Carolina bounced back Saturday night on the road at Illinois, earning a comfortable 48-23 victory. Here are a few plays that stood out.

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Positives

(0:24) One of the things that we’ve heard about with Mitch Trubisky is his underrated speed and athleticism. The claims coming out of the Carolina camp have been that Trubisky is faster than former quarterback Marquise Williams when running in a straight line. That’s all well and good, but there are few times, especially for a quarterback, where straight line speed comes into play in football. Marquise had his ups and downs throughout his Tar Heel career, but one thing that could not be denied was his home run hitting ability once he got into the open field. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see Trubisky get out and prove his speed and athleticism on this 1^st down and 10. The quarterback draw was such a key component to the Carolina offense while Williams was at the helm, so it was good to see the offensive play calling staff look to go back to it last weekend. I’d expect that we’ll see more of this from the offense moving forward given its success versus Illinois.

(0:50) It’s the second week in a row that T.J. Logan has shown his game-breaking speed and ability on special teams. Logan didn’t return this kick to pay dirt like against Georgia, but he quickly shifted momentum to Carolina’s side. Not enough can be said about Logan up to this point. I said last week that Carolina has as good of a running back duo as any in the nation when Logan is on top of his game, and that appears to be the case early on this season. I couldn’t be happier for Logan, given that he has seen his role as the feature back dissipate upon Elijah Hood’s maturation. Logan will continue to play an enormous role in UNC’s quest to defend its Coastal crown.

(1:13) Speaking of players that have shown out of recent, Nick Weiler has made a career for himself. We all remember the tumultuous 2014 campaign where Carolina’s kicking game was among the nation’s worst—among other things. Weiler shocked me and many others when he knocked home a 40+ yard field goal in the 2015 opener versus South Carolina. Weiler’s continued quality of play gives Carolina the consistent ability to produce points from outside the red zone when a drive stalls.

(2:05) Defensive lineman Jeremiah Clarke has had a fantastic start to the season, compiling 10 tackles with a sack and fumble recovery. The absence of Tyler Powell and Dajaun Drennon has given Clarke the opportunity to show his value along the defensive front and he has made the most of it. Clarke, playing at the tackle position, controls his offensive blocker until using a ‘swim move’ to pursue and sack the Illinois quarterback.

(2:55) Trubisky continued to show his athleticism all night long. This play, in particular, is one that I don’t believe his predecessor makes, at least with his arm. Trubisky steps up into the pocket and moves toward the right sideline, keeping his eyes downfield, until an open Khris Francis breaks toward the goal line. Credit to Trubisky, but equal credit is deserved on Francis’ part. It’s rare that you find a running back that has the presence of mind to get up field once they’ve completed a short route. Receivers know that if they go long they should come back to the ball, and vice-versa, if they go short they should head up the field. The same isn’t always seen in running backs, but in this case Francis makes the heads-up play.

(3:48) Lets talk about defensive leaders for a minute. Andre Smith, like his defensive teammate Clarke, is having an outstanding start to his season. Smith was all over the field Saturday night, helping him earn ACC linebacker of the week honors. On back-to-back plays early in the second half, Smith quickly snuffs out a screenplay and throw out to the flats by the Illini to get the Tar Heel defense off the field. Smith was said to have the potential to lead this defense this season. Thus far, he has done that and more.

Let it be known, that Naz Jones, Carolina’s other defensive standout, played a heck of a game collecting seven tackles, two being for a loss, and overall disrupting the Illinois offensive front throughout the night.

Negatives

None to show on the film provided, but I will express my disappointment in the 65-yard touchdown run reeled off by Illinois running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Carolina did a solid job, for the most part, after the run, only allowing 117 rushing yards from that point on, but it’s still frustrating to see those types of gains earned on the ground. The only reason I stress over that is the fact that a healthy and inspiring James Conner comes to Chapel Hill in two weeks, followed by a trip to Tallahassee met by Dalvin Cook. Those are only two of the great backs that Carolina will face this season. The sooner the defensive front is able to sure up the running game, the better off the Heels will be in ACC play.

The other play that bothered me Saturday night was the decision not to run the ball at the end of the first half inside the five. I can go on another rant about Carolina focusing on the run game, but I won’t. My colleague Jake Lawrence has been keeping a tally so far this season on Carolina’s success running and throwing the football inside the 10-yard line. To what should be no one’s surprise, the Tar Heels have found themselves far more successful when handing the ball to one of their two outstanding backs, or, heck, letting Trubisky run America’s favorite play, the naked bootleg. I doubt that there will be a day where I am completely satisfied with Fedora and co.’s play calls, but I like to envision it’s one where they run the ball far more than they pass.

