Boston College Preview

Kendric Burney had a big game last year, picking off two passes in UNC's 45-24 spanking of Boston College. He also had a big game this past weekend against Miami, picking off three passes, one for a TD, and one for a lateral/fumble which went for a TD - totaling 170 INT return yards - a UNC and ACC single-game record!

Success has found UNC football! We're 7-3, and finally .500 in ACC play!

I can't believe we've beaten Virginia Tech, an impressive Duke team, and Miami in consecutive weeks!

But don't be fooled by the moderate hype surrounding this "reborn" UNC team. There's still plenty of flaws - and Boston College is not a football team to be trifled with. They're also 7-3, and they're undefeated at home (which is, of course, where we'll be playing them).

They might have the best offensive line in the ACC - luckily, UNC has one of the best defensive lines in the nation. Add an elite linebacker corps, and I expect UNC to put up a wall against Boston College's impressive running game.

They're freshman QB Dave Shinskie (who's 25 years old after a short career in the baseball minor leagues) is better than expected, but if UNC can force Boston College off schedule and into throwing - perhaps we can notch a few more interceptions (for BC's sake, I hope they don't throw it anywhere near Kendric Burney - that guy is a bawl hawk).

BC is favored by 3 in this game - expect them to carry some significant home field advantage. While I predict UNC wins this game, I wouldn't be surprised by a loss. They've got a solid defense, the loss of 3 of our starting 4 tailbacks is significant. Offensive coordinator John Shoop has done a good job installing some gimmicks to lighten the running load on Ryan Houston, giving Jerhanie Boyd, Johnny White, and Greg Little some carries on end-arounds and even conventional runs. But if Houston can't get some solid yardage on say, 30 or so carries, I'd be worried about the effectiveness of those gimmick runs as defenses get used to seeing them on tape and on the field.

However, don't discount the effectiveness of Casey Barth so far, who has hit 13 straight field goals - especially in a defensive struggle like this game will probably end up being.

My prediction: UNC wins, 24-14.

Go Heels!