By Eddy Landreth, Staff Writer
Defeating LSU would have been a phenomenal accomplishment for the depleted Carolina team that traveled to the Georgia Dome to play in the season’s opener against the Tigers.
But defeating the team from Georgia in Carolina’s own division of the Atlantic Coast Conference would be an even greater accomplishment at this point. Georgia Tech (1-1) travels to Chapel Hill for the Tar Heels (0-1) home opener on Saturday at noon. The winner will be undefeated in the race for the division championship and a spot in the conference title game in December.
The Yellow Jackets have a new 3-4 defense brought to Atlanta by former Virginia coach Al Groh, now Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator, and the same triple-option offense that helped propel them to the ACC championship and the Orange Bowl a year ago.
“Every time you play them,†UNC senior linebacker Bruce Cater said, “the key word is ‘discipline.’ You just want to go out there and play fundamentally sound. The entire game you’ve got to play disciplined.
“You don’t want to do someone else’s job. They could break off some big runs just with [you] trying to be greedy and trying to do two things at once. You can’t do that against a team like Georgia Tech.â€
In 2008, a Carolina defender seemed to be waiting for the ball wherever the Yellow Jackets ran. UNC forced three turnovers and won going away, 24-7.
Last season, UNC’s discipline broke. Georgia Tech ran for 317 yards and held the ball for 42 of the 60 minutes. The Tar Heels absolutely cannot let Georgia Tech pound on them at will and hope to win this game.
“The buzzword from day one last Tuesday has been discipline, responsibilities, read your keys,†coach Butch Davis said. “Make sure you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.â€
If UNC had the defense everyone expected to be on the field back in June, it’s hard to imagine Carolina not giving Georgia Tech fits. But with so many players still in limbo because of an NCAA investigation and Carolina’s own internal investigation, it’s hard to know how a far more inexperienced defense will perform.
At this point, it does not matter, Davis said.
“We’ve taken the mindset that the guys who played against LSU, that is who we are going to play with,†Davis said. “If we’re fortunate to get guys back, that is good for us.â€
One player who will return is senior running back Shaun Draughn. If Draughn can help Carolina maintain control of the ball and create some long, time-consuming drives that result in touchdowns, the release of pressure on the defense would be enormous.
Davis said he is just glad his team will be playing at Kenan Stadium. There is no doubt this depleted and publicly battered team could use the support of its fans, Davis said.
“It’s exciting to get back, play the first home game at Kenan Stadium,†Davis said. “I think the guys are excited about playing and looking forward to the challenge this week.â€