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UNC Football: 5 Keys To Victory vs. Illinois
What must UNC do to beat Illinois on Saturday?
The Illinois fighting Illini are looking to avenge a 48-14 loss from the hands of North Carolina last season.
A great deal has changed with both teams from the last time they met however.
North Carolina’s former quarterback Marquise Williams graduated and handed over the job to current starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky backed up Williams for the past two seasons and is getting his first shot at being the starter.
Illinois comes into this game with a new coach and undefeated record. Former NFL coach Lovie Smith runs the show for Illinois. Last week, Illinois defeated Murray State 52-3.
Here are five things UNC must do to win on Saturday:
Sep 19, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Elijah Hood (34) runs the ball during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feed Elijah Hood the ball!
Elijah Hood is arguably the best player on North Carolina’s football roster.
Hood can take over a game with his power. Last week, he had 10 carries for 72 yards against the Georgia Bulldogs. UNC head coach Larry Fedora did not take advantage of Hood’s combination of power and speed against Georgia.
Illinois will be out for Carolina blue blood against UNC. Illinois wants to get revenge for the 48-14 beatdown last season and start off the season 2-0 for their new coach Lovie Smith.
Hood should get 20-25 carries tonight. Feeding him the ball controls the flow of the game.
Last week, he did not get a chance to impact the game in a major way. This week, a victory depends on Hood is used.
Apr 16, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Wes Lunt (12) hands the ball off to running back Kendrick Foster (22) during the Illinois Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
UNC’s defense must slow down Illinois’ high-powered offense!
Illinois has a “Big Three” on offense including quarterback Wes Lunt, running back Kendrick Foster and wide receiver Malik Turner. The trio has played together for three years so they know each other very well. Lunt is a senior, while Foster and Turner are juniors.
Last week against Murray State, this trio dominated the game. Lunt completed 15 of his 21 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Foster rushed four times for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Turner caught three passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
There were no mistakes in these statistics. Foster only ran four times. Two of those four runs resulted in scores. Out of Turner’s three receptions, two of them were for scores, as well.
Although Murray State posed no threat, Illinois imposed their will on them. They will try to do the same against North Carolina tonight.
UNC needs to pressure Illinois’ Lunt. Their defensive front line has to win the battle against Illinois’ offensive front line in order to control today’s game. UNC defensive tackle Nazair Jones will need to come up big today. He is one of the leaders on Carolina’s defense.
Sep 3, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kendrick Foster (22) scores a touchdown against Murray State Racers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
UNC’s run defense must stop Illinois’ Kendrick Foster!
As stated earlier, last week Kendrick Foster rushed four times for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, he touched the ball four times against Murray State.
.UNC’s run defense is nonexistent. Georgia did not respect Carolina’s defense. That’s why they ran the ball with running back Nick Chubb 32 times, which resulted in a few scores and over 200 yards; from one player.
If North Carolina’s run defense shows today, Illinois will have a hard time scoring against the Tar Heels. Point blank. UNC’s run defense is the question mark for this game. Can they stop the run?
Foster comes into this game well-rested and very confident.
Last week, Foster dominated the game with four carries. North Carolina’s ability to stop explosive runs from Foster will be a determining factor in the outcome of today’s game.
North Carolina can not afford to allow Foster to do things like this:
Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back T.J. Logan (8) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter of the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
T.J. Logan needs more exposure on offense and special teams!
Last week, UNC’s T.J. Logan almost willed North Carolina to victory by himself. Logan rushed six times for 80 yards and one touchdown on offense. In addition, Logan had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. In fact, Logan’s two touchdowns put North Carolina ahead 24-14 against Georgia in the third quarter.
Although UNC teammate Elijah Hood may be the workhorse and best player on the team, Logan may be the most versatile player on North Carolina’s roster.
Logan can return kickoffs, punts, play running back and wide receiver.
Logan’s speed speaks for itself.
He took control of the game last week against Georgia. UNC head coach Larry Fedora may want to use a dual running back set to give Logan more reps on offense. Neither Hood or Logan should be a lot of time on the bench, in particular, Logan.
Last week was no fluke. Hood may be ahead on the depth chart at running back, but it does not mean that Logan is not just as good.
Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) runs for a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter of the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
UNC’s Mitch Trubisky needs to be more aggressive!
Trubisky had a safe performance against Georgia. He completed 24 of his 40 pass attempts for 140 yards and ran for one touchdown. Trubisky connected with Ryan Switzer seven times for 52 yards.
Although Trubisky rushed for a touchdown, he did not throw any. This cannot happen today. Trubisky has to take advantage of golden opportunities that will lead to Carolina touchdowns.
North Carolina lost to Georgia 33-24 last week. Carolina could have easily scored close to 50 points if Trubisky would have connected on several deep throws throughout the game. Some of the incomplete passes were not Trubisky’s fault.
However, Trubisky overthrew a few wide receivers who had open paths to the end zone.
Against Georgia, Trubisky did not show how gifted he is. Trubisky is one of the best-kept secrets in the college football. He is just as good as Marquise Williams. Rather, as actor Vince Vaughn said in one of his cult movies, Trubisky ‘is money and doesn’t even know it.’
Trubisky should settle down and relax. The talent is there. He has a great arm. In addition, he is very quick (he ran track in high school). Trubisky has the makings of a star quarterback. Just do like Nike says and ‘just do it.’
Trubisky should rebound from last week’s game and have a better outing against Illinois.
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