No. 8 Tar Heels lose safety Sam Smiley to Achilles injury

It was September 27, 2014, and Watson’s first collegiate start. But while the Tar Heels have made life hard for opponents that try to move the ball through the air, they have struggled at stopping the run all year. With a win, Clemson most likely locks down the number one seed in the College Football Playoff. Nearly forgotten about that game – UNC also was penalized 15 times for 130 yards.

That means Heel faithful are still talking about their football team in December, which is quite out of the ordinary. Since that evening in Charlotte, Hood has been at the forefront of coach Larry Fedora’s offense.

And so they possess similar playing styles and similar statistics, and they’ve led their team to similar success. Carolina takes their offense into Charlotte this next weekend as they look to knock off the No. 1 Clemson Tigers.

“(Watson’s) a hell of a player. So it’s going to be a hell of a matchup. 1 Florida State previous year (albeit in a relief role)… Carolina is allowing 394.9 yards per game compared to 497.8 last season. Outside of rushing defense and yards per rush, Clemson’s defense ranks in the top three in the ACC in every major statistical category, 11 in all. In 2014, Clemson beat UNC 50-35, back when the Tar Heels hadn’t hired Gene Chizik as their defensive coordinator and didn’t have a clue about how to play defense. Regardless of which team wins Saturday, the Heels have had a great season, and that’ something they should be proud of.

But he recognizes that Watson, at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, is a dynamic play maker. The Heisman chatter around Watson’s season is completely valid, as he has the third highest completion percentage in the country at 70.4. The student, an 18-year-old freshman from Dunwoody, Georgia, reportedly fell about 120 feet from the top of the south stands, according to school officials and the Pickens County Coroner’s office. He’s wise beyond his years.

Both, UNC linebacker Jeff Schoettmer said, “are dynamic playmakers that can run and throw the ball”. We had a bunch of big plays on them, and that’s probably the biggest thing is they’ve been very sound in what they’ve done. “He keeps telling us that we can go out and be the best”. With the running game dominating, Marquise Williams took a back seat putting up a modest line of 227 total yards with a touchdown and a pick. “This is what this game needs, this kind of interest, this kind of support from the fans and the community”, he said. “He knows what he’s talking about when he tells us to do things”. “So we’ve got to do a good job in our presentation”. “That’s why we’re 12-0”.

There’s also no shortage of motivation for the Tar Heels. With Paige on the court, North Carolina is a different team. “A very talented person”. “I don’t know if that’s the problem, but it’s just something we have to figure out what the issue is this week, and we have to work on it this week and make sure it doesn’t hurt us against UNC. It’s going to interesting to watch him play live Saturday”. There have been many talks of them even being able to sneak into the playoff with a victory over Clemson. The Tar Heels’ defense has not played against a quarterback who can throw like Watson, or run like him, or lead an offense like him. “Because you’re so competitive”.