The saying has been “smart, fast and physical.” Those are the pillars — the foundation of Larry Fedora’s football coaching philosophy.
But this week, as North Carolina prepares to host No. 10 Miami under the Thursday night lights of Kenan Stadium, the rallying cry has been noticeably distilled: “1-0.”
The Tar Heels (1-4, 0-2 ACC) are playing their first ranked opponent since the season opener at South Carolina, they’re debuting black alternate uniforms and playing a rare Thursday night game in a “Zero Dark Thursday” event.
But it all comes down to that one simple phrase.
“The only goal we’re focused on right now is being 1-0,” Fedora said. “That’s it. Just 1-0.”
It sounds simple, but then again, nothing has been that easy for UNC this season. It isn’t getting any easier with Miami (5-0, 1-0 ACC) on deck.
The Hurricanes pack one of the most potent offenses in the conference, led by quarterback Stephen Morris and explosive sophomore running back Duke Johnson, who leads the ACC in all-purpose yards per game. They’ve put up 45.2 points per game — second only to Florida State in the ACC — and they’ve done so by capitalizing on what has been the UNC defense’s greatest weakness.
“Big plays,” Fedora said. “They can throw the ball down the field. Their offensive line I think is tremendously improved. They’ve had success running the ball and being physical up front.”
None of that matches up well with UNC’s defense, which ranks last in the ACC with 31.4 points and 436 yards allowed per contest. By most accounts, the Tar Heels showed improvement against Virginia Tech, holding the Hokies to 48 yards on the ground, but they’ll have their hands full with a Miami squad that is drawing sizable draft interest.
