Saturday's contest against the Duke Blue Devils is pivotal for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are looking for their second straight win in conference play.
North Carolina was fortunate to escape last week with a win over the Pittsburgh Panthers, as it was outplayed for the majority of the contest. Although Duke is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, it still presents plenty of challenges for the Tar Heels. With that in mind, here are my confidence levels in North Carolina's coaching, offense, and defense in Week 7 against Duke.
Coaching: 4/10
To head coach Bill Belichick's credit, he's taken over the defensive play-calling, and that unit has been more than serviceable. Allowing 28 and 37 points in consecutive games indicates that the defense has been subpar, but those results were a byproduct of the offense struggling to sustain drives.
That said, Duke's head coach Manny Diaz is incredibly underrated and deserves the lion's share of credit for where the Blue Devils football program currently stands. Since taking over at Duke in 2024, Diaz owns a 22-10 record, including nine-win seasons in his first two years, and an ACC Championship in 2025. The Blue Devils are 4-1 in his third year at the helm. You can argue that Duke has fewer resources to invest in the roster. Diaz deserves a considerable edge over Belichick.
Offense: 7/10
Duke's defense has allowed 14.4 points per game, which may indicate it's an elite defense. However, the Blue Devils' level of competition has been subpar. In last week's loss to Georgia Tech, which entered the contest 1-3, Duke allowed 28 points and 165 rushing yards.
Although it's been an uneven first five weeks, North Carolina's offense is much more complete than Georgia Tech's. The only reason I don't have more confidence in the Tar Heels is because of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. However, this is the best chance for the veteran signal caller to play at a competent level throughout the entire game. Running back Benjamin Hall should bounce back in a major way. If that happens, the rest of the offense's operation will fall into place.
Defense: 6/10
This may be the first time I have felt more confident on the offensive side of the ball. Overall, North Carolina's defense is a much stronger unit, but there are a slew of injuries on that side of the ball. Entering this contest, the secondary is ravaged with injuries. Additionally, the run defense has been putrid this season, as the Tar Heels are allowing 152 yards per game on the ground. Duke's running back Nate Sheppard has proven to be one of the best players at his position.
Sheppard is averaging 148.6 rushing yards per game and has 11 total touchdowns. The sophomore running back is also averaging 6.3 yards per carry, which is a lethal rate. If Duke can run that ball at that level of efficiency and success, it will be a long day for the Tar Heels. Based on the data through five weeks, there's a high probability of that happening. Not to mention, Duke's offensive line has allowed only one sack so far this season.
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