Heel Tough Blog: Syracuse Recap

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The sweet taste of victory. That’s what the Tar Heels got to experience for the first time in over a month on Friday night in upstate New York, as they dominated the Syracuse Orange 27-10 to give Bill Belichick his first power conference victory as the team’s head coach. Here are our takeaways from this much-needed victory.

This Offense Has Found Its Identity

It took a lot longer than we anticipated, but it feels like the offense has finally found its identity and this game showcased it perfectly. The run game is the strength of this unit and needs to be leaned upon the way it was last night for this offense to be successful. If it is, that opens things up in the short and intermediate passing games and allows this offense to move efficiently down the field. That is the simple recipe for success for this offense and if they can succeed in the red zone the way that they did on Saturday.

Demon June and Davion Gause Need to See the Bulk of the Carries

The Tar Heels came into the game rotating four different backs and were using three for most of the game before the injury to Benjamin Hall, but we saw what the best combination is for this team on display in this game. True freshman Demon June was simply sensational in this game, totaling 182 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 15 touches and continues to show why he should be the guy taking the bulk of the carries. Davion Gause, meanwhile, was the perfect change of pace for the team, rushing for 57 yards on his 15 carries while spelling June. Hall has had moments where he has been productive, but he isn’t as consistently productive as June and Gause are. If this run game is going to be what the team leans on, they need to give this duo the bulk of the carries for the remainder of the season.

Gio Lopez Played Best Game of His Tar Heel Career

Lopez has been playing better since returning from injury against Cal, but Friday night was the best performance that we have seen from him in a Tar Heel uniform. After missing a couple of throws early in the game, he settled in nicely, finishing the night 15 of 19 for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Lopez might not have to make a bunch of throws, but when he needed to, he made plays. If he can continue to do what he did in this game, the Tar Heels will have a chance to find similar success offensively and, as a result, a chance to win the final four games of the season.

Offensive Line Deserves Major Credit

This Tar Heel offensive line has been a unit that has struggled with continuity and they faced that challenge again on Friday night because of an injury suffered by starting center Chad Lindberg before halftime and the ineffectiveness of Jakai Moore at right tackle. With Austin Blaske moved back to center and Moore off the field, the team had to turn to the sparsely used Miles McVay at right tackle and Jordan Hall at left tackle, who hadn’t played in a game so far this season prior to Friday night. Both guys looked really good in run blocking situations and allowed zero combined pressures in 41 and 46 snaps, respectively. This group deserves a ton of praise for what was their best performance of the season and should have the Tar Heels rethinking the starting lineup up front.

Pass Rush Shines for Second Straight Week

The defense for the Tar Heels put together another strong performance overall, allowing just 147 yards of total offense to the Orange, the fewest allowed to an opposing team since 1997. The area that shined the most, once again, was the team’s defensive line. The unit had another strong night in run defense, allowing just 108 yards and 3.4 yards per carry, but what has everybody talking is the way the pass rush performed for a second straight game. Melkart Abou-Jaoude was the best player on the field on Friday night, leading the team in total tackles with six and recording 2.5 tackles for loss and two more sacks. Fellow edge Tyler Thompson finished with three total tackles and had a sack for the third straight game. The unsung player for the team on passing rushing downs was defensive tackle Xavier Lewis, who registered three total quarterback pressures on just nine snaps. If this defensive line can continue to perform the way it has the last two weeks, this defense will give the team a chance to win every game remaining on the schedule.

Pressure Finally Feels Like It Is Off​​ This Team

This win was a long time coming for the Tar Heels and finally eliminates a lot of the pressure that was on the program entering the game. This team needed a win that would validate the progress that they made in the previous two weeks and, while Syracuse is not a good football team, the team did so in dominant fashion. With the pressure off their shoulders, this team can play a little more free the rest of the season, which could result in a lot more complimentary football that we saw to begin this season.