UNC Preview

Well that was awful.  I still don't think Duke is all that good.  Maybe a pretty good team but definitely not great, and still a threat to be something like 4-4 in the conference.  Maybe they'll surprise me and win the Coastal.

But for now what I really care about is us.  The defense has been better and I'm actually excited about that.  We are getting stops.  And for the most part playing well.  But the special teams has been atrocious and the offense isn't blocking anybody.  As noted in the preseason, I was worried this year might be like 2010, but I thought at least the O-line would block well.  I don't know how their performance so far could have been predicted.  They were pretty good last year (although Coach recently said something to the effect of they weren't all that good last year and our skill guys just made plays... that puzzled me a little bit).  In any event, I think they've clearly been worse this year than last year, despite us returning 4 starters and most of our backups.  I'm really puzzled by that.

Justin Thomas is still very good but he's trying to force things since nothing is really working.  This has been hard to watch so far.  I expect we'll sort it out and be at least pretty good on offense by the end of the year, but it won't matter too much if the special teams keeps this up.  The defense looks to be improved but I'm not sure it can carry the team and overcome poor field position and kick return touchdowns (and missed field goals...).

I really have no idea what happens tomorrow.  UNC looked pretty good against Illinois.  They looked pretty bad in week 1.  I think their defense under new coordinator Gene Chizik is better.  So logic would say we might struggle on offense since we haven't played well there anyway.  And UNC's offense destroyed us last year and returns 10 starters, and put up 48 points on Illinois (who isn't good but one would think at least has credible athletes).  All of that would suggest they might beat us.

But we are favored by a little over a touchdown.  I wonder what Vegas is doing here.  I know we were just favored by 9 and lost.  The line usually isn't off by that much two weeks in a row (arguably luck played a role in our loss to Duke I guess).  The last time I remember seeing a line on GT like this one, it was in 2011 for Clemson.  Where I immediately raised my eyebrows.  That was when GT was off two straight losses, also both on the road, and coming back home.  Clemson was 8-0 and ranked #5 in the country, and we were only 3 point underdogs.  I thought that was very strange.  And of course we won and fairly easily.

So maybe that's a good sign.  I don't know.  I'm just curious at this point.  Here is to hoping we play better.  Because this season still has a chance to be something, but if we don't turn it around soon, it will quickly become not very fun.

Let's go Jackets!