Ainsley Pemberton · North Carolina Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
Carolina blue, through and through. Hello, darlings, I'm Ainsley Pemberton. I grew up in Chapel Hill, I came out at a debutante ball, and then I went and earned a PhD in kinesiology, because a lady should understand exactly how a linebacker generates force. I travel with the Tar Heels and I live with the Tar Heels, and every week I'll bring you the players, the matchups, the history and the storylines, with Southern charm and, I'll confess, a gentle little roast of a certain school eight miles down the road. I don't even need Duke to be on the schedule. When we win, I graciously thank our guests, then whisper "Carolina blue, through and through." When we lose, I say "Carolina blue skies will return," and I absolutely refuse to cry on camera. Mostly.
The School in 60 Seconds
The Tar Heels, often just "Carolina," represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the ACC. North Carolina has played in 37 bowl games and won three Southern Conference titles and five ACC titles. Home is Kenan Stadium, opened in 1927 and listed at 50,500 seats, and darling, there is no prettier place in college football on an autumn evening. The last five seasons: 6-7, a lovely 9-5 in 2022, 8-5, 6-7 and 4-8 last year.
The Coach and the Scheme
Bill Belichick is our head coach; CFBD dates his hire to Dec. 11, 2024. This team wins with defense and discipline. We allow 19.2 points a game, 34th in FBS, our red zone defense ranks 22nd, and we average just 33.7 penalty yards a game, 5th in the country. Darling, that's manners. Xavier Lewis has 7 sacks. The offense is a work in progress: 329.7 yards a game (117th) and 116.2 rushing yards (120th). And opponents convert 43.3% of third downs against us (113th). Elegant, mostly. Not always. But a team that wins close games on the road, two weeks in a row, has learned how to finish, and finishing is the most elegant skill of all.
Players to Know
QB Billy Edwards Jr.: 94 of 157 for about 1,260 yards (1,259 per AP), 9 TD, 5 INT. A first-year Tar Heel, he said he felt "the weight of this game" against Duke.
WR Jordan Shipp: 33 catches, 441 yards. He caught the first touchdown at Duke and said, "That's why you come to Carolina, for a rivalry game like that".
RB Jaylen McGill: 12 carries for 75 yards and the game-winning 24-yard touchdown with 1:53 left at Duke. RB Benjamin Hall: the season leader with 283 yards.
TE Jelani Thurman: caught the 12-yard fourth-and-4 conversion on the winning drive.
DL Xavier Lewis: 7 sacks. LB Derek McDonald: team-high 55 tackles. DB Greg Smith III: 3 interceptions.
The Conference Picture
North Carolina is 4-2 and 2-1 in the ACC. We beat TCU 15-10 at a neutral site, East Tennessee State 35-3, Pittsburgh 21-17 on the road and Duke 24-20 on the road. We lost at Clemson 28-20 and to Notre Dame 37-26. After Syracuse, No. 1 Miami comes to Kenan on Oct. 31. I won't do standings math, darling. I'll only say it's a lovely time to be wearing blue.
And the Victory Bell is home. After the Duke game, our players rushed across the field to reclaim it. AP says the bell kept ringing so loudly outside the locker room it nearly interrupted Coach Belichick's press conference. I'd call that the sweetest music in the Triangle. And two years ago in that same stadium, Duke rallied from 20 points down to beat us. This time, darling, the bell came home with us, where it belongs. Duke had won eight straight against in-state opponents before we arrived. Bless their hearts.
This Week: Syracuse (2-4) at North Carolina (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 7:30 p.m. ET · Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill · ACC Network.
Last week: we beat Duke 24-20. We led 17-0, went more than 41 minutes without scoring, then marched 78 yards for the winner. On fourth-and-4 from our own 28, Coach said, "I wasn't punting again. I wanted to take our best shot". Syracuse lost to Louisville 34-26.
Their offense vs. our defense: Syracuse throws for 291 yards a game (12th), and Umari Hatcher has 784 receiving yards, including 224 last week. Darling, we must know where he is at all times. Their quarterback situation is unsettled; no Week 8 ACC report yet.
Our offense vs. their defense: Syracuse's pass defense ranks 43rd and its run defense 64th. Syracuse is also 138th in penalty yards. Free yards are always welcome at Kenan.
Series: I couldn't find an all-time series record in a free source.
Availability: no North Carolina availability report found as of Oct. 18.
What decides it: (1) Containing Hatcher. (2) Getting off the field on third down. (3) Staying the most disciplined team on the field.
To Nico Calabrese, Syracuse's insider: a snowbank shaped like a block S? How charming. We have dogwoods. Come in April, darling.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
In Chapel Hill for the game? La Residence on West Rosemary Street is a lovely sit-down supper.
My call: North Carolina Tar Heels 29, Syracuse Orange 19.