The North Carolina football team, simply put, has Pittsburgh’s number. They have beaten the Panthers six times in a row — but that could be set to change Thursday night when the Tar Heels go on the road to face their conference foe.
The Panthers are led by head coach Pat Narduzzi, who is one of the best defensive minds in football. And that’s shown on the field, as Pitt is ranked ninth in the country in yards allowed per game and second in sacks.
“The caliber of talent that we see on the defensive side, it really just reminds me of the way we prepared for the Clemson game,” offensive coordinator Phil Longo said.
The Panthers defense has a clear strategy in every game. They sell out on stopping the run and make the other team beat them through the air.
Longo said he is very wary of the Pittsburgh run defense, but that North Carolina is still going to have to move the ball on the ground if it wants to win. Having sophomore running back Javonte Williams in full health this week should help with that.
“This is a very physical defense,” Longo said. “They’re very physical up front, I think they’re a lot better than they were last year. They pursue well, they stay home, they don’t give up a lot of trick plays, they don’t make a lot of mental mistakes."
Still, it's likely that could be the perfect night for first-year quarterback Sam Howell to show off his skills against single coverage.
But UNC’s offensive line will need to protect him to give him time against a formidable Panther defensive line.
“The challenge is protection,” Brown said. “They really rush the passer well and they do it by scheming a lot … We can’t end up in second and long or third and long.”
