“Me and Everett go way back,” Williams said of the Notre Dame quarterback, who is currently on the short list for the Heisman Trophy. “He told me happy birthday.”
Williams and Golson do go way back. Golson originally committed to North Carolina and was hoping to work out a deal where he would be a two-sport athlete — joining Roy Williams on the hardwood — after football season. But Golson flipped his commitment, deterred by UNC’s ongoing NCAA scandal.
And though things would certainly be different if Golson were donning light blue, that won’t be so when the Tar Heels (2-3, 0-2 ACC) travel to South Bend, Ind., Saturday to take on the No. 5 team in the nation.
“It is weird. We thought he was coming,” Williams said. “My hat goes off to him. He’s been doing a tremendous job this year — he’s been unbelievable. I appreciate what he does to the game.”
Through five games, the redshirt senior has thrown 13 touchdowns and is averaging almost 280 passing yards per game. He helped quarterback the Irish to a date with Alabama in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game and has also rushed for four touchdowns this season. Golson will be one of the toughest quarterbacks UNC will face all season.
And Coach Larry Fedora knows this.
“They’re going to go as far as he takes them. He’s a really good player. He can run and beat you with his legs on any play. He can turn a very ordinary play into a great play,” Fedora said. Meanwhile, UNC’s defense — though at times showing glimpses of improvement — is still struggling to stop opponents. To date, it is ranked 117th in the nation for total defense, taking the same approach into Notre Dame (5-0) that it’s had all season.
“We’re still going to do the same defense that we’ve been doing,” senior safety Tim Scott said. “As a secondary, we know that we have to cover a little bit longer — maybe if he scrambles, we’ve got to plaster.”
