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The Daily Tar Heel

Tar Heels prepare for Louisville defense

Jonathan Cooper expects to see plenty of blitzes when Louisville visits Kenan Stadium this Saturday.

And for the North Carolina guard, that’s an all too familiar sight.

Led by head coach Charlie Strong, a former defensive coordinator, the Cardinals lead the nation in tackles for loss per game and are among the top 25 in sacks, scoring defense and rushing defense.

On Saturday, though, they’ll be facing a UNC offensive line that has been formidable in its own right.

“We know our O-line is one of the best in the country,” redshirt sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner said. “Every series the skill player who scores goes and thanks the O-line because we couldn’t do it without them.”

That UNC line didn’t allow Renner to be sacked until the third game this season, and for the most part, it has kept the running lanes open for tailback Giovani Bernard, who has 548 yards on the ground.

The North Carolina offense may not have to score much, though, as Louisville will be entering Saturday averaging only 18.75 points per game — good for 104th in the nation.

Last week, the Cardinals (2-2) could only muster 13 points in a 17-13 home loss to Marshall. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made his first career start that day, and he could be at the helm for the second week in a row in place of injured junior Will Stein.

Even though this week’s matchup will likely offer a much different atmosphere than the rivalry game against ECU did, UNC interim coach Everett Withers said he doesn’t expect there to be a let down against a Louisville team that’s on the decline.

“We talk about eliminating the noise,” he said, “Because everybody is going to pat them on the back this week about beating ECU … Everybody is going to tell you how good you were. Well, you’re only as good as that next game you play.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.

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