The UNC Tar Heels suffered a historically terrible loss to the James Madison Dukes on their home turf, to make matters even worse.
Coach Mack Brown stated he didn’t ‘deserve’ to be the coach of the team following a loss of that nature to a former FCS school. Group of Five schools are not supposed to defeat Power Four schools in the fashion that the UNC Tar Heels lost, and Brown and the team certainly understand that.
As a die-hard Tar Heels football fan, I do not want to see Mack Brown step down or be fired mid season. However, I do believe this should be his last season as UNC’s head coach. We need new energy in the program.
— Matthew Uehling (@MatthewUehling) September 24, 2024
With the Dukes loss behind them, the UNC Tar Heels now need to focus on Duke, as the Blue Devils have been an interesting team thus far. Led by former Texas Longhorns backup quarterback Maalik Murphy, the Blue Devils are 4-0 with three straight games of 26-points on offense. Murphy has been responsible for 11 touchdowns through the air along with 1017-yards.
8 years and Mack Brown hasn’t changed. What ever defense UNC has ran under him they’ve been garbage. I’m so sick of seeing mediocre teams run the score up on 4 star players that are now seniors and everything it the same. 70 points against a G5 school is pathetic and terrible
— Snake (@Set_42_) September 21, 2024
The UNC Tar Heels allowed 70-points last week against the James Madison Dukes, with much of the attack coming through the air. The UNC Tar Heels staff not only needs to find a way to stop the Blue Devils on defense, but also needs to find a way to stay consistent on offense. Much of the offense the Tar Heels accumulated on offense came in the second-half, when the Dukes began to play a much softer defense.
As bad as the James Madison loss was, the Tar Heels need to focus on the game ahead and what they can do to stop the Blue Devils.
Stopping Duke is going to start with pressuring Murphy, and that could become a tough task for the defense.
UNC Tar Heels, Mack Brown Expected to Suffer Second Defeat of the Season to Duke Blue Devils
While the Duke Blue Devils have allowed a sack a game this season, pressuring the big quarterback Murphy has not been easy.
Murphy has a quick throwing motion and a big body, with a frame of 6-feet-5-inches and a weight of roughly 230-pounds. The quarterback is a tough player to take down, and combined with his athleticism and speed throwing the ball, sacking Murphy is not an easy task.
Murphy has faced decent pressure throughout four games this season, and it has affected his accuracy. While Murphy may have over 1000-yards through the air and 11 touchdowns, he also has a quarterback rating of 47 and a completion percentage of 64.3%. Murphy struggles to make the routine or open throw at times, and struggles to do so even more when pressured.
The big quarterback typical looks for the deep play, with a deep throw percentage so far this season of 5.9%. Throws that go for 20 or more yards through the air take time to develop, which is why it is key to pressure Murphy and limit the time he has in the pocket for the UNC Tar Heels defense.
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