UNC Football: Righting the Shipp
Jordan Shipp doesn't need to be steered in the right direction.
Against Clemson, Shipp was targeted seven times and caught all seven passes. Every time Billy Edwards Jr. looked his way, Shipp delivered. The problem isn't Shipp. The problem is finding a way to get the rest of the passing game sailing in the same direction.
That's the challenge for UNC Football during the bye week.
The Tar Heels need to find the buried treasure of a vertical passing game because Notre Dame is coming to town, and the Fighting Irish will have plenty of reason to load up against Carolina's running game. UNC has shown it can run the football, but if Notre Dame can set its sails toward the Tar Heel running backs without worrying about what is happening 15, 20 or 30 yards downfield, this offense could spend a long afternoon stuck in the harbor.
UNC doesn't need to uncover the entire treasure chest against Notre Dame. It just needs to find enough of it to make the Irish respect the deep ball.
That starts with Captain Billy Edwards Jr.
Edwards needs to find a steady path early in the game and then keep pushing deeper into the cauldrons of Bobby Petrino's playbook. He doesn't have to turn into a gunslinger throwing the ball all over the stadium, but UNC needs to show Notre Dame that the passing game can hurt them vertically. Take the shots when they're there. Create opportunities rather than waiting for them. Give the defense something else to worry about besides stopping the Tar Heel running backs.
Petrino can help steal some of the Irish wind with the same kind of misdirection and creative play calling we saw from the offense in Ireland against TCU. Motion, formations, play-action and some creativity can force Notre Dame's defense to hesitate for just a moment. Against a talented defense, sometimes that moment is all you need.
Jordan Shipp should be a major part of that plan. His seven catches on seven targets against Clemson weren't just a good statistical night. They were a reminder that UNC has a reliable target who can move the chains and make plays when the ball comes his way.
But Shipp can't be the only answer.
Jalani Thurman saw his production get slowed down by Clemson after making an impact during the first two weeks of the season. UNC needs to get him back into the flow of the offense. If Shipp and Thurman can both become consistent threats, suddenly the defense has more decisions to make, and that's exactly what UNC needs.
The Tar Heels don't need to discover every piece of buried treasure during the bye week. They need to uncover enough of it to keep Notre Dame from pointing the ship directly at the running game. Because eventually, this offense is going to have to prove it can win in more than one way.
The Notre Dame game is the next test. Pitt the following week begins the main slate of the ACC schedule. Before Carolina gets there, though, the Tar Heels have a voyage to navigate. Find the deep ball. Get Shipp involved. Get Thurman back into the action. Give Edwards opportunities to push the ball downfield. Let Petrino get creative.
Do that, and maybe Saturday night ends with the tower lit Carolina Blue.
That would be the signal that the Tar Heels didn't find all the treasure.
They found enough.
