#Pitt Game Primer and Prediction

Like I ='ll be doig heading to the North Shore tonight, this post is COMIN IN HOT ( I did not spell/grammar check)

I've been waiting for this game all year. For the first time in the 2015 Calendar year and the first time in over a year I get to see my Tar Heel Football team play in person. The Tar Heels currently sit at the 6-1 prediction I placed them at heading into tonight's game while Pittsburgh's had a better season than I originally predicted. Both teams come in as two of the hottest in the ACC Coastal and sit currently as the favorites. These teams, however, have very different make ups.

Pittsburgh's been road warriors with a majority of their wins currently coming from away from Heinz Field, while Carolina's only played one game out of the state of North Carolina so far. Pittsburgh, just like the town, bring a clue collar, physical style of play meant to wear opposing teams down as the game plays while Carolina tries to run you out of the stadium with the high octane offense and very opportunistic defense. Similarly, tho, Carolina and Pittsburgh have shown very dramatic improvements on the defensive side of the ball so I do not expect to see a repeat of the shootout we saw in Chapel Hill this past November. On offensive, both teams have quality depth at running back (Pitt currently lacking the Elite Comparable, James Conner, to Carolina's Elijah Hood), have tremendous offensive lines, and multiple options at Quarterback (Carolina's duo of Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky vs Pitt's Nate Peterman and Chad Voytik). I've broken this game to come down to 3 separate matchups:

Carolina's Front Seven vs Pitt's Power Rushing Attack

- Pitt's Offensive Line mauls opposing front sevens. Coming in at 6-4 ad 315 lbs across the board this will be the biggest offensive line Carolina plays all season (even bigger than Sakerlina's). Pitt like to run off tackle, pull guards, run counters and dives. They run north and south and try to punish you with big back, Qadree Ollison (6-2 235 lbs). Carolina's front seven MUST play sound gap control and wrap up at the first level or this could be a long day for Carolina's defense.

Carolina's Secondary vs Pitt's Play Action

- Tyler Boyd is easily the best receiver Carolina's faced since Pharoah Cooper of Sakerlina. You could argue that Boyd will be the best receiver Carolina's faced all year, ad will be the sole focus of Pitt's aerial assault. Building off their power run game Pitt likes to go play action to Boyd over the top and underneath to Tight End JP Holtz. Carolina will have to get after passer and not let Peterman sit pretty in the pocket and heave to Boyd over the top. 

Getting Ahead of the Chains

- Carolina can not afford to face 2nd and longs and 3rd and longs tonight. We must chew up yardage this evening and keep the ball away from Pitt. 3 and outs will not get the job done. Carolina cannot also afford to throw a pair of interceptions early like we've seen in a few games this year. Pitt, while a quick striking offense, is very efficient when they get the ball, punting not as often as you'd expect with a game control team. Take care of the ball and finish drives.

Prior to this season I didn't think Carolina had much of shot heading into this game. I knew Pitt would be decent, but didn't realize how much their defense would improve in year one under Pat Narduzzi. But there's another group that's been much better than anticipated in 2015: Carolina's defense. I think Carolina's DEFENSE is the difference in the game tonight with Jeff Schoettmer and Co forcing a couple of second half turnovers, the Offense converts into points. Carolina continues their streak of dominance at away Thursday Night Thrillers.

UNC 34 Pitt 28

WEEK 9 #VIEWERSGUIDE

WEEK 9 AND IT'S THE BIGGEST WEEK OF THE 2015 SEASON FOR YOURS TRULY. I GET TO SEE MY TAR HEELS PLAY THIS WEEK, IN PERSON. NEEDLESS TO SAY I'M FRIGGIN PUMPED.

As for last week's picks.... things could have gone better finishing 8-9-1 for the weekend bring us to 53-55-3 on the year. Gotta think our luck will change and we'll get back in the black this upcoming week

Thursday Night Ball

Night Games

North Carolina at Pitt - 7pm - The Mothership
Pick coming later... I will be repaorting live from Heinz Field tomorrow night. Line is currently 3 points in favor of the Heels

West Virginia at TCU (-14) - 730 pm - FS1
TCU's rollin and WVU ain't. Do the math....

