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Whether the offense is rolling at 100% or not this Saturday on The Flats, the Yellow Jackets will need to come out firing and get ahead early on a UNC team which has had an equally tumultuous season to this point. Coming on strong is something that Tech did historically well last season but has failed to do so far in 2015, even in the two wins over Tulane and Alcorn State to an extent. Though there is an argument to be made that it is less critical to get ahead early at home, the past two road affairs have all but proven the importance of a fast start in a hostile environment. When you get up early on a home team, it all but eliminates the crowd from the game as their team tries to mount a comeback. That coupled with early momentum can really help swing a game.
After a few blissful weeks of being heavily favored in just about every game, the Jackets are right back where they've been for years now: on upset watch. It still speaks volumes about the national perception of the team that a UNC win this Saturday would still be considered an upset, but it is frustrating nonetheless. Last season proved that Carolina is not to be taken lightly (even though I have no faith in their ability to stop the option), but whether or not their offense shows up this weekend will decide the game. It is one of the most impressive units in the ACC but has struggled sporadically all season long.
While the upcoming game versus the Tar Heels is all but a guaranteed win for the Jackets, it is worth noting that the Heels have failed to win Atlanta in the last 17 seasons -- the last time they left The Flats with a "W" was when Mack Brown held Larry Fedora's position of head coach. I'm not trying to use the 17 years figure as any type of encouragement for a victory, but that's just an impressive streak. Would it be frowned upon to say that I'm terrified of this game? Because I'm terrified of this game. It's crunch time in week five.
Last week's Duke hype video received some not-so-rave reviews from our commenters here at FTRS, but will this week's video be enough to get you pumped? Time to decide!
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Go easy on the guy who makes these, people. He's working with nonexistent material.
What predictions do you have for the upcoming UNC game?