Boston College vs. UNC: Weekly Kickoff
After a stunning come from behind win against Texas State, Jeff Hafley's squad has to turn the page and prepare for #12 North Carolina. The team is riding high after two straight emotional wins. But the squad they face on Saturday is nothing like the first two teams BC have faced. The Tar Heels are much more careful with the ball than Duke, and features more high end talent than Texas State.
The North Carolina Tar Heels, led by legendary coach Mack Brown have turned heads over the past two seasons. They brought in quarterback Sam Howell, a dual threat quarterback who threw for 3,641 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a true freshman. And the future looks brighter as Brown has turned UNC's recruiting classes into one of the best in the country. Earlier this summer, he landed Tony Grimes, a five star cornerback and one of the best in the country, who then reclassified and should play against the Eagles.
The talent of Mack Brown's squad really jumps off the page. Along with Howell, the Tar Heels have Dazz Newsome who had 72 catches for 1018 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He isn't the only pass catching threat, as UNC also features Dyami Brown who also had over 1,000 receiving yards last season. On the defensive side of the ball, look for Chazz Surratt, arguably the best linebacker in the ACC. Last season he led the conference with 115 tackles.
It has been odd start of the season for the Tar Heels as they have only played one game due to COVID-19 cancellations. They opened the year with a big win against Syracuse on September 12th, but due to an open week and Charlotte postponing their game, haven't played since. This could mean one of two things: the Tar Heels are rusty from having so much time off, or they are extra prepared for the Eagles.
Jeff Hafley has been faced with two tests so far this season and has passed them both. Against Duke, the question was how would the team look and respond after a chaotic summer. After a tough start offensively, we got to see BC come out of the locker room after halftime and lock the game down. Against a scrappy Texas State squad, Boston College had to claw back and play sound football down the stretch and win with late game heroics. This weekend, BC is going to need to put together four quarters of good football. They can't waste drives, or wait until after halftime to "turn it on".
Can BC put together a complete game against one of the best teams in the country? We will have to wait until Saturday to find out.
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