Directional Michigan (-20) at Direction Michigan - 730pm - CBSSN
PJ Fleck tha GAWD is the only Directional MIchigan Coach I'd ever put my money on.

Texas State at Georgia Southern (-21) - 730pm - The U
THURSDAY NIGHT FUN BELT ALERT. /sounds air horn

Late Night

Oregon at Arizona State (-2.5)- 1030pm - The Mothership
Two of the more disappointing squads in the PAC 12 do battle for to get a leg up in the bowl pecking order.

Friday Night Lights

Louisville at Wake Forest (+12) - 7pm - The Deuce
This game just scream #goacction on a Friday Night. Make sure to kick back and watch Louisville derp this one away in Winston.

East Carolina (-7.5) at UCONN - 7pm - The U
East Carolina did me wrong this past weekend after derping their way through a Friday evening by getting plastered by Temple in front of their home crowd. UCONN's one of the worst FBS programs in the country, so I expect Ruffin to take care of biz.

Louisiana Tech at Rice (+12.5) - 8pm - FS1
Jeff Driskel continues to prove that the only thing holding him back was the man currently leading Auburn's defense. I expect many points between both squads with Rice covering only because they can score.

Wyoming at Utah State (-21) - The Deuce - 1015pm
Utah State did me wrong this past weekend after getting TORCHED by San Diego State. Therefore they have a chance to earn my trust back again.

Football Saturday

High Nooners

Illinois (+5.5) at Penn State - Noon - The Deuce
To me, this is the best game of the High Nooners between two schools still trying to stay alive for a decent bowl. Illinois can score and Penn State's inconsistent. What could go wrong for James Franklin?

Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Boston College - 1230pm - ACC Net/ESPN3
Virginia Tech showed us their offense does indeed have some life against a solid Duke defense. BC hasn't been able to score this year against conference play. VT always struggles against BC but for some reason I could see them pulling this one out.

Ole Miss at Auburn (+7.5) - The Mothership - Noon
The Barners gave us an multiple overtime thriller against the Arkansas Hawgs but fell short. Barring the All World Ole Miss team showing the Barners should keep this one close.

Cuse (+20.5) at FSU - Noon - ABC
Cuse has impressed me over the past couple of weeks especially on offense. If their defense can contain Dalvin Cook, they should keep this one close. I mean, Florida State did lose to Georgia Tech.

Sakerlina at Texas A and M (-16.5) - Noon - SEC Net
Sakerlina's walking into a buzz saw after the Aggies put up a dud of game in Oxford this past weekend. I don't give them much of a chance.

Mid Afternooners

Southern Cal at California (+5.5) - 300pm - Fox
Southern Cal looked like one of the most complete teams in the country this past weekend when they beat the livin' snot out of Utah..... They seemed primed for a let down game against Sonny Dykes' High Octane Offense. A West Coast High Nooner. Hoboy.

World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party -330pm- CBS with the GAWD (taking Dawgs + 3)
Florida comes into this game rested, with the hot hand and with the best squad. Because this game brings out the greatest in parody, Expect UGA to win...

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (+3) - 330pm - The Mothership
Texas Tech's been down right lethal in Lubbock this season. I expect nothing else.

Clemson (-10.5) at NC State - 330pm - ABC/The Deuce Combo
Clemson showed this past week that there's no shot of Clemsoning this year. NC State thinks otherwise, but not many folks are concerned about what's happening in West Raleigh this year.

Night Games

Michigan at Minnesota (+14) - 7pm - The Mothership
The Michigan Man still ails from the last game they played. The Michigan Man shall struggle in the Twin Cities this weekend.

The U (my pick) at d00k - 7pm - The U
Last week confirmed to me that Duke would go 2-2 best case for their stretch against VT, Miami, UNC and Pitt. Miami got blown into smithereens this past weekend at the hands of Clemson but put up a fight this weekend.

