Video: Florida State vs North Carolina game preview

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown has lifted the Tar Heels into the top 5 in just his second year at the helm. He will get a lot of the credit for this but I think people tend to overlook the impact that good coordinators can have on a football team.

Offensive coordinator Phil Longo prizes flexibility and playmaking in his offense. Sophomore quarterback and former Florida State commit Sam Howell perfectly plays to this mold. Add into that one of the more talented stables of skill players in the country and you have an extremely potent offense.

The defensive side of the ball is less bright for the Tar Heels. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman has a solid scheme but doesn’t have the athletes he needs to be effective across the board. They have struggled in a few of their early matchups but have, thus far, come out unscathed.

Lets take a quick look at how these things play out on the field to get a better picture of what to expect on Saturday:

The Tar Heels are ranked as a top 5 team right now. Due to the circumstances this year this is probably inflated, but the point remains that they are a solid football team. They have cohesion across the offense and operate like a finely-oiled machine. On defense they have their moments but are still trying to find their footing.

If the ‘Noles want to win this game they have to take advantage of their lackluster defense weaknesses and hope that their young quarterback makes some mistakes along the way.

Let me know how I’m wrong in the comments below.