Last season, the victory over the Orange marked Bill Belichick’s first win against a Power 4 opponent. This season, a victory will put the Tar Heels on the verge of bowl eligibility. Can North Carolina get the victory against Syracuse for the second straight season?
The Opponent
All-time Record
758–590–49, 17-11-1 in bowl games
Best Former player
Syracuse does have some good former players including Marvin Harrison Sr. (Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Famer), Dwight Freeney (Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Famer), and Art Monk (three-time Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Famer). However, despite all those accolades, the best former player award goes to Jim Brown. Brown was an NFL Champion, a three-time league MVP, a nine-time All-Pro, and a nine-time Pro Bowler. He led the league in rushing yards eight times and in rushing touchdowns five. The NFL Hall of Famer holds four NFL rushing records, including career rushing yards per game and per carry as well as well as the most games with at least four touchdowns. He is twelfth all-time in rushing yards and is considered by many to be the greatest running back of all time (for me it is Barry Sanders, but I would not argue with you about Brown).
Head Coach
Fran Brown. Brown, a former Western Carolina cornerback who also spent time in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, is 15-16 overall in three seasons at the only school he has ever been a head coach. Brown is 6-14 in ACC play and 1-0 in bowl games as the head man in Syracuse. Last season was Brown’s only game against UNC as he will look to even the score and return the home loss he suffered last season.
Last season
Last season, the Orange started off hot going 3-1 with a big road victory over Clemson. However, starting quarterback Steve Angeli got injured in that game and the wheels quickly fell off the wagon as Syracuse finished the season losing their last eight to finish 3-9 on the season.
When the Tar Heels are on offense
When North Carolina is on offense they should find ways to get the ball to their playmakers: Jordan Shipp, Jelani Thurman, and the running back duo of Demon June and Jaylen McGill. Syracuse is a lower end of the conference defense that is allowing teams to score over 25 points per game, so the offense should be able to take advantage of that as long as Billy Edwards Jr. is getting the ball to the weapons around him.
When the Tar Heels are on defense
When North Carolina is on defense, they need to know where wide receiver Umari Hatcher is at all times. Hatcher leads the ACC with 784 yards, and is tied with Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney for first in the conference with 50 catches while his seven receiving touchdowns is second behind Toney’s eight. If UNC loses track of Hatcher like they did with Notre Dame’s Jordan Faison, it will be a long day for the defense. Additionally, the Tar Heels should keep an eye on running back Tylik Hill, who is tenth in the ACC in rushing yards and could cause problems for this defense if not properly contained.
This game was always one of the “winnable” ones on the Tar Heels’ schedule. With their recent surge, it becomes even more important with North Carolina getting closer to bowl eligibility in Bill Belichick’s second season. Additionally, for probably the first time this season, UNC should have the better quarterback of the two and should be able to control the game and get the victory.
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