Georgia Bulldogs

Tar Heels Football: Takeaways from UNC vs. Georgia

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The North Carolina Tar Heels opened the 2016 college football season with a loss to Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

It wasn’t the start the Tar Heels had hoped for and marked back-to-back seasons in which they lost to an SEC team. This game was a game of runs, both literally and figuratively. Although North Carolina was not victorious, there were several highs and lows that were visible in this game.

The good news is that there is still plenty of season left, but this game gave us some early takeaways.

Let’s take a look at observations from the UNC/Georgia matchup.

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina’s Run Defense, or lack thereof

Let’s be blunt and honest. North Carolina’s run defense was horrible on Saturday.

Georgia did their homework on Carolina. Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb rushed 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Chubb averaged 6.9 yards per carry. His biggest run was a 55-yard touchdown that sealed the win for Georgia.

Chubb was merely unstoppable on Saturday, his first game back from a season-ending injury he suffered in 2015. He looked unstoppable at times and gave UNC fits. The bad thing about this was the simplicity to Georgia’s offense. The Bulldogs ran the ball 52 times compared to 12 passes, but that really wasn’t surprising seeing that UNC couldn’t stop the run.

Two of Georgia’s passes took place during pivotal moments in this game. UNC’s true freshman Patrice Rene was called for two consecutive passing interference calls against the Bulldogs. These calls set up a touchdown for Georgia, cutting UNC’s lead to 24-21.

Although Georgia committed to the run, they used pass plays sparingly. Georgia’s decision to continuously run the ball was based on Carolina’s inability to stop it.

In addition, the announcers discussed how Georgia ran the same play over and over again during the game. Watching the game, I thought the same thing. I was constantly saying to myself, “It’s going to be a run.”

This loss to Georgia represents a blueprint for other teams to beat UNC. Run the ball against them and avoid throwing the ball towards M.J. Stewart, Jr. or Des Lawrence.

 Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Mitch Trubisky – Ready or Not?

Is Mitch Trubisky ready to lead the Tar Heels or not?

 Trubisky did not do anything too bad, but he did not do anything too well against Georgia. His performance was solid but there’s still room for improvement.

Trubisky did not throw any touchdowns or interceptions. He completed 24 passes for 156 yards, averaged 3.9 yards per pass and his quarterback rating was 39.5. Trubisky did run for a touchdown on a flawless quarterback bootleg.

Although stats like this do not scream “Heisman Watch,” Trubisky showed that he is capable of running the show in Chapel Hill at times. Trubisky showed a great deal of poise. His decision-making was good. He made completed safe throws.

The throws that were not caught could have and would have changed the outlook of this game. Trubisky had several deep passes that would have been tallied over 50 yards each. Trubisky is not scared to go for the big play early in the game. If a guy is open down the field, Trubisky will air out the ball to him.

In Trubisky’s defense, Mack Hollins did not play until the second half against Georgia due to a targeting penalty from the Russell Athletic Bowl Game. Hollins is UNC’s best deep threat target. However, on the last offensive play for Carolina Trubisky threw the ball out of bounds on a fourth down. He did not give any receiver a chance to catch the ball to advance for a first down. There is no excuse for that.

More on Hollins.

He had one catch for six yards. Hollins averaged 24.7 yards per catch last season. He is a big play receiver. In addition, Ryan Switzer had a quiet game despite reeling in seven catches for 52 yards. Neither one of these all-ACC players scored against Georgia. That raises a lot of concern.

Can you blame Trubisky, UNC head coach Larry Fedora or the receivers for no touchdowns on Saturday?

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Suspect Play-Calling for UNC’s defense

North Carolina could not stop Georgia’s Nick Chubb whatsoever. For crying out loud, Chubb rushed 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Don’t get me wrong. Chubb is really good. He is not chopped liver or some average running back.

However, North Carolina’s defense allowed him to do whatever he wanted. Everyone in the stadium sensed that Georgia was going to pound the ball down Carolina’s throat after several minutes in the first quarter.

Why couldn’t UNC’s coaching staff figure that out?

Moreover, Georgia averaged 5.6 yards per carry. They averaged a first down every two downs. The box score gives us a more realistic view of what took place. Georgia converted half of their 14 third down possessions to first downs.

Sooner or later, Carolina has to throw all their cards in the deck and put nine or 10 players in the box. Do an all-out blitz and shut Chubb down. Georgia committed to the run early in the game, despite having two quarterbacks who are capable of throwing the deep ball.

Georgia merely called Carolina’s bluff in this game. It was a good ‘ole game of chess and Carolina was checkmated over and over and over and over again.

If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Why should Georgia abandon the run if North Carolina cannot stop it?

Exactly. Now, every UNC opponent will attempt to do what Georgia did.

 Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Logan Deserves More Touches

T.J. Logan played very well against Georgia. He had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and had six rushes for 80 yards. He added a rushing touchdown on an early second half drive for the Tar Heels.

Logan was responsible for 14 of UNC’s 24 points on Saturday.

Point blank: he is a game-changer and needs the ball more. Elijah Hood may be the star of UNC’s offense, but T.J. Logan should get some of the limelight as well.

Keep in mind that this game was not a fluke. Logan started at running back before Hood arrived at UNC. North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora may want to utilize a dual running back set so both players can maximize their touches.

North Carolina has been successful with dual running backs in the past. In 1993, UNC used this formation with Curtis Johnson and Leon Johnson. Both Johnson’s rushed for over 1,000 yards that season.

This can work, since Hood represents UNC’s power back while Logan is the speedster.

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Elijah Hood Needs More Carries

Since we are on the topic of running backs, where was Elijah Hood on Saturday? He barely touched the ball. This is unacceptable to say the least. Hood is Carolina’s best player. Against Georgia, Hood rushed 10 times for 72 yards. Hood averaged 7.2 yards per carry. Hood’s longest run was for 32 yards.

Obviously, Hood was having his way on the field with his high average yard per carry. UNC decided not to commit to the run against Georgia. North Carolina ran 19 times while passing the ball 24 times.

Last season, Hood proved that he is one of the best backs in the nation. Last season, he rushed 219 times for 1,463 and 17 touchdowns. My question is this: Why is Hood only rushing 10 times against another top-25 opponent?

In big games, you lean on your best players. Clearly, this was not the case on Saturday for UNC. A 1-2 punch with Hood and Logan could have been the x-factor for UNC. Hood is too good to have only 10 touches in a game. Maximize this young man’s potential. He is one of the best running backs ever to play at UNC. The coaching staff needs to base their play-calling off this premise.

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Final thoughts

The offensive play-calling against Georgia was atrocious. After UNC head coach Larry Fedora received a flag for unsportmanslike conduct, UNC was pushed back deep into their own territory.

Several minutes later, North Carolina’s quarterback Mitch Trubisky throws a screen pass to Elijah Hood. Consequently, Hood is tackled in the end zone and Georgia gets a safety. In addition to receiving two points, Georgia gets the ball.

This sequence changed the momentum of the game. North Carolina was winning 24-14 early in the second half. After marching down the field and scoring a touchdown, Georgia got the safety. Some people blame the referees for UNC’s lost. UNC’s defense did not help the cause. The play-calling on offense was suspect as well, as noted here.

UNC should have played it safe and done a quarterback sneak instead of the screen pass. Trubisky is a runner similar to former UNC quarterback Marquise Williams. On Saturday, Trubisky rushed three times for yards.

Former track athlete Trubisky didn’t get to show off his speed against Georgia. UNC missed a golden opportunity to do this.

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