In which this game has a whole new meaning
Ah yes, in a weekend that turned college football upside down, the Jackets avoided the upset and covered the spread. The announcers boasted about how Duke was a calm and collected second-half team who had never let their opponent score in the game’s final quarter. Thankfully we shut that talk down quickly, out-scoring the Devils 14-0 in the fourth and even stealing an interception in garbage time. Fittingly, this week we take on the other team from college basketball’s best rivalry: UNC. This game has been a classic for several years, as we have three straight wins against a ranked Tar Heel team. Unfortunately, we cannot extend the streak to four, because UNC decided to hire Geoff Collins, therefore they are not even close to being ranked. This matchup holds even more meaning this year and is highly anticipated. Here is What I Think I Know as the Jackets look to take home the victory bell this Saturday at noon.
Jamal Haynes is back!
All is right in the world now that Jamal Haynes is back to 100% health. He seemed like a different person, reverting to his ways from the beginning of the season. It was awesome to see him smiling and celebrating his birthday with the ACC Huddle crew, as his parents came and gave him a cake while filming the post-game show. Haynes tied his career-high with 128 rushing yards on 19 carries. His shiftiness was back and there were no signs of any injury looming, which is a huge positive.
While we have this weapon fully back on the depth chart, it would be nice to see us get a little more creative with our playcalling. It felt like we had a dynamic and fun start to the year, and the offensive book has just…shrunk. Sure, maybe it’s because Jamal Haynes was hurt, and some speculate that maybe even King is a little banged up, but I would love to see more diversity in the playcalling. King can sling the ball around, so I think we should let him throw riskier passes than the tunnel screen and take some deep shots down the field. The run has been successful and I would love for it to stay that way, but adding King’s arm talent to the mix will take our offense to the next level.
If we can control the clock like we did against Duke, we have a chance in every game
As I touched on last week, in all of our wins we have had around 200 yards rushing. I think it is worth pointing out that this week we racked up 245 yards on the ground, which allowed us to control the clock and, therefore the game. We held the ball for 39:27, as compared to Duke’s 20:33. This is nearly double their time of possession, both wearing out their defense and keeping the ball out of their offense’s hands. In our two losses, Syracuse held the ball for 36 minutes, and Louisville had the ball for only 28 minutes, but they also had two non-offensive scores. Keeping the ball in our hands for the Duke game was what kept us alive, and is a winning recipe moving forward. Call me crazy, but keep the offensive play calling fun and dynamic, and keep the ball in our hands, and we have a chance to win in any game. Just run the dang ball!!
UNC has a vulnerable defense
North Carolina hasn’t looked the worst defensively, but they haven’t looked great. Their most notable subpar performances have been against Pitt, where they gave up 520 yards, and James Madison, who had 611 yards and 70 points. The Heels are sitting at 93rd in total defense and 52nd in rush defense, allowing 125 yards per game. These were their two best offensive opponents by far, and we should pose another challenge for the Heels. Let’s flashback to last year’s game, shall we? 635 yards, 348 rushing yards, and 240 rushing yards in the fourth quarter alone. Sure, this is a different season, but we should be able to put up yards once again. I expect the Jackets to score a lot, but I also expect UNC to keep this close. Omarion Hampton is a speedy and athletic back who will give us trouble on Saturday. He will arguably be the biggest challenge at running back that we have faced all year, and it will test just how far our run defense has come from last season. For those that don’t remember, last season we ended at 131st in run defense, and so far this year we are 11th (first in the ACC), allowing 87.5 yards per game. Can we contain Hampton and win this game? It will all come down to whose defense can show up, and whose will fall short.
See everyone for this wonderful noon CW matchup. Go Jackets!