We are just moments away from UNC’s return to Kenan Stadium to face off against Richmond. The last time that the Tar Heels played at home, things couldn’t have went more poorly. TCU came in and ran them off the field, which literally led to many fans leaving way before the final whistle. The dark times aren’t likely to repeat this afternoon, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a hint of concern when it comes to how effective the Heels’ game plan will be against the Spiders.
The big things to
keep an eye on in this one is ultimately the offensive game plan. While not perfect, the defense performed pretty well against Charlotte last week, and the special teams unit has honestly been the best group. Things on offense continued to be just OK against the 49ers, but that was good enough to take down a team that didn’t seem to have their own wrinkles ironed out. It goes without saying that UNC shouldn’t have to pull out fancy tricks in their playbook to beat Richmond (emphasis on shouldn’t), but showing a bit more variety will likely be the difference between this game looking like they beat an ACC team and it looking more like they actually beat a FCS team. Another way to say that is: the Heels have no business only winning this game by 17 points like last weekend.
Whether or not the Heels win this game, waiting for them next is UCF, who has the week off after annihilating North Carolina A&T. This is yet another reason that it will be important for the Heels to show some sign of improvement, because facing the Knights on the road is less than ideal from where things sit at the moment. This all probably sounds dramatic, but at the same time that is what happens when there is so much hype around the team and things start the way that they have. Yes, whether the hype was deserved or not is debatable, but that’s neither here nor there.
Anyways, we will be back at the end of the game with some post-game analysis and takes. Until then, Go Heels!