Next up, the Tar Heels open their home slate against FCS James Madison. My hope is to only show you positives for next week.

Carolina once again started the season out in with a loss to an SEC team with their defeat to Georgia in Atlanta. Georgia's superstar running back, Nick Chubb, gashed the Heels for 222 yards on 32 carries to lead the Bulldogs to victory. Carolina is yet to beat an FBS team in their season opener under Coach Larry Fedora.

Positional Grades (1-10 scale, 10 is best)

Offense: 4

Offensive Line: 2

While the coaching will certainly be a major headline to come out of this game, the offensive line played one of its worst games of the Larry Fedora era. Georgia is a strong SEC team, but the line played much better against Clemson's All-Americans in the ACC championship just a year ago. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky barely had any time in the pocket on most of his throws throughout the game. On pass plays without play-action, the pocket collapsed on Trubisky incredibly quickly, with each of his linemen equally at fault for lapses in protection.

The Bulldogs did not send a lot of exotic blitzes at the Heels either, most cases were simply a man in red beating a guy in blue. This had serious consequences for the Heels outside of the obvious pressure it put on Trubisky. After the first few series, the Heels kept Hood or Logan in the backfield to hedge against pressure on Trubisky while the production of the tight ends in the passing game also completely disappeared, leaving only three or four options for the quarterback instead of the normal five. Because the offensive line failed to cover Trubisky adequately, the Heels were forced to change their offense substantially and it showed.

A great strength of the Heels' offense in the past has been the success of plays where the quarterback, rather than force a throw, dumps it off to a running back who gets about five yards. Over the course of a game, those five yard chunks add up and help you both stay on schedule and sustain drives. When the offensive line plays as poorly as it did against Georgia, these opportunities disappear and the offense is much less effective.

The line also failed to consistently generate running lanes up the middle of the field for Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan. Most of the Heels' ground game success came on runs to the outside where Hood or Logan broke tackles or ran past Georgia players in the second level. In particular, Hood is a downhill, north-south runner who does his best work in between the tackles. When the offensive line fails to generate an adequate push up front, the running backs will suffer, with Hood suffering the most.

Logan is the faster of the two backs, which is one reason why he was utilized more in this game than most observers of the Heels are used to. Logan's style lends itself to runs off-tackle and outside of the hash marks which he was still able to do against the Bulldogs. For Hood to get back to where he was last season, he needs the line to create holes up front to let him go to work between the tackles--that will require the center and guards to pick up their level of play from how they performed in this contest. Issues with blocking for runners also appeared in the screen game, something the Heels generally abandoned as the game progressed.

From an early failed tunnel screen for Ryan Switzer to the glorious end zone screen play call that went for a UGA safety, the offensive line was unable to clear adequate space for screens to develop the way the offense requires. Screens form a big part of the up-tempo aspect of the Fedora offense by reducing the amount of time between snaps since the linemen are already farther down the field. Successful execution of screens would have also paired back the aggression of the Georgia defense and given Trubisky a bit more time to find receivers from the pocket.

And finally, the offensive line also had issues with penalties throughout the night, picking up multiple false starts as well as a hold, and an ineligible man down field penalty. No matter how much faith you have in the officials, there were far too many penalties against the offensive line to be attributed to a few bad calls. Poor discipline was a bugaboo of the early Fedora-era Carolina teams but last season was a welcome reprieve from those types of dumb mistakes. Fans can only hope that this game was an aberration, rather than return to the old normal.

Running Backs and Wide Receivers: 7

On the whole, Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan had good games. Hood recorded 72 yards on 10 carries while also being a useful receiver with six catches for 28 yards as a safety valve. There isn't much that he can do about his workload, and he did well with the number of touches that he was given. He did make the mistake of catching a screen pass in the end zone, but that was also the play the coaches drew up for him, so I feel it's a bit unfair to ding him for doing what he was both trained and told to do. Logan was even more impressive than Hood, returning a kickoff for a touchdown and showing dynamite speed with the rock in his hands. Both Hood and Logan picked up pass rushers quite well when they were tasked with protecting Trubisky.

The pass catchers were pretty disappointing on the whole. Mack Hollins was more of a hurt than a help in his one half of play, picking up a *questionable* offensive pass interference penalty against only one catch for six yards. Ryan Switzer was the most impressive of the group with seven catches for 52 yards. Switzer displayed good awareness of where he was in the field and was the third best player for the Heels on offense after Logan and Hood. Bug Howard was surprisingly absent, he could have done better on a first half jump-ball in the end zone against a much shorter corner on a ball that was thrown relatively well. That potential first half score would have greatly helped the the Heels as they moved into the second half and potentially changed the course of the game.

