UNC Football: UNC Football: Peyton Seelmann’s Lunch Pail Mentality
In the second half, Greg Smith got the credit for recovering the fumble, but the play started with the effort of Peyton Seelmann getting to the football and punching it out. Those are the little things that don’t always show up in the box score, but they are becoming a big part of what this UNC team is about.
Seelmann described the Tar Heels as a “blue-collar” team, where everyone does their job and trusts the guy next to them to do his. That mentality has started to show up on defense. It isn’t always about one player making the spectacular play. It’s about 11 players flying to the football, finishing plays and making sure the effort doesn’t stop when the ball carrier breaks the first tackle.
On to Clemson
This is where that identity gets put to a much different test. Clemson has the kind of athleticism and skill at the offensive skill positions that can turn a small mistake into a big play. UNC won’t be able to afford defenders standing around waiting for someone else to make the play. The Tar Heels are going to have to swarm.
That may be the biggest defensive challenge of Saturday’s game. Can UNC’s blue-collar approach travel with it? Can the Tar Heels consistently get 11 hats to the football against a Clemson offense loaded with athletes? The answer may tell us as much about this defense as anything we have seen so far.
UNC doesn’t have to be perfect against Clemson. But it does have to be connected. Every player doing his job. Every player chasing the football. And every player trusting that the guy next to him is going to do the same.
