After all, Pitt's players shout “ACC champs” when they break the huddle every day at practice. Defeating the defending Coastal Division champion Tar Heels (2-1) would be a first big step toward that goal. Even the winner has a long way to go to win a championship, but for the short term, it might be instructive to note the teams' opposite strategies on defense:
• Narduzzi has built his national reputation as a defensive whiz by stopping opponents' run games, sometimes at the expense of pass defense.
• So far this season, North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik has concentrated on stopping opponents' passing games. The Tar Heels are next-to-last in the ACC in run defense (226.7 yards per game). Chizik wasn't pleased last week after North Carolina's 56-28 victory against James Madison of the FCS. UNC allowed 495 yards of offense.
LINK:
http://triblive.com/mobile/11187514-96/pitt-acc-carolina
• Narduzzi has built his national reputation as a defensive whiz by stopping opponents' run games, sometimes at the expense of pass defense.
• So far this season, North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik has concentrated on stopping opponents' passing games. The Tar Heels are next-to-last in the ACC in run defense (226.7 yards per game). Chizik wasn't pleased last week after North Carolina's 56-28 victory against James Madison of the FCS. UNC allowed 495 yards of offense.
LINK:
http://triblive.com/mobile/11187514-96/pitt-acc-carolina