Notre Dame (-10) at Temple - 8pm - ABC
Gameday's in Philly for their first ever visit to Temple for when Notre Dame comes to town. Notre Dame is a heavy favorite and I expect them to roll against a Temple squad that ain't played nobody Pawl (Penn St was dismal)!

Late Night

Stanford at Washington State (+12) - 1030pm - The Mothership
This game would have been my pick for Gameday this weekend because of the Washington State fans always flying a flag at College Gameday. In my opinion, ESPN whiffed on this opportunity to head to Pullman.

Arizona at Washington (my pick) - 11pm - FS1
Another #PAC12AfterDark match up between middling teams. Definitely not the premier night cap but it'll do.

Enjoy

WFP

Slept On It (Twice): #UNC's Sloppy Win over #UVA

For the second week in a row I was unfortunate enough to not be able to watch the Carolina football game live due to Pennsylvania's apparent hate towards Chapel Hill. Instead of Pittsburgh Comcast holding up their end of the deal, the Marshall Thundering Herd Snooze fest was on the Fox Sports Affiliate. So I followed along via the Twittershphere and listened to the ball game on the radio (thank you, premium radio) and had to take the analysis a it was fed to me: a mixed bag. This morning I carved out 75 mins and sped watched the ball game and to be honest, was kinda happy I didn't see it live.

What I saw

• One of the more uninspired first halves we've seen from this team in quite some time. Carolina allowed an overmatched, and frankly not great, UVA squad to move the ball at will  and was completely predictable on offense, in the first half. UVA did an excellent job of keeping the Tar Heel defense off balance by showing a bunch of looks that we haven't seen from the Hoos yet this year. What concerned me the most about this game is if we had played any other team in the coastal, we would have lost the ballgame. 
• Sloppy Play on Both Sides Landon Turner was adamant about how sloppy he thought the offense was on Saturday and I couldn't agree more. Quise missed some easy shots, receivers dropped balls and the offensive line missed assignments. On defense, this sloppy play was really limited to the first half as Carolina forced 4 second half Wahoo turnovers. UVA moved the ball pretty well on Saturday by giving the ball to Smoke Mizzel in space. The front seven came alive in the second half as the linebacker's racked up tackles and the defensive line got after the quarterback. While the defensive line has a long way to go from where it needs to be, it was nice to watch the pass rush force a couple of those second half turnovers.
• Elijah Hood continues to impress. Behind a much improved offensive line, Elijah Hood continued to show us why he's the best running back Carolina's had since Natrone Means. I think there was one play when Hood went down on first contact. Otherwise, UVA needed 3 or 4 defenders to bring down the Bull. Carolina's gonna need a steady dose of Elite Elijah the rest of the season as Carolina closes against 4 physical teams. 
• Carolina's 2nd Half Defense has been lights out While this defense is far from reaching it's potential under Gene Chizik, we did witness another great performance in team defense in the second half Saturday night. Carolina's given up a total of 45 points total in second halves this past season; a far cry from 2013 and 2014. Shutting out UVA this past weekend was another step in the right direction.
• Carolina's Defensive Line is Banged Up - Carolina's defensive line has taken a beating over the past few weeks with the likes of Mikey Bart, Nazair Jones, Dajuan Drennon, Jeremiah Clarke and Tyler Powell all missing either games or significant snaps due to nagging injuries. Nazair Jones hasn't seen action since he was viciously chop blocked by Georgia Tech almost a month ago but the coaching staff is hopeful he can suit up this upcoming week. Carolina will need all able bodies against this physical Pitt Offensive Line which I think is one of the best in the conference. 

Carolina did what it needed to win... against UVA. By no means will Saturday's play equate to wins down the stretch. Up next is Carolina's toughest ballgame of the year, a trip to Pittsburgh. I look forward to studying up on the college team of my current town and taking care of biz on Thursday.

Go Heels.

