UNC's much-maligned defense has been historically bad, and as a result, defensive coordinator Vic Koenning and the Tar Heels parted ways. But this group has a chance to redeem itself against a Rutgers offense that has been up and down in its own right, averaging anywhere from 2.48 yards per play (against Wisconsin) to 6.8 (against Michigan). North Carolina co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch will call the defense in this bowl game, but the Tar Heels will likely be hiring a new coordinator after the bowl.
Will the defense be able to find some form of redemption against a potentially explosive but turnover-prone Rutgers offense? Conversely, will Rutgers, likely licking its chops to get a crack at one of the worst defenses among the Power 5 schools, be able to take advantage?
Marquise Williams and Gary Nova
The two quarterbacks will have plenty to prove. Rutgers' senior QB has had a pretty good year, all things considered. Nova was thrown into the fire early in his Rutgers career, and after a big of a regression last year, he rebounded with 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and a career high in both completion percentage (58 percent) and yards per attempt (8.7). He could play his way into becoming a late-round NFL draft pick.
Williams managed to unseat the coaching staff's likely favorite in redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky this year. He'll be a senior next season, though, and if nothing was guaranteed to him at the start of this season, the same will likely be true heading into next year, so he needs to take advantage of all the opportunities he gets to impress the coaching staff.
6.4: North Carolina's defense gets more attention (justifiably, for being terrible) than Rutgers' does, but the Tar Heels actually allowed fewer yards per play this season (6.4) than Rutgers (6.47).
20: Rutgers owns a -4 turnover margin on the season, losing 20 and gaining 16. The Scarlet Knights have 13 interceptions, but eight came in just two games (five against Penn State and three against Michigan State).
23: North Carolina, meanwhile, gained 23 turnovers this year -- a mitigating factor for its otherwise-bad defense -- but gained just seven in six losses compared to 16 in six wins.
75: The Tar Heels ran 75 or more plays seven times this season and 80 or more six times (going 4-2 when they hit that 80-play mark). A Rutgers opponent ran 75 or more plays just twice all season.
81.3: Rutgers' defense ranks 50th nationally in the red zone, allowing scores 81.3 percent of the time and 62.5 percent on touchdowns allowed. North Carolina's red-zone offense is 33rd nationally after scoring on 87.8 per of all trips, but it has scored touchdowns 75.5 percent of the time, the top mark nationally.
In a game where neither defense is great, it comes down to two things: Whose offense do you trust more and which team will be more interested? Had the Tar Heels cruised into this game coming off of a competitive result against NC State, maybe they'd be less interested. But there's no question they'll be eager to end their season on a positive note after the blowout loss at home.
Rutgers, meanwhile, wasn't really expected to do much in their inaugural Big 10 season and so all this is gravy for them, but they'll still be very interested and engaged. So that's a push. As for which offense to trust more? That's a relatively easy decision, in spite of how well Rutgers' offense came on towards the end of the year.
