Lessons Learned from the UNC football program's victory over NC Central

Des Evans stands up

Des Evans has been praised by the UNC football coaching staff for playing at a high level despite not having gaudy stats. Evans plays the strong-side defensive end, and isn't given free range to rush the passer. He has responsibilities that he fulfills at a high level.

Last night, he had a great stat night as well, especially for a defensive end. The super senior racked up four solo tackles (three for loss), a sack, and pass break up on 3rd & 4 that killed a drive. With the recent emergence of Jahvaree Ritzie and the eventual return of Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina has a lot of interesting pieces on the defensive line.

The next step for Evans is to cut out the penalties. Last night, he was flagged for two roughing the passer calls, the first of which gave NC Central a 1st & goal from the five-yard line. J'Mari Taylor punched it in from a quarterback toss on the very next play.

You absolutely need an edge to dominate on the defensive line. But in order to make the strongest steel, you need to heat up your iron ore, then plunge it into cold water. Evans and the defense need to be hot and cold in order to succeed.