The Tar Heels begin their three game in-state rivalry stand today against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. This was truly a diabolical schedule that the ACC constructed for UNC, but given the fact that this
was also one of the easiest schedules in the conference this season, it makes sense that they wanted to add some spice somewhere. Following this game, the Heels will travel back to the Triangle to face off against Duke, and then their final game of the season will be against NC State. Winning two of the final three games will earn the Heels a trip to a bowl game, so today’s game is an important one.
The Demon Deacons are having a much better season than the Heels, but that isn’t to say that they have played exceptional football. This has been a good defensive team that also has had a good run game, but passing the ball is where things have been sub-optimal. The Heels have a similar situation on their hands, but the last couple of games would tell you that Gio Lopez is finally starting to cook a little bit. This game will tell us whether or not that is actually true, because in case it needs to be said: being productive against Stanford and Syracuse doesn’t tell us anything.
This game will be interesting from a hostile environment standpoint as well — UNC doesn’t travel to Winston-Salem super often, and their fans are eager for the Deacs to put a hurtin’ on a team that had a lot of noise behind it during the preseason thanks to Bill Belichick. Don’t be surprised if we witness miscues on offense, but hopefully by the time the second half arrives Lopez & Co. have figured out how to navigate it.
As always, we will be back after the game with post-game analysis and takes. Until then, have fun in the comments section, and Go Heels!
