Can the Tar Heels Finish?

Okay, so the Tar Heels beat Duke. Let us all please take a deep breath. I am pleased that we finally won a game against an ACC opponent that we were supposed to beat, but I am not satisfied because my confidence for these last two games is at an all-time low. ​

This weekend, we are heading to Clemson, South Carolina, to take on the Clemson Tigers. Even though Clemson is having one of the worst seasons since the Dabo era started, going to Death Valley scares me. The last time the Tar Heels entered Death Valley and won a football game against the Clemson Tigers was in 2001. Since then, the Tar Heels have gone 1-8 against Clemson, including two ACC Title game losses.

The Tar Heels are heading into this game as a 6.5-point underdog, which is reasonable, but we don't know what Carolina will show up this Saturday. Are we going to get the Carolina that can put a beatdown on Miami, Syracuse, or Minnesota, or will we get the Carolina that lets Virginia and Georgia tech curb-stomp them? This team is so consistently inconsistent you never know what you'll get. I guess that's what keeps things interesting, though.

Chip Lindsey and his offense are electric and statistically one of the top offenses in the nation. Per @UNCFootball on X, the Heels have the 8th-highest PPG in the nation, 3rd in Total Offensive YPG, Drake Maye has the 3rd most PYPG, and Omarion Hampton has the second most RYPG. To say the offense is humming is an understatement. Not to bring up a sore subject, but it makes me wonder where Tez would be statistically if the NCAA didn't hate their athletes.

All eyes are on the defense and if they can get something put together. They have allowed 38 touchdowns this season, which puts them as one of the bottom 50 teams in this statistical category. If there's one thing that I'll remember about this Mack Brown era, it is that he brought us some excellent, playoff-caliber offenses but could not put the pieces together on defense.

This weekend is going to tell us how good the Tar Heels really are or are not. I think if any team can go into Death Valley and win a ball game, you can write yourself off as a good team, even when Clemson is having a down season. I am excited to see what this can do for the remainder of the season, but that defense will forever scare me.