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The Daily Tar Heel

UNC defense fortifies against Everett Golson

A week after chasing down Virginia Tech runners, safety Tim Scott must now try to contain Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson.

A week after chasing down Virginia Tech runners, safety Tim Scott must now try to contain Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson.

“Really, what more could you ask for?” he said. “We haven’t played well in a few weeks and you have an opportunity to go and play on national TV against a great team. I mean you couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in.

“It couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

The Tar Heels have lost three straight games, are 0-2 in the ACC and in Notre Dame, will face their highest-ranked opponent of the season — behind the arm of Heisman Watch quarterback Everett Golson.

For UNC’s defense, there’s not a lot of wiggle room.

The most points any team has scored against the Fighting Irish is 17 (week one, Rice), so if UNC is looking to pick up its first conference victory, it’s unlikely to be a shootout, and the defense will have to keep Notre Dame’s offense in check.

Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning is trying to improve on Saturday’s performance, in which the defense allowed the fewest yards since the opener against Liberty.

“I think we did a better job (against Virginia Tech),” Koenning said. “They tried us with all the cross countries and deep routes — they tried all that stuff. And we were way better than we have been all season ... we’re starting to get a little pressure on the quarterback so that’s helpful.”

But Koenning also talked about the challenge of slowing down Golson, a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback who has the added benefit of playing behind a strong offensive line.

A quarterback who has led Notre Dame to five straight victories and was the No. 1 player on USA Today’s most recent Heisman Watch. Who has thrown for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions, while completing 64 percent of his passes and adding four rushing touchdowns to top it off.

“They do a really good job of giving him passes that, you know — not saying he doesn’t do a good job throwing the ball deep, he flicks the ball 50-60 yards — they max protect when they do that, so they give him time,” he said. “So he’s not strained by a pass rush.

“He is almost impossible to catch back in the pocket with a normal defensive line. He gets away from everybody.”

Still, senior safety Tim Scott thinks the defense will be able to take its Virginia Tech performance and build on that in South Bend.

“The big thing is confidence,” he said.

“We’re still going to do the same defense that we’ve been doing. As a secondary, we know that we have to cover a little bit longer, maybe if (Golson) scrambles we gotta plaster. So we know what type of quarterback he is, we know what type of threat he is and we’re ready for the challenge.”

sports@dailytarheel.com

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