Andrew Tie
Missouri 41
UNC 24
That was embarrassing. There's not much to say about this other than that. The Heels came out ready on offense, but the defense couldn't have been any worse. Like with every mobile quarterback they've faced in the past, the Heels couldn't contain the run, which led to big passes. Too often the Heels were giving up 8, 9 or 10 yards on 1st down. Rather than play their hearts out for each other and for Interim Coach Everett Withers, they looked timid, pathetic and more willing to protect their draft stock for the NFL. The only players that came to play were on the offense. Players like QB Bryn Renner, WR Jhay Boyd and WR Dwight Jones were some of the only players who looked like they wanted to be on the field. Though Jones had several missed catches and an extremely crazy interception off his back, he made several big plays.
Credit to Missouri and Gary Pinkel for their gameplan. They used James Franklin to completely expose the very soft bend, don't break defense that the Heels use. He ran all over, he passed all over, and when he wasn't doing either, the Heels were shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers. I'm going to choose to look to the future though. Larry Fedora is coming in next year, and he will bring a breath of fresh air to the program. With his energy, I fully expect the UNC program to turn around and become much more dynamic. The run-first spread offense that Fedora employs is not unlike the offense that Missouri used, and that offense looks exciting. Renner should excel in the passing game, and RB Gio Bernard should have another great year. Although this game was embarrassing and a particularly weak showing, I'm optimistic that next few years will be different and more exciting.
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