WFP

WEEK 8 #VIEWERSGUIDE PART 2

AFTER A LESS THAN DESIRABLE 1-2 FINISH IN THE THURSDAY GAMES IT'S TIME TO GET BACK AFTER IT AND WIN THE WEEKEND. IT ALL START TONIGHT

Friday Night Lights

• Memphis (-10) at Tulsa - 8pm - The Mothership
• Memphis, fresh off their ass kickin of Ole Miss looks to extend their undefeated streak to seven with a roadie against an overmatched AAC opponent. Memphis is just too good tonight to worry.
• Utah State (-5) at San Diego State - 10:30pm - The Deuce
• This isn't last year's physical SDSU squad. Expect Utah State to roll tonight

Football Saturday

High Nooners

• Pittsburgh at Syracuse (+7) - Noon - The U
• Pitt's struggled their last couple of trips to the Carrier dome. I expect much of the same with them pulling off the win late. 
• Clemson (-7) at Miami  - Noon - ABC
• I've predicted many times this week that we should expect All World Miami to show up in one of the next couple of weeks. While I don't expect them to show up this weekend, Clemson's struggled against their only other ACC roadie this year and expect much of the same even though they'll cover.
• Auburn (+6) at Arkansas - Noon - SEC Net
• While I couldn't have been more wrong about my prediction, last week's win over Kentucky may have saved Auburn's season. While they're a quarterback injury away from being the dumpster fire we've seen, they should have enough fire power to take care of biz in Fayetteville.

Mid Afternooners 

• The South's Oldest Rivalry - UNC vs UVA (+17.5) - 330pm - ACC Net/ESPN3
• More to come....
• Tennessee  (+16) at Bama - 330pm - CBS With Tha GAWD
• Bama's been not great at home and Tennessee puts it all on the line but comes up short. 
• Duke at Virginia Tech (-2) - 330pm - The U
• Absolute Frank Beamer Homer Alert on this pick. As my brother said, "it's tiring watching this run end the way it is, but I'm gonna enjoy every last bit of it. Geaux Hokies. 
• Wiscy at Illinois (+7) - 330pm - B1G NET
• Illinois shows another team that they should be in consideration for the Big 10 West Crown. 

Night Games

• Florida State at Georgia Tech (+6.5) - The Deuce - 7pm
• Paul Johnson's last stand.... Why bet against him
• Texas A&M (+6.5) at Ole Miss - The Mothership - 7pm
• Lotta folks wanna go with Ole Miss after the Rebels got boated raced in the Liberty Bowl last weekend. With all of the injuries piling up on an Ole Miss defense that hasn;t dominated in the way that many expected, Texas A&M shouldn't have any problem putting up points in Oxford.
• UK (+12) at Mississippi State - 730pm - SEC Net
• This line is absolutely huge. Gotta think UK's offense keeps this one close...
• Utah (+3.5) at Southern Cal - 730pm - FOX
• The Trojans are a popular pick in this one despite being a dumpster fire. Ma y wonder with the Ute magic will end.... it won't be this week
• Ohio State at RUTSgers (+21) - ABC - 8pm
• No more QB controversy in Columbus? Still won't help a squad that can;t find an identity. RUTSgers can score y'all and they should against the Buckeyes. 

Late Night

• Washington at Stanford (-7.5) - The Mothership - 1030pm
• Stanford's loss to Northwestern early in the season is looking more and more like Ohio State's to Virginia Tech in 2014. The Cardinal should win huge. 

Not as excting slate of games as we'll have the next couple of weeks, but there should be enough to watch to get you through to Week 9.

Enjoy,

WFP

WEEK 8 #VIEWERSGUIDE Part 1

Editor's Note: Only getting my Thursday Picks Up Today. It's Bid Day at the office and yours truly's a busy man. Will have the rest up some time tomorrow

Went 10-11-1 last week bringing me to 45-46-2 for the year.......

