UNC football looks to avoid bye week complacency

Heading into its bye week, the North Carolina football team seemingly can't lose.

One week removed from exercising its road demons with a historic comeback in Atlanta, UNC enters the break with a four-game winning streak and no challenger on this weekend's slate.

But this week, the Tar Heels will face their toughest opponent yet – complacency.

After escaping an early 21-point deficit to clinch a 38-31 comeback victory against Georgia Tech – the preseason ACC Coastal favorite – UNC holds an early 1-0 ACC mark and boasts a 4-1 record, its best five-game start since 2011.

And after ESPN's Football Power Index dubbed North Carolina as the division front-runner, the team appears to have an inside track to the Coastal crown.

“We saw last week that we’re capable of making a run at this Coastal (Division),” said senior linebacker Shakeel Rashad. “We just want to take that momentum that we got last week and run it all the way through practice this week.”

With UNC’s momentum at a season-high, the team hopes to ride its confidence into its contest against Wake Forest in just under two weeks’ time. Yet with no opponent on the immediate horizon, the Tar Heels are diverting the attention to themselves.

“As the games progress and we’re getting tired and things, our technique is slipping a little bit,” said redshirt senior Jeff Schoettmer. “During the course of a season, you can’t spend many times in individual periods because you have to implement a game plan in two days.”

Sans game preparation, the players have had 30-to-40 minutes during each practice to work on individual concepts, according to Schoettmer. And with reps allocated for teaching and technique, the off-week operates similar to a mid-season training camp.

“For the first couple of practices that's what we're doing — we're all working on our own individual problems,” said defensive coordinator Gene Chizik.

“That's what we're concentrating on before we even go on to the next opponent. The last two days have been simply that, and it gives you a chance to slow down, talk through stuff and teach it.”

For Schoettmer and the linebackers, that means focusing on tackling, turnovers and tracking angles that were enforced early in the offseason.

“It’s definitely a little refresher for us going into the second half of the season,” he said.

In addition to technical adjustments, the break allows players like Schoettmer a much-needed chance to recuperate and repair their bodies.

And with only one bye week this season – compared to two in 2014 – Coach Larry Fedora knows rest and recovery are as crucial as any individual workout or game rep.

“You have to take care of your body,” he said. “When your body breaks down, you’re standing on the sidelines.”

On Saturday, the sidelines will be silent. No forced fumbles, no quarterback controversies. For the red-hot Tar Heels, perhaps the biggest threat to their early success is their own contentment.

And Fedora only hopes his team’s rest and retention can outweigh any lost momentum.

“I’d love to be playing this week, but we’re not,” he said. “It’s the hand you’re dealt, so you’ve got to make the best of it.”

@CJacksonCowart

sports@dailytarheel.com