One performance among the wideouts stuck out however, and that was Austin Proehl. Proehl dropped what was Trubisky's best deep ball of the game when he had a step on his man in the the first half. It's another case of a dynamite play the Heels left on the field. If Proehl picks up big yardage or even scores there, then the complexion of the ball game changes entirely. This would not only be seen on the scoreboard but it would also have forced the Georgia safeties to honor the deep ball more and open up throws in the middle of the field for intermediate gains--enabling the Tar Heels to step up the pace with a series of first downs.

Quarterback: 3

A large portion of Carolina supporters thought that this team could lose Marquise Williams and actually improve on offense. Such was the faith in red-shirt junior Mitch Trubisky, who, in his debut as the undisputed starter, largely disappointed. He missed every deep ball he threw and did not always make the best decisions with the football. Notably, he failed to see Ryan Switzer break past double coverage on a go route out of the slot for what could have been a huge play for Carolina. The speed of the Georgia front seven noticeably bothered Trubisky, who struggled to move through his progressions with so much pressure in his face.

Trubisky has wheels but stayed largely behind the line of scrimmage throughout the game, and it has to be said that this may be a significant adjustment for Carolina after years of Williams' willingness to run with the football. When Trubisky did throw the ball he showed off plus arm strength, but also exhibited severe control issues on throws more than 20 yards down the field. Not only did he miss multiple deep throws, he also risked several interceptions with poor positioning of the football--skying some throws and missing the mark on others. These could be first game jitters combined with facing an exceptionally quick defense, the likes of which he has never seen before. But some of these issues could be structural, if his accuracy does not improve on intermediate and deep throws, then there could be a severe ceiling on the Heels' performance this season.

Defense: 5

Defensive Line: 5

The defensive line was on the field for 38:05 of total game time. That's too much for a group that still does not have ideal depth. With that taken into account, the defensive line really played quite well. The line was able to get significant pressure in the pass rush and, although they allowed a lot of yards on the ground (289 to be exact), UGA was more successful running outside the tackles rather than up the middle. Nazair Jones remains the standout member of that unit for Carolina with seven tackles and a half sack in the game. This game was certainly an improvement over the performance of the unit in the final games of last season. The defensive line was able to hold its ground against the Georgia offensive line on most plays rather than being blown off the line of scrimmage by a few yards as they frequently were against Clemson and Baylor.

Linebackers: 4

The linebackers were the weakest part of the defense's performance. Linebackers were beat in coverage against wide receivers and off the edge by running backs. The defensive line did a relatively good job of occupying blockers but the linebackers failed to consistently hit their gap assignments and plug up holes in the running back. When the Georgia running backs ran sweeps or bounced it outside the linebackers had real issues with lateral movement to prevent large gains. On sweeps, the linebackers failed to get around the edge and shed blocks, forcing the secondary to have to make extra plays.

A larger issue for the linebackers was that they failed to keep contain on runs where the Georgia runners bounced outside when their intended running lane was full. There were several plays where the defense did its job for the initial Georgia play call, but then runners had freedom to just run around the over-committed linebackers to pick up easy yards. When the linebackers did execute their positioning well, they had tackling problems. The struggles tackling showed that the linebackers were green and inexperienced in this contest as they failed to wrap-up when tackling and often were not set when the Bulldogs snapped the ball.

Defensive Backs: 6

The defensive backs played relatively well on the whole. Patrice Rene got a rather rude welcome to the college game with a pair of pass interference penalties, but Des Lawrence and M.J. Stewart played at their normal high level to lead the unit. Stewart forced the game's one turnover and Lawrence had a sack. But for most of the night, the corners did not have much to do. Georgia refrained from picking on Stewart and Lawrence, preferring to brutalize linebackers and safeties. While this was how Georgia picked up yardage on multiple occasions, the strength of the Heels' top two corners allowed the Heels to move more men into the box to slow down the Georgia running attack.

Special Teams: 9

T.J. Logan returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Nick Weiler was perfect with his kicks and new Aussie punter Tom Sheldon played well in his American football debut. The coverage when the Heels were kicking to Georgia was good, Weiler booted all of his kicks for touchbacks and Sheldon handled the safety punt well.

Coaching: 2

The Heels' third quarter implosion was aided by a meltdown from the head coach himself. Coach Fedora compounded bad field position from a penalty on the offensive line with an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing with officials. This led to the safety and the complete shift the in game's momentum. In fact, after Fedora's penalty, the Heels would not score again, while Georgia scored 12 straight points to take the lead and ice the game. The coaching staff's play calling choices were further confusing in this game.