Thursday Night

• East Carolina (-2) vs Temple - 7pm - The Deuce
• I've bet against ECU once this year and it bit me in the ass. G Vegas will be LIT tonight
• Georgia Southern at Appalachian State (-6.5) - 730pm - The U
• I will never go against my crew of Hawgs I played with in High School on a pick. I started alongside 3 of App State's 3 time national champion offensive linemen in high school and played with numerous others who played skill positions at App. My support and my money is with that brotherhood. The Rock will be on another level this evening for this rivalry game. 
• Cal (+3.5) at UCLA - 9pm - The Mothership
• I personally believe UCLA's in free-fall this year as the injuries have added up. Cal scores just too damn much

More coming tomorrow....

Mid-Season Looksie at the ACC Coastal

The ACC Coastal never fails to disappoint, and especially hasn't in 2015. A team that the world expected (and me) to be successful coming off all guns a blazin in 2014 now find themselves well out of the ACC Coastal Division race. To reiterate to let's look at How I saw the ACC Coastal finishing this year.

1. Georgia Tech 9-3 (6-2 in conference)
T2. Carolina 9-3 (5-3 in conference)
T2. Virginia Tech 8-4 (5-3 in conference)
T2. Pittsburgh 8-4 (5-3 in conference)
5. The U 7-5 (4-4 in conference)
6. Duke 7-5 (3-5 in conference)
7. UVA 2-10 (1-7 in conference)

Current ACC Coastal Standings

1. Pittsburgh 5-1 (3-0 in conference)
T2. Duke 5-1 (2-0 in conference)
T2. North Carolina 5-1 (2-0 in conference)
T4. Miami 4-2 (1-1 in conference)
T4. UVA 2-4 (1-1 in conference)
6. Virginia Tech 3-4 (1-2 in conference)
7. Georgia Tech 2-5 (0-4)

Where I was Spot On:

North Carolina at 5-1

• The route to 5-1 took a different route with Carolina stumbling out of the gate to Sakerlina, in a game where if you played 100 times Carolina would have won 95. Carolina took advantage of a much worse than advertised Georgia Tech squad rallying from 21 points down, earning their first win in Atlanta in 18 years. Carolina should take care of UVA this upcoming weekend before their back loaded schedule featuring roadies at Pitt, Virginia Tech, State and home games against Duke and Miami. Is Carolina a true coastal contender? We'll know by November 7th.

Miami at 4-2

• Like North Carolina, the Canes find themselves exactly where I thought they'd be halfway through the year, but just a little bit different of a route to get there. Much like in many other years I fully expect Miami to engage in their late season swoon shortly after playing their one All World Game of the year. As I mentioned on the twittersphere yesterday, I list their Halloween date at Duke a prime candidate.

UVA at 2-4

• UVA finds themselves soundly at 2-4 having traveling the route along the #MikeLondonFarewellTour I expected them to travel. UVA's beat the teams they were supposed to (both Bill and Mary and Cuse barely) and lost in hilarious fashion to the likes of Boise State and Notre Dame. The second half of UVA's schedule doesn't get any easier with UVA still having to face the likes of UNC. Duke, GT, VT, The U and Louisville. I can't see a game of those they'll be favored in. 

Duke at 5-1

• Duke's one game better in the ACC than I expected thanks to how deplorable Georgia Tech's been, but is a game worse in out of conference thanks to their loss a now hemorrhaging Northwestern squad. I'm still convinced this team's been unchallenged this year and I saw that even with the respect I have for Coach Cutcliffe. Duke's next four are against Virginia Tech, Miami, UNC and Pitt. I fully expect Duke to split those four games best case scenario before rounding out the year with gimmes against Wake Forest and UVA.

