No, it isn't the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl or the Orange Bowl, but the novelty of a bowl game will never wear off for me. There's the new venue -- El Paso, Texas -- but more interestingly there's a new opponent. (And after four straight Big Ten bowl game opponents, we finally get a new conference.)
Sometimes a team's schedule of results tells you all you need to know about its season, but in the case of Stanford's Sun Bowl opponents, the North Carolina Tarheels, it only raises questions. After an understandable opening week loss to Georgia, they righted the ship with four straight wins, capping the streak with a 37-35 road win over #12 Florida State. But how did they follow that up with a blowout home loss to Virginia Tech? They rebounded from that disappointment with a road win over #16 Miami and then two more victories over Virginia and Georgia Tech to bring their record to 7-2 and climb to #17 in the CFP rankings -- but how did they lose to the worst team in the ACC (Duke) the following Saturday? Two weeks after that humbling loss, they finished their regular season with another surprising loss, this time to rival NC State. I'm thinking the Sun Bowl will bring them another loss. I've got it at Stanford 27, North Carolina 17.
So yes, it's been a confusing season for the Tarheels. I don't have the answers to any of these questions, so I reached out to someone who might -- Zack Pearson from KeepingItHeel.com. (You can check out my answers to his Cardinal questions over at his site.) Anyway, here's Zack...
GMC:
How did this season go for the Tarheels? Did they live up to the preseason expectations? On a related note, what happened in the closing weeks with those two troubling losses to Duke and NC State?
Keeping It Heel:
Despite losing to Georgia to open the year, the season actually started strong for the Tar Heels. They really should have beaten Georgia and showed they could hang and win games against teams like the Bulldogs. They got off to a good start in ACC play beating Pittsburgh and Florida State, but the season really turned when they lost to Virginia Tech. That game was played in hurricane-like conditions which really hurt UNC's offense. After that, they lost two rival games to NC State and Duke, games they really should have won. Coming off a ACC Title game appearance, it's easy to say that UNC did not live up to expectations.
GMC:
Without getting into too much of the details, how have the ongoing NCAA issues affected the team?
It hasn't had an impact for UNC's football team as it has for the basketball team. UNC's 2017 recruiting class is a top 30 one in football and Fedora is still managaing to get some good recruits.
GMC:
Tell me about quarterback Mitch Trubisky. What are his strengths and weaknesses? (I'm hoping there are at least some weaknesses.)
The hype around Mitch Trubisky continues to grow. This year was the first season Trubisky started, depsite being at Carolina for 3 years. Larry Fedora went with the senior Marquise Williams last season, although many believed Trubisky should have won the job. There are more strengths to his game than weaknesses right now, but that doesn't mean he's a can't miss prospect. What Mitch does best is put the ball right on the money for his receivers. He doesn't make those mistakes that will cost his team games either. He's smart with the football, has a big arm and is very accurate. He's put together an impressive season despite not having Mack Hollins for a few games. If Mitch gets going early in the game, it could be a big day for the quarterback. If he struggles early, he tends to get into a shell and throw some questionable passes. The one thing Mitch can improve on though is his ball security. He's coughed it up a few times this season.
GMC:
Can you explain what's going on with the receiving corps? Ryan Switzer had a great season, but roughly half of his production came in three games. Who are the targets that Trubisky will be looking for on Friday?
Trubisky will have his top target in Ryan Switzer for the game, who has become his go-to guy. Switzer just has a knack for finding the football in big situations like third downs. He's also a threat to take it to the house anytime he touches the ball. Switzer doesn't have a return touchdown this season, but all three previous years he's been a BIG threat in the return game with 7 in his career. As for the rest of the targets, receivers Bug Howard and Austin Proehl will be the other two guys to keep an eye on. I mentioned earlier, Mack Hollins is out for the year so that takes away one of Trubisky's biggest threats down the field.
GMC:
What about the running game? How much will the Tarheels miss leading rusher Elijah Hood?
Losing Hood is big for UNC's offense. He's their primary back who runs hard and isn't easy to bring down. Going into the bowl game, I loved the idea of Hood and Christian McCaffrey on the same field. Now UNC turns to senior running back T.J. Logan. When you hear a team's top running back is out, usually it gives the defense an advantage. But Logan is more than capabale of carrying the load. He's got the big play ability every time he touches the football and is a burner down the field. Backup Khris Francis has sturggled this season, so it will be interesting to see how much Fedora uses him.
GMC:
Speaking of leading rushers, can I assume that Carolina fans are devastated that they won't get the chance to watch Christian McCaffrey?
I think I can speak for almost every UNC fan when I say it was a sigh of relief knowing McCaffrey is out. Althought, I do think it's better when both teams are at full strength. UNC's defense has struggled big time against the run this season, so seeing the matchup for the first time when it was announced, I was extremely nervous. The Tar Heels run defense is vulernable to giving up a big day to any running back.
GMC:
The Carolina defense seems to have been a weakness this season. What have they struggled with? Who are the leaders on that side of the ball, and how do you expect them to attack the Cardinal offense?
UNC's defense has been a weakness for a few years now. It's improved the past two seaons under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik but it's still an issue. The Tar Heels have really struggled against the run this season. They were gashed by Nick Chubb, gave up a lot of yards to teams like Illinois, Virginia Tech, Florida State Duke and even James Madison. Players like M.J. Stewart, Naz Jones, Andre Smith and Des Lawrence. All have played well this season and I've been particularly impressed with the linebacker Smith. He's really becoming the heart and soul of the Tar Heels defense. With McCaffrey out, I don't think UNC's defensive gameplan changes. They must stop the Cardinal rushing attack first. If they can do that and make Stanford one-dimensional on offense, their secondary is good enough to slow down the passing attack.
GMC:
What has to happen for the Tarheels to get the win?
Offense, offense, offense. UNC has to put up points offensively and in a hurry. They've shown numerous times they can put up points with big plays but they've also gone into shells offensively. See the Duke and NC State games. I think it's going to be a high-scoring game, so UNC needs to just do enough on defense to win. Get that one turnover or key stop and score points on offense.
GMC:
What's your prediction? Give me a final score and your best guess at how we get there.
I think with Christian McCaffrey out, UNC wins. I'm going to say 45-38 or something in that range. I think both offenses have nice days, but like I said in previous question UNC gets the one key stop they need down the stretch.
