Fixing defensive line’s woes key for Tar Heels

North Carolina defensive tackle Nazair Jones, like most people, expected the Tar Heels to dominate Delaware – a Football Championship Subdivision school – in every phase of Saturday’s game.

However, when it came to the guys up front, the Tar Heels didn’t exactly play up to expectations.

Delaware (1-3) created holes for its running backs, who ran through them, racking up 279 yards rushing on 49 carries. The Tar Heels (3-1) still won 41-14, but the game remained close through three quarters when it probably shouldn’t have.

“We were supposed to absolutely dominate this team because they were the underdogs,” Jones, a redshirt sophomore, said. “Sometimes they went on long drives, broke long runs, broke tackles, and did what great offenses are supposed to do.

“But that wasn’t supposed to happen against our defense.”

Delaware’s success shows that if the Tar Heels can’t fix their problems up front, they could be in trouble when they go to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

While UNC has improved on defense under first-year coordinator Gene Chizik, the team ranks last in the ACC in rushing defense, allowing 228.75 yards per game. Georgia Tech, with its triple-option, again leads the ACC in rushing offense, averaging 326 yards per game.

The triple-option gives the quarterback the opportunity to read the defense. He then has the option to hand off the ball to a running back, keep the ball and run, or pitch it to a second running back.

On defense, that requires patience from defensive ends to not bite on an option before a quarterback commits. It also requires defensive tackles to hold containment in their gaps.

That’s something Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said his team must fix.

“We’re still getting too much push up front, so we’ve got to do a better job in the front with those front four guys,” Fedora said after Saturday’s game against Delaware. “You’ve got to squeeze and constrict your gaps and you’ve got to be physical up front and you’ve got to transition in the pass rush.”

There were times during that game when the Tar Heels’ defensive line didn’t do that.

The Blue Hens’ offense had its way early.

On the second play of the game, while in a shotgun formation, Delaware quarterback Joe Walker handed the ball to running back Thomas Jefferson. Two UNC defenders – Jones and Mikey Bart – got into the backfield and both missed an easy tackle. Jefferson sprinted to the end zone for a 72-yard run to give the Blue Hens a 7-0 lead.

“The first one was definitely our fault because me and Mikey were there to make the tackle but we kind of bumped into each other and he broke for a touchdown,” Jones said of the play.

Jefferson finished the game as Delaware’s leading rusher with 164 yards on 22 carries. He averaged 7.4 yards per rush.

Saturday’s 279-yard rushing performance by Delaware marked the second time in as many games that the Tar Heels have given up more than 200 yards on the ground.

Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they won both games.

“We’ve got to get our team ready,” Fedora said. “I think our guys will respond. I think they will practice hard. We can’t waste a rep in practice.”

The games will only get harder as the Tar Heels enter ACC play. Sophomore defensive end Dajaun Drennon said he knows how important the Tar Heels defensive line is.

“We’re the first line of defense,” he said. “Anything that goes to the secondary has to go through us first.”

But Drennon said he and his teammates will fix the issues that have plagued them this season. Because if not, much of the same – or worse – could happen.

“They run a much different scheme than anyone else we’re going to face,” Drennon said of the Yellow Jacets. “Our mindset is going to be a lot more different than it would be for other teams. We’re still going to practice hard and do what we have to do.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Fixing defensive line’s woes key for Tar Heels."