North Carolina heads into Saturday night’s Week 8 meeting with Syracuse at Kenan Stadium carrying a simple mandate: handle business in the games the Tar Heels are supposed to win.
Syracuse may not look like the toughest name on the schedule, but that’s exactly why this one matters for UNC. The stretch ahead gets more demanding, so these are the types of contests that have to be banked. With that in mind, the Tar Heels should have a chance to put up some offensive numbers against the Orange.
All signs point to a strong spot for quarterback Edwards Jr., who might have turned in his best outing of the season in last week’s win over Duke even if the box score didn’t fully capture it. The Wisconsin transfer played with a confidence and steadiness that hadn’t shown up consistently earlier in the year.
This week, he gets a far more comfortable setting at home and a Syracuse defense that doesn’t appear especially sturdy. If the run game does its part, Edwards Jr. should be in position to pick apart the Orange secondary.
The backfield should also offer some production, even with Benjamin Hall upgraded to probable on the injury report. McGill is still expected to get some of the early-down work, and there’s reason to think his role could grow if UNC builds the kind of lead it expects.
He had a rough first three quarters against Duke, including a costly fumble in the Blue Devils’ red zone, but the staff stuck with him and he finished the game-winning drive with a 24-yard touchdown run. In a matchup where the Tar Heels should control the scoreboard, McGill looks set for a heavier workload than usual.
Through the air, Shipp has become the name to watch. “Mr.
Carolina” has been nearly impossible to slow down lately, putting together 20 catches for 277 yards and one touchdown over the last three weeks. He has clearly moved into the top spot as Edwards Jr.’s favorite target.
Early in the season, tight end Jelani Thurman served as the quarterback’s safety valve, but that has changed as Edwards Jr. has settled into the offense and grown more comfortable with the players around him. Against a Syracuse defense that looks vulnerable, Shipp should draw the bulk of the targets once again.
In Other News...
UNC Landed A Guard Whose Road To Chapel Hill Suddenly Changed
Kevin Thomas path to Chapel Hill took a sharp turn after he first picked LSU, then asked for a release when the Tigers moved on from Matt McMahon and brought in Will Wade. The four-star guard eventually landed at North Carolina, where Michael Malones staff added a prospect whose recruitment changed as fast as the coaching carousel did, and where a familiar face in former high school teammate Matt Able helped make the transition feel a little less new.
Thomas already got his first taste of the college game in an exhibition for UNC, logging four minutes and making his presence felt on the defensive end. It was a small opening night sample, but for a player whose road to campus shifted so suddenly, even a brief debut offered a first glimpse of how he might fit into the Tar Heels backcourt picture. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs NC State Rivalry Just Lost The Coach Heels Fans Hated
Dave Doerens run at NC State is over, ending a 14-year tenure that made him the winningest coach in Wolfpack history and one of the most familiar figures in the Tar Heels biggest in-state rivalry. His teams went 98-74, and for UNC fans the part that will linger most is the 9-4 mark against the Heels, a streak of success that helped define the matchup for more than a decade.
NC State made the move after a loss to Stanford left the Wolfpack at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play, and running backs coach Todd Goebbel will take over as interim head coach. The university now begins a national search for Doerens replacement, resetting a rivalry that has had the same face across the field for so long. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Womens Soccer Just Sent Another Message To The Top 10
Another top-10 test ended the same way for Carolina women's soccer, with the Tar Heels finding just enough to separate themselves from a heavyweight opponent. No. 1 UNC beat No. 7 Stanford 1-0 in a tight, physical match, and Bella Devey's goal in the 70th minute proved to be the difference in a game where chances were hard to come by.
Peyton Trayer did her part to make the lone strike stand up, finishing with a career-high seven saves to preserve the shutout. It was Carolina's second top-10 win of the season and its ninth shutout overall, another reminder that this group keeps answering big challenges with the kind of edge that travels deep into the postseason conversation. [Read more 🡒]