Where I was close:

Pittsburgh at 5-1 (one game better)

• While many folks are considering Pitt's performance this year a surprise, I'm quick to state that Pitt had all of the tools in place to make something happen in Narduzzi's first year. Even with James Conner's season ending injury (who they've missed) Pitt's program under Chryst and now under Narduzzi has been built around physical play at the Line of Scrimmage. Pitt's Offensive Line is arguably one of the best units in the conference. On defense, Pitt needed a jolt for the for the sneaky talented unit they have in the program: Narduzzi was that guy. Pitt may not light up the scoreboard, but damn, they just pound away at opposing teams. Can't forget, this teams a long filed goal away from being undefeated (only loss to currently undefeated Iowa)

Virginia Tech 3-4 (one game worse out of conference)

• Virginia Tech, I thought you'd be 4-3 heading into your battle against Duke, having lost to the likes of Miami, Pitt and Ohio State. When you headed into half time against Ohio State, I was ready to wipe your season prediction clean from with the lead over Ohio State. An injured QB and injury to your best player on defense  and my prediction still looked dead on until the egg you laid in the second half against ECU. Where yo go from here? Start with defending your home turf against Duke. 

Where I was WAYYYYYYY off

Georgia Tech at 2-5 (3 games worse)

• As I mentioned above, I bought into the Georgia Tech hype train earlier this year. I was as convinced as any that the combination of Paul Johnson and Justin Thomas would rule the ACC Coastal for a second straight year. Boy was I wrong. Georgia Tech's faced severe attrition in the backfield this year, finding only two reliable players in A Back Patrick Skov and newbie B Back Marcus Marshall. Outside of that Thomas is the only play maker on Georgia Tech's offense. The offensive line, despite returning 4 starters, has been a disappointment this year. The defense, like last year, hasn't been able to stop a beach ball and doesn't have the offense to bail them out. Ga Tech has an opportunity to save their season this upcoming weekend when they host Florida State (a team I expected them to beat this year). The Jackets can certainly beat FSU... will they? To be determined. 

Ok, Frat, How're folks gonna finish?

Here's how I see the Coastal playing out, besides the obvious (CHAOS)

T6. UVA - UVA had a brutal out of conference schedule and now they have a tough ACC finishing schedule. I saw this UVA team winning two games this year but I wouldn't be surprised to see them steal one down the stretch. UVA finishes 3-9 (2-6 in the ACC) and Mike London gets tossed following the VT Game.

T6. Georgia Tech - Georgia Tech ran themselves out of contention for the ACC title and would need a miracle to work their way back in. I think PJ and Co misses a bowl this year and the off season afterwards should be all sorts of fun. GT finishes 4-8 (2-6 in the ACC). Think PJ is kept after a 4 win season? I couldn't tell ya. 

5. Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech's done themselves no favors by losing to Miami and Pittsburgh if they want to be in the Coastal race. This past weekend was a virtual elimination game for the cause. If VT wants to be in Charlotte December 5th, they'll have to win out. I don't see that happening 

6-6 (4-4 in conference). Other predictions include that I'll be in attendence for Beamer's final game in Lane Stadium, Tech makes a bowl (barely) and a coach not named Shane or Bud is the HBC in BBurg next year. 

T3. Duke - My Carolina homer hat will probably get me in trouble on this prediction but I foresee a mid season derp coming from Duke. Duke hasn't played a soul yet this year with their best win looking like it came over Boston College. Duke goes 1-3 over the next 4 then finishes off with a pair of gimme wins (against Wake and UVA) to finish up the year. 8-4 (5-3 in the ACC).

T3. Miami - The Nation's still waiting on Miami to have their All-World performance that we see once a year. The main candidates are this upcoming weekend for a RETURN OF THE CLEMSONING or against Duke on Halloween. Road Night Games are ALWAYS a prime candidate for Miami to look like 2001 Miami so I'm gonna go with that. Miami will eventually drop a couple (GT and/or UVA) they have no business losing and the Miami fan base will dream of having Butch Davis return this off-season. Miami 8-4 (5-3 in the ACC)

T1. Carolina - Carolina, according to many are currently the favorites to win the Coastal and with a hot team currently 5-1, it's not out of bounds to think that. What worries me are two games: at Pittsburgh and at NC State. I still don't like how this defense matches up against physical offenses and Larry Fedora teams continue to ply much better in Kenan than they do on the road. Unfortunately I think the loss to Pittsburgh in about a week and a half is what keeps Carolina out of Charlotte this year. A loss I predicted early on. I really, really, REALLY, hope I'm wrong cause I'd love to be in my hometown December 5th. UNC finishes 9-3 (6-2 in the ACC)

