Looking to snap road losing streak, stopping the run could be key for UNC at App State
When North Carolina allowed a 21-yard run against Florida A&M last week, which accounted for roughly 40 percent of its total rushing yards, it came down to a defensive lineman having his head on the wrong shoulder of the lineman he was engaged.
That’s gap integrity. And for the Tar Heels to leave Boone on Saturday evening with a win against Appalachian State, their defense had better have a lot of it. UNC looks to snap a seven-game losing streak away from Kenan Stadium when it faces App State at noon at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
The Mountaineers are powered by running backs Nate Noel and Cam Peoples, who combined for more than 2,000 yards rushing last season.
“When we talk about fitting your gap, if you fit the wrong gap, they’ll find it, they’ll hit it, and they’ll take it for 60 yards on you,” UNC nose tackle Ray Vohasek said. “So I think the game plan going into here is you got to stop the run and then get after the passer.”
The threat of Noel and Peoples is partly why quarterback Chase Brice has been much more effective than he was during his time at Clemson and Duke.
Carolina’s defense is looking to put together a better overall effort than its 56-24 win over FAMU last week. While the Heels only allowed 56 yards rushing, the Rattlers exposed a few soft spots in UNC’s pass coverage, although they only totaled 279 passing yards.
The Heels got younger when starting cornerback Tony Grimes was injured on the second drive of the game and never returned. That left sophomore DeAndre Boykins and redshirt freshman Dontae Balfour playing the bulk of snaps at cornerback and star, which is the nickelback in Carolina’s system.
UNC coach Mack Brown said the secondary didn’t break on the ball well enough last week, and there were plays when the linebackers didn’t drop to the right zones. If the back end can tighten up coverage, Brown believes the defensive line can take care of the rest.
“There’s been a lot of talk about not getting a pass rush, but if you cover a little bit longer those pass-rush guys would have gotten there,” Brown said. “They were there. But you got to cover somebody, you can’t just give them wide-open shots. And so that’s an area we have to improve and have to really improve fast or they’ll (App State) have a field day throwing the ball.”
The Heels could get some help this week. Grimes’ availability will be announced Saturday. Brown said Ohio State transfer Lejond Cavazos returned to full practice this week and should see some action in the secondary on Saturday.
How to watch
The game will be broadcast on ESPNU. It is also available on the ESPN App with an ESPN+ subscription, and through various subscription apps that carry ESPNU, such as Hulu and YouTube TV. The link to watch it is here.
Pregame reading
- How a year in Boone helped Mack Brown and App State program evolve
- With UNC coming to town, App State and Boone brace for a Saturday unlike any other
- In UNC debut, Drake Maye adds to family legacy, and makes name for himself
- UNC looks to end road woes in front of a record-setting App State crowd
- UNC vs App State first look: Top storylines, players to watch, betting odds
- News & Observer’s Week 1 college football picks
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 5:10 AM.