC Football had a winning record. But the evidence is undeniable–when you’re in the bottom half of the Power Five in total defense, you’re putting far too much of a burden on your offense. Looking at those stats, one has to wonder–if not for Drake Maye leading such a prolific offense, would we be looking at a 4-8 record rather than 8-4 in 2023?
As bad as the overall picture looks, it’s even worse when you drill down into individual games. In three of UNC Football’s four losses, the defense spent a LOT of time on the field. What is more, neither loss can be blamed on the offense not giving the defense a chance to catch its breath.
The Tar Heel defense spent just over 37 minutes on the field against Virginia and gave up three scoring drives of at least 50 yards. The defense was on the field for 38 minutes against Clemson, and all five scoring drives chewed up at least 50 yards. And of course, the defense spent a whopping 40 minutes on the field against NC State, giving up four scoring drives of at least 50 yards. Drives of 50 yards or more are to be expected, especially in this age of spread offenses. But three or more? That’s inexcusable.
Another common theme this season has been poor tackling at the worst possible times. For instance, when Virginia’s Malik Washington scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown, no fewer than four Tar Heels had a chance to stop him short of the end zone. But they all appeared to try to arm-tackle him, allowing Washington to cross the goal line. Watch a clip here.
A week later against Georgia Tech, Power Echols had a chance to bring down Dontae Smith at least two yards short of a first down. But Echols didn’t wrap Smith up and essentially let Smith carry him across the line to gain. Georgia Tech would score the game-winning touchdown two plays later. Watch a clip here.
Against Clemson, Marcus Allen had a chance to take down Adam Randall two yards short of a first down. But Allen dove at Randall and missed, and what should have been only an eight-yard reception turned into 26 yards. Clemson would go on to score a touchdown that, in hindsight, flipped the momentum away from UNC Football. Watch a clip here.
Looking at these clips, I found myself thinking back to the first game of Chizik’s first stint as defensive coordinator–the 2015 Belk Kickoff Game against South Carolina. I couldn’t help but notice that the Gamecocks got underneath the Tar Heels a lot. However, on the light rail ride back home, a Gamecock fan recalled that when Chizik was head coach at Auburn from 2009 to 2012, his defenses were sure tacklers. He assured me that Chizik would have UNC Football tackling better before long.
Judging by what we’ve seen since Chizik’s return, though, that promise hasn’t come to pass yet. After Chizik’s unit allowed the Wolfpack to hit paydirt on its first seven possessions, Twitter/X lit up with criticism of Chizik’s performance.
Clearly, something has to change in 2024, especially if Maye opts for the NFL Draft. The UNC Football program simply can’t afford to rely solely on the offense if it has any hope of breaking through.
The obvious question–is Chizik the man to make those changes?
That remains to be seen.
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