Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing the Holiday Bowl with Tar Heels Wire
We are just a day away from the Oregon Ducks and North Carolina Tar Heels squaring off in the Holiday Bowl down in San Diego, California at Petco Park.
Despite the numerous transfers and opt-outs on both sidelines that have depleted each roster to a degree, this is still an incredibly intriguing matchup between Ducks and Tar Heels, and it will feature one of the best-looking jersey matchups as well.
The quarterbacks are going to be the main topic of conversation in this one, with Bo Nix going up against Drake Maye. Both were on the fringes of the Heisman Trophy conversation in 2022, and they’re expected to be among the favorites going into 2023.
To help us break down this game and learn a little bit more about the Tar Heels season, we talked with Zack Pearson of USA TODAY’s Tar Heels Wire for another edition of ‘Behind Enemy Lines.’
Here is that conversation:
What to make of UNC's Year
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): Oregon fans probably look at UNC’s schedule this year and see a lot of wins over relatively bad teams, and losses to some good teams. How do you evaluate the level of success that the Tar Heels had this year?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): It was a weird year for UNC overall. A lot of those games were closer than they should be which left many of us to believe that the 9-1 start was fool’s gold. Going into that Notre Dame game, a lot of fans around the program thought they were going to smash the Fighting Irish. But instead, they struggled and eventually lost. UNC did beat teams they probably should have lost to including Wake Forest and Duke. But it evened out at the end of the year with losses to NC State and Georgia Tech at home. The general feeling is that this team overachieved for the most part and came back down to earth at the end of the year. It sort of feels like this bowl game is a crucial point for the Tar Heels and building toward next year.
The ACC Championship
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): The Tar Heels obviously got to play for an ACC Championship against Clemson. Was it frustrating to lose badly to a Tigers team that a lot of people had questions about, or was it expected?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): Before the losses to NC State and GT I would say it was frustrating. But after how they played at home to those two teams? It was expected. I felt like if Clemson stuck with DJ, UNC would win. But as soon as they made the move to Klubnik it was over. Yeah, it was fun making an ACC Title game but that’s a game that was super frustrating for how it went down.
Drake Maye
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): Drake Maye established himself as one of the QBs to know in the nation this year. At what point in the season did Tar Heels fans really realize that they had a guy at QB?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): Week 1 in the win over App State. That was a hell of a game where they both put up 60+ points. Throughout that game, Maye carried UNC’s offense on his back and it was then that everyone realized, ‘Okay, this kid is special.’. He continued that for most of the year making just ridiculous throws and leading UNC’s offense up and down the field.
Bowl Game Excitement
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): With so many opt-outs and transfers, both rosters are depleted going into this game. What is the excitement level in Chapel Hill going into the Holiday Bowl?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): It’s basketball season. In all seriousness, the excitement level has dropped due to the three-game losing streak and how it’s gone down. The transfers certainly hurt too but with how UNC’s offense has played in the last three games, I think a lot of people are just waiting for the offseason and hopes of building on some success they had this year.
North Carolina wins if...
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): If I was able to see into the future and tell you that North Carolina beats Oregon, what would you predict would be the main reason why?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): A shootout. High scoring game in which neither defense can stop anyone. That’s the only way I see UNC winning this game honestly. That probably benefits the Tar Heels more than Oregon but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Oregon wins if...
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): Similarly, if I told you that Oregon came out on top with a convincing win over UNC, what would be your guess as to what went wrong for the Tar Heels?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): The offense struggling like we saw the previous three games. It’s been a concern, especially in pass protection. The offensive line hasn’t been able to block anyone and protect Maye, which has led to struggles for the offense. When he doesn’t have time to throw, it gets ugly for North Carolina’s offense.
Final Score Prediction
Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel): What is your final score prediction for this game?
Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson): Oregon 31, UNC 24. I think Oregon’s defense makes life difficult for the Tar Heels offense and they struggle in this one.
