UNC Football: Can Bill Belichick Confuse a True Freshman?
This is the first game of the season where UNC's defense is going to have to answer some real questions in the passing game. Clemson brings two receivers in T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. who are capable of making plays at the highest level, and they give the Tigers something UNC simply hasn't seen yet this season. These aren't just receivers who can catch the ball. They are the kind of players who can make a good defensive play look like a bad one.
That puts the spotlight on the UNC secondary, but it doesn't stop there. The linebackers have also been susceptible in pass coverage, and Clemson has the personnel to make those matchups matter. If the Tigers can get their receivers matched up against linebackers in space, those could become easy completions that keep drives moving. A five- or six-yard completion doesn't look particularly dangerous, but enough of those plays can force UNC to tackle in space, extend drives and eventually create opportunities for something much bigger.
And then there is the quarterback situation. Clemson will turn to true freshman Tait Reynolds for his first career start, which creates an entirely different challenge for Bill Belichick and this defense. Reynolds has already shown that he isn't afraid of the moment, but there is a difference between coming into a game and making your first start against a defense coached by Belichick.
Throughout his career, Belichick has made a living making quarterbacks process information after the snap. The goal isn't always to confuse them completely. Sometimes it's simply to make them hesitate. Show pressure and drop into coverage. Give the quarterback one picture before the snap and another after it. Move linebackers and safeties around. Force the quarterback to determine whether what he thinks he sees is actually what he is getting.
That could be especially important against Reynolds. A young quarterback doesn't have to make a terrible decision for a defense to win the play. He just has to be a little late. If Belichick can make Reynolds hold the ball for an extra beat while he figures out the coverage, UNC's defensive line has a chance to get home without having to consistently send extra rushers.
But that strategy comes with a significant tradeoff. UNC can't simply load the box or blitz Reynolds on every passing down because Clemson has too much talent on the outside. If the Tar Heels create favorable one-on-one matchups for Moore or Wesco, Reynolds may not have to solve much of a puzzle at all. He can simply throw the ball to a receiver who has beaten his man.
That is why this game is such a good measuring stick for UNC's defense. The defensive line has to generate pressure. The linebackers have to prove they can hold up in coverage. The secondary has to win against receivers who can make plays even when the coverage is good. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, Belichick has to make a true freshman quarterback think about what he is seeing instead of simply reacting to it.
Against TCU and ETSU, UNC was able to play fast and let its front seven dictate the game. Clemson is going to make the Tar Heels defend every inch of the field. If UNC can pressure Reynolds without exposing its linebackers and defensive backs, the Belichick factor could become very real. If it can't, Clemson has enough talent at receiver to make even a freshman quarterback's job relatively simple.
Clemson has enough talent at receiver that, on paper, this could simply become pitch and catch. Reynolds finds the open receiver, Moore or Wesco makes a play, and Clemson moves the football. But has Belichick ever made it quite that easy on a young quarterback when he has capable defenders roaming the other side of the ball? That is the part of this matchup worth watching. If Belichick can make Reynolds hesitate, second-guess what he is seeing and hold the football just a little longer, UNC's defense may not need to completely shut down Clemson's passing game. It may only need to make a true freshman quarterback uncomfortable enough to make a freshman mistake.
