When the NC State football team (7-3 overall, 4-3 ACC) travels to Kenan Stadium on Nov. 24, it will try to make a statement against long-time rival UNC-Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels (2-8 overall, 1-6 ACC) are a team that has looked completely dysfunctional and broken down for the majority of the season. However, when looking at a rivalry game of any sort, looking past records becomes easier to do, with the all-time series being heavily contested.
Chapel Hill leads with 35 victories to NC State’s 30 since the ACC inaugural season in 1953. Chapel Hill is less than the sum of its parts, and many defensive players will pose challenges for the Pack offense. The Tar Heels are coming off of a 49-26 win over Western Carolina and the Pack is coming off of a 52-10 rout of Louisville.
Quarterback versus Secondary:
The Chapel Hill secondary plays less like one single unit and more like two separate and distinguishable units. The Tar Heel safeties, Myles Dorn and J.K. Britt are strong tacklers and play makers that have 69 tackles along with three interceptions between them.
“Both their safeties are good open-field tacklers,” head coach Dave Doeren said of both safeties.
Dorn and Britt both bring veteran leadership to the team, as Britt is a senior and Dorn is a junior. Their corners Trey Morrison and Patrice Rene on the other hand, have not played as strongly, as they only have one interception on the season between them. The corps is younger as well, with Morrison being a freshman starter.
NC State graduate QB Ryan Finley should be able to make clear and smart throws down the field, as he now has 21 touchdowns on the season. However, four of Finley’s seven interceptions have come in all of the Pack’s losses this season, and Finley should be smart with the ball and not underestimate the Tar Heel secondary, as they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Wide Receivers versus Secondary:
Starting receivers junior Kelvin Harmon, redshirt junior Jakobi Meyers and sophomore Emeka Emezie have a combined 2235 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The receivers will be covered by the previously mentioned secondary and should have no problems creating space from the Tar Heel corners but may have more of an issue with the strong tackling safeties. Harmon, Meyers and Emezie will be able to gain yardage, but will have to battle a barrage of tackles if they want to accrue yards after the catch.
The receivers have been on fire all season long and should continue their reign of dominance on the ACC but need to make sure they catch every pass that comes their way in order to seal a strong offensive performance over the Tar Heels.
Running Backs versus Linebackers:
Tar Heel linebacker Cole Holcomb might be the most talented player on the entire Chapel Hill defense. Holcomb alone has 57 tackles and 41 assists, good for 98 total tackles. Holcomb also has one sack on the season.
“You see their middle linebacker, [Cole Holcomb] makes a ton of tackles.” Doeren said.
The surefire NFL draft prospect is also a senior that brings a leadership to the entire UNC defense. However, the other linebackers do not look as fantastic, as every other linebacker on the roster has only recorded 39 tackles combined, as well as three sacks.
Senior running back Reggie Gallaspy Jr. is coming off a strong game in which he recorded 73 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the 52-10 victory over Louisville. Gallaspy will again attempt to bully his way through tackles from both the UNC linebackers and defensive line. If Gallaspy is slowed down by Holcomb, look for Doeren to use freshman Ricky Person Jr. more, despite his quiet previous two games.
Tight Ends versus Defensive Line:
Redshirt sophomore tight ends Cary Angeline and Dylan Autenrieth caught three passes, good for 33 yards in the victory over Louisville, but will continue to primarily be used on the offensive line. Creating lanes and space for running backs Gallaspy and Person will be important if the Pack is going to maintain a balanced offensive attack against UNC.
Offensive Line versus Defensive Line:
“[Jason Strowbridge], [Malik Carney] and [Tomon Fox] are disruptive players…They’re an active front, they’ve [The entire defensive unit] got 30 sacks on the season. So, it’ll be a good challenge for us with our protections and limiting their disruption,” Doeren said of the Tar Heel defensive line.
Strowbridge, Carney, Fox and defensive tackles Jeremiah Clarke and Jalen Dalton have 17 sacks alone to go along with 81 tackles on the year. The Pack offensive line on the other hand, led by graduate center Garrett Bradbury, only allowed one sack in the game against Louisville, and have only allowed six sacks all season. If the Pack o-line can hold its own against a strong d-line unit from the Tar Heels, Finley and the running backs will be able to take over the game. If not, it will make for a long day for the entire offense and coaching staff.
Matchup to Watch:
Offensive line versus Tar Heel defensive line. This battle will test the offensive line, but they have the capability to allow for a complete takeover and domination of the game by the rest of the offense, if they play well. Another interesting battle will be to see if Gallaspy can escape Holcomb and continue to make big plays as he has been for the last few weeks.
Offensive MVP:
Kelvin Harmon. In his last ACC battle, and rivalry battle with UNC, Harmon can definitely make one last strong case to be a first round pick in the NFL. With a dominant performance in this game, Harmon can not only help the Pack win, but can set himself up for success as a professional.