The most glaring example of this was the fact that the coaches called a screen pass within their own end zone which created a ready-made safety for Georgia. The Heels ran the ball with great effectiveness, averaging 8.4 yards per carry; however, they only gave running backs the ball 16 times despite leading for a sizable portion of the second half. The Heels also continued to throw downfield but only targeted Hollins, the nominal deep threat, once down the field. On defense the play calling was much better--they called an excellent mix of blitzes to be sure--but there were still a few head-scratching decisions with the secondary.

Rene picked up his two penalties on one drive on exceptionally similar plays. He was playing one-on-one man coverage on deep go routes each time. But the coaches did not give him any safety help over the top. This was his first game as a true freshman playing against a team with quality talents at receiver, after the first penalty he should have had safety help. On Jacob Eason's 51-yard pass play, the Heels had an outside linebacker in the slot up against one of Georgia's most explosive players, once again, the Heels failed to give a weak link in coverage enough safety help as he was late getting over to that side of the field.

Avoiding penalties is another critical part of coaching that the Heels seem to have regressed on. Not only did the coaching staff get an unsportsmanlike conduct, but the Heels totaled 13 penalties for 101 yards. That is a sharp regression from last season and something the coaches should be able to put a stop to with dedicated work on the practice field. Last season the Heels did an excellent job of cutting down on penalties compared to previous years but this game seemed to be a regression.

The coaches have put in a much better performance in the past and have gotten the team to rebound from poor starts before--last season is an excellent example. But this season seems to already require a substantial amount of work on that front. Rather than building on the successes of last year, the Heels are still winless in season openers against FBS teams under Larry Fedora, and this team seems to have gotten worse than the one that ended the year with a loss against Baylor. The coaching staff proved last year that they have what it takes to right the ship after a disappointing first game, we'll see if they can repeat the feat this season.

One of the biggest narratives surrounding the 2016 UNC football team is the run defense and all the concerns surrounding it. It’s fairly hard to argue against the notion that it’s an issue.

The last two games UNC played were not a good look for the run defense. North Carolina gave up 319 total rushing yards to Clemson, and then allowed an all-time bowl record of 645 to Baylor. Those two game made up 954 of the 3463 yards they allowed all season. In Carolina’s only other loss of the season, they allowed 254 to South Carolina. It was a major factor in all three losses.

Add in the fact that UNC loses both Shakeel Rashad and Jeff Schoettmer, and the run defense is definitely something to be worried about.

In six of their wins last season, Carolina allowed over 200 yards. However, the offense was enough to cover it up. While that may be the case again in some games this season, there are some teams on North Carolina’s schedule that may be able to exploit the run defense. Maybe not to a Baylor level, but there are teams that can definitely go for 250-300.

The two teams that are most equipped to take advantage of the run defense are Georgia and Florida State. Georgia will get back Nick Chubb. Even if Chubb is not 100% following his injury, Georgia will probably have someone who can run the ball, because they always seems to have at least one good running back.

Meanwhile, Florida State has Dalvin Cook. Last season, Cook averaged 7.4 yards per carry, and arguably should have been a Heisman Trophy finalist. However, in all likelihood, UNC will be an underdog in those two games anyway. UNC’s run defense can play average in both of those games and still possibly lose. There are some other games where UNC might be a favorite where the run defense might be a big factor.

Last season, UNC held Pitt to just 153 rushing yards. However, 2014 ACC Player of the Year James Conner is returning for the Panthers this season. It will be difficult for Carolina to repeat that performance again this year.

Georgia Tech’s option also could be a problem for North Carolina. Even in a down year for the Yellow Jackets, UNC still allowed a lot of yardage on the ground in last year’s game.

Then there is the NC State game. In last year’s game, Carolina gave up 308 yards on the ground, and that was a State team without both Matt Dayes and Shadrach Thornton. While at least part of that total was due to the fact that the game was pretty much over in the first quarter, not all of it can be discounted. Dayes will return this season for State, making that game a potential worry.

Take this for what it’s worth, but North Carolina faces eight running backs that received All-ACC preseason votes. There are a lot of good players on the schedule that a UNC defense that allowed the 3rd most rushing yards in the country has to face.

North Carolina’s offense has the potential to cover up many problems that arise due to the defense. Last year, UNC allowed 279 rushing yards to Delaware and still won by 27 points. The offense can be really good. However, there are definitely some teams on the schedule that can really make North Carolina pay.

