CHAPEL HILL - Kaleb Cost’s first game back from injury came with no easing in. The North Carolina defensive back was thrown right into the fire Saturday against Miami, and that meant lining up across from Malachi Toney, one of the most dangerous receivers in the country.
Toney arrived with eye-popping numbers: 66 catches, 952 yards and 11 touchdowns through seven games. He had also just put together a school-record performance the week before against Pitt, finishing with 16 receptions for 194 yards and three scores.
North Carolina didn’t shut him down, but it did make him work. After Toney grabbed four passes on Miami’s opening drive, he didn’t catch another ball until the fourth quarter. He ended the day with seven receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ 38-35 win over the Tar Heels.
For Cost, the matchup doubled as a measuring stick after his injury layoff.
“I felt pretty good,” Cost said of his return. “Earlier in the week I was kind of slow, like I was taking it a little slow earlier in the week, but just knowing I had guys by my side gave me all the confidence I needed.”
He came away impressed with Toney’s polish and his willingness to keep grinding on every snap.
“He’s very mature within the game,” Cost said. “As far as playing hard and playing physical, he don’t take no plays off.”
Cost also said Toney does a good job reading coverages and finding space against different defensive looks. That kind of challenge, he believes, helps UNC’s secondary in the long run.
“Just going against those guys and seeing how we match up against them, knowing we could play with anybody in the country,” Cost said.
His return also came at a time when injuries have opened the door for younger defensive backs to get more snaps. Cost said he has liked what he has seen from that group, and he pointed back to the work they put in earlier in the year.
“Really, I saw it all the way back in camp,” Cost said. “Even myself, I emphasize, like, you got to stay ready. You got to be ready because anybody can go down.”
That mindset, he said, has to be constant. No one can wait for a role to start preparing like it matters.
“Even if you’re at the bottom of that chart, you still got to work like you’re a starter,” Cost said.
Looking ahead, Cost said the defense still needs to clean up one area in particular: turnovers. UNC has had chances to create takeaways, and he said the unit has to do a better job finishing those plays.
“Really, it starts at practice with the preparation,” Cost said. “Just attacking the ball at practice will translate to the game.”
He added that the coaching staff has stressed how practice habits show up on Saturdays, and he believes the defense needs more takeaway production during the week if it wants better results in games.
As the Tar Heels move past the top-ranked Hurricanes, Cost said the approach can’t change based on the opponent.
“We treat every game the same,” Cost said. “No matter if it was the number one team or the team that’s last in the rankings, we still play the same every week.”
For Cost, Saturday was another step in getting back up to speed. For UNC, it was another reminder that the secondary will keep getting tested - and that there’s still work to do before the season runs out.
In Other News...
UNC Defense Faces A New Problem After That Miami Letdown
UNC is trying to put the Miami loss behind it, but the bigger concern out of that game was how much the defense struggled when the pressure rose. Now the Tar Heels turn to UConn, a team with a similar record but a different kind of challenge waiting on the other side of the ball. This one is built around quarterback Kalieb Osborne, who gives the Huskies a rushing element that can stress a defense in a hurry.
For North Carolina, the assignment is straightforward even if the execution is not: keep Osborne from turning scrambles and designed runs into the kind of momentum that can tilt a game. After letting Miami expose some issues, the Tar Heels need a cleaner showing against a team that can attack in a way they have already shown some trouble handling. If UNC wants to steady its season, this is the sort of matchup where the defense has to answer first. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team with conference play looming, that kind of imbalance is hard to ignore. The hope was that transfer Cameron Fens could help stabilize the post and add some needed size, but eligibility issues have kept that option off the table for now, leaving UNC to sort through its frontcourt questions the old-fashioned way. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Belichick Has UNC Facing A Bigger Final Month Than Expected
North Carolina enters the final month of the regular season at 4-4, a mark that looks a little different than it did earlier in the year after the Tar Heels showed real progress under Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. The offense has taken noticeable steps forward in recent games, and the defense has continued to be a steady part of the equation even while dealing with some injury issues.
The loss to Miami slowed that momentum, but it also sharpened the stakes for what comes next, starting with UConn. For a team that has already made clear it can look better than its record at times, the question now is how much more it can squeeze out of the last stretch of the schedule and whether the improvement from the first half can carry into November. [Read more 🡒]