T1. Pittsburgh - Welcome to the ACC, Coach Pat Narduzzi. Yours truly thinks that your squads 3-0 start in the ACC should be enough to hold off the other ACC Coastal contenders as y'all beat each other up over the next month and a half. I believe you'll get a win over Notre Dame when they come to Heinz Field as Pitt embarks on their most successful year since the Wannestedt Era. Y'all taking care of biz the way your team supposed to will land you in Charlotte with a date with the Clemson and FSU game winner. Y'all beating Carolina in Pittsburgh is the tie-breaker to propel y'all to Charlotte. Pitt finishes 9-3 (6-2 in the ACC)

That's enough #HotACCTakes for one Tuesday.

Enjoy 

WFP

Slept On It (Thrice): Wake Forest Game Review

Five in a row never sounded so good. Carolina, following a shaky start with two Marquise Williams picks, annihilated Wake Forest in the last 3 quarters of game play. What we saw (while some, listened) was a complete offensive performance against a sneak good Wake Forest defense and a Carolina defense that took advantage of an over matched and not very talented Deacon offense. Carolina, after settling in, boat raced Dave Clawsen's Deacon squad sending them back to Winston with the worst less ever dealt to a Wake Forest squad at the hands of the Tar Heels.

Heading into Saturday I was convinced Wake had a punchers chance because of the nature of their quick, shifty, and chaos generating defense. After a couple of drives it looked like that out of bounds prediction could come true. But, like we've seen in the last couple of games, when the Tar Heels have faced adversity, they've collected themselves, listened to coaching, and played their game.

The biggest adjustment I noticed on offense came in the second quarter in the run game.Once Carolina's O finally settled in, they took advantage of the defensive looks the Wake Forest D displayed. Early on Wake used a linebacker to set the edge for defending zone reads and it proved troublesome for the Carolina run game. I have to give credit to the adjustments made by Carolina's coaching staff. Recognizing this unbalanced look for the Wake Forest defense, the offensive coaching staff scripted a counter play utilizing a pulling guard to kick out the extra defender Wake had on the edge. Elijah Hood (a man who Carolina fans should be kissing the feet of) was patient, read and followed his blockers and hit the hole north and south. Elijah Hood's running style makes me salivate.

To exploit the Wake Forest passing D, Carolina took advantage of the Zone Passing Defense Wake Forest relies on. The attacking nature of their front coupled with zone at the rear, creates havoc for opposing QBs and has led to a (until playing Carolina) upper tier ranking in terms of total defense. We saw the havoc early on with Quise's early interceptions. With Wake wanting to stop the run and keep the ball in front of them, Carolina was able to exploit the over the top passing game with with 4 passing receptions that exceeded 40 yards each. Carolina exploited the extra man in the box with a zone read play action fake which froze the safeties and let Quise hit Wake over the top.

On defense, Carolina played to about as close to a complete game on defense that we've seen in years. Wake Forest runs a plethora of pick plays in the passing game that utilizes a quick passing scheme set to catch the opposing defense off guard. The pick plays were plentiful and you could definitely argue that many of the plays would be illegal under the current set of rules, but you have to deal with it. Carolina's DL got after it, took away any chance of a run game and let the DBs make plays. Let it be known:It didn't hurt that Carolina knocked out Wake's Starting QB. With the substitute QB, Carolina was able to load the box and force the new QB to beat him with his arm, which he couldn't.

While this game was far from perfect, it was one of the more complete games Larry Fedora and his staff have put together since he got on campus. Adjustments were made and players made plays. Carolina has a back loaded schedule so we'll have to look out at what lies ahead in the final six. But, I must say, it feels great to be 5-1 heading into UVA.

Go Heels.

WFP