Carolina on my mind

I remember growing up when you heard the word ACC you thought of Carolina.

Duke.
North Carolina State.
UNC.
Wake Forest.

Just not in football.

UNC is looking to change that perception with excellent recruiting classes, the hiring of former Miami coach Butch Davis, and building around a young but aggressive defense. They showed their youth in their first outing against McNeese State, but looked like a tested veteran club against struggling Rutgers last week.

The one blemish?

They were outgained in BOTH contests. VTs problem is that it can't outgain a turtle at this point.

Tyrod Taylor turns every play into a fighting chance and gives this club an opportunity to turn a 5 yard loss into a 31 yard gain (see FSU game from last year).

Butch Davis has publicly stated this week that the way to beat Virginia Tech is to force TT to throw. Get him out of his comfort zone. Don't let him escape the pocket. Make him play from behind and throw to win.

Considering the youth and inexperience we have at receiver, it's a solid plan.

What no ones seems willing to talk about is our deficiency on defense. No Bud Foster, I won't tell you where I live.

The pass defense really, really scares me this year. Yes, we have Macho Harris. Yes, we have Stefan Virgil. Two scary good corners.

But what about rover?

Safety?

Were it not for a penalty against Furman, we would have been beaten on a 60 yard play action strike. Were it not for the ball being a touch overthrown last week, Kam Chancellor would have been beaten for a sure touchdown and a likely loss.

T.J. Yates is not the best quarterback in the world, but his receivers are extremely athletic and very experienced. If our defensive line cannot get pressure on him and he has all day to sit in the pocket, we are going to get torched for big yards.

What does this game come down to?

If we play the way we did last week - establishing a running game, limiting turnovers and penalties, and getting pressure with our defense, I like our chances.

But if Butch Davis' vision comes true and Tyrod is forced to win the game with his arm, I think it's a loss.

This is a crucial Coastal Division game. Win this game and we have a 2-0 running start on our side.

My thought? The winner of this game finds themselves in Tampa in early December.