North Carolina approached Week 9 as the only unranked one-loss Power 5 team. The Heels have more than earned Top 25 status following a 26-19 road win over Pitt. More importantly, the Tar Heels will enter a November 7th showdown with Duke with at least a share of the Coastal Division lead in hopes of winning its first division title since the ACC split in 2005.
Jeff Greenberg of SportsGlutton.com joins MarkRogersTV to break down the game that broke the tie with the Panthers and advanced UNC to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. Quarterback Marquise Williams shook off a blatant face mask that nearly brought him to his knees to extend the play and find Ryan Switzer (5 receptions, 126 yards, TD) for a 71-yard score that got the Heels rolling.
Williams didn’t turn the ball over against a Top Ten nationally ranked Pitt defense, and produced 322 total yards and two touchdowns. Quinshad Davis hauled in three passes for a mere 24 yards, but became the schools’ all-time leading receiver with 182 receptions to surpass Hakeem Nicks previous mark.
While Leonard Fournette leads a running back Heisman parade with the likes of Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott chasing him to New York, Elijah Hood may be the nation’s least appreciated back. Hood slugged away at a sturdy Panther run defense for 98 yards on 20 carries.
North Carolina’s #1 ranked ACC offense is both fun and impressive to watch, but it’s on the other side of the ball that UNC has kicked in its Heels under first year defensive coordinator Gene Chizek. Carolina sacked Pitt quarterback Nate Peterman (27 of 42, 262 yards, TD) five times and challenged Panther receivers downfield, holding All-ACC performer Tyler Boyd to just 89 yards on 10 catches. The Heels laughing stock of a defense that was ripped at a clip of 39 points per game in 2014, has been the key to a seven-game winning streak.
North Carolina-Pitt Instant Analysis