Daily Tar Heel | Jeremy Vernon: UNC football held their first practice of training camp Friday morning, and a few takeaways were immediately evident. This team is not satisfied with what it accomplished last year and wants to do more. Fixing the run defense that was badly exposed is also a priority.

From The Rumble Seat | Josh Brundage: Our Georgia Tech sister site previews UNC football’s upcoming season and predicts an 8-4 season ahead for the Tar Heels. Do you think they are overly pessimistic about the team’s chances?

News & Observer | Andrew Carter: What does the football team need to focus on now that camp is open? Preparing for Georgia, upping their defensive creativity, and having Mitch Trubisky slide into a leadership role, among other things.

247Sports | Jerry Meyer: Roy Williams is now recruiting Minneapolis power forward Jericho Sims. Sims’ hometown school, University of Minnesota, appears to be in the lead for his services at this point with the Texas Longhorns also showing interest.

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— Billy 5️⃣5️⃣ (@RossBr7813) August 1, 2016

ACC Kickoff is over and we can now set our sights on fall camp as we step closer to the September 3rd showdown with Georgia in Atlanta. Media Days do their part to create headlines and offer some insight on what to expect heading into the season. Here’s what we learned about Carolina football from ACC Kickoff.

Ryan Switzer is as quote worthy as they come

From the moment I heard he was headed to Charlotte I was confident that we would get some good quotes from Switz. One in particular that ACC fans won’t be fond of his Switz’s praise of Clemson referring to them as an “SEC caliber team.” I get that Clemson has one of the best gameday atmospheres in college football and has been strong in recruiting but they are a charter member of the league. I vehemently disagree with Switz, but it was an honest mistake. Naturally, Switz has often been compared to New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. In response to this, Switzer had this to say, “I don’t know why, by the way. We don’t even look alike.” I won’t say it for him but I commend the guy for wanting to blaze his own path.

The quote that probably turned the most heads was Switzer’s comment on the North Carolina offense, saying that he doesn’t know any team in the country returning the same amount of talent that UNC has coming back on offense. To no one’s surprise, our neighbors down in Clemson didn’t agree. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Clemson is more than likely to have the most explosive offense, in not just the ACC, but in the country. I will say that when looking at what both teams return the only thing that separates the Tigers from the Heels is some guy named DeShaun Watson, who might win the Heisman. Clearly, this is a big advantage, that and officiating on onside kicks but I digress.

Fedora sees the Georgia game as a “measuring stick” for the program

Now, most have tried to downplay the meaning of the Georgia game, which is understandable in terms of being “just” a non-conference game. Losing to Georgia won’t affect Carolina’s ACC Coastal defense and ability to win its first ACC title since 1980. What it would do is hinder any chance of playing in a New Year’s Six bowl if the Tar Heels are able to replicate last season’s success. More importantly, I appreciate the fact that Fedora has recognized this as a building block type of game for his program. A win would likely skyrocket the Tar Heels in the polls and turn the heads of national pundits, along with sending Georgia fans into a bourbon-fueled crisis. Also, the momentum that Carolina has been building in recruiting the Atlanta area would only further benefit with a win versus the states flagship university. Win or lose, this game will write the early narrative on Carolina’s program in 2016.

More creativity with defensive schemes to come

In his Q&A with the press, Fedora spoke about what is to be expected from Gene Chizik’s defense in Year 2. One thing he pointed out was the fact that the defense will be more creative in their schemes as opposed to playing in their based defense like they did 100% of the time last season. Fedora mentioned how this will help prevent the defense from being exposed like they were late in the season against Clemson and Baylor.

Des Lawrence feels snubbed

Des Lawrence has been doing what we all shouldn’t do: take preseason preview magazines to heart. The senior cornerback, despite finishing second-team All-ACC last season, has received no love from the various magazines predicting first-team all-conference teams in the ACC. Lawrence, and defensive backfield mate MJ Stewart --who was also on the ACC defensive second-team—have already vowed to use the slight as motivation heading into the season.

Socks are optional

Last week, at SEC Media Days in Hoover, AL, Florida head coach Jim McElwain made waves about his distaste for socks. Although in a suit, McElwain sported the ‘no-sock’ look. Fedora brought the trend to the Westin in Charlotte, citing that “it was the closest thing to being barefoot” he could get.

scoopnest.com

Lawrence on the other hand sported some fly socks that got some media attention.

Continued high praise for Mitch Trubisky

We’ve talked throughout the summer about managing expectations for Mitch Trubisky, but Fedora wants to hear none of it. He continued to speak volumes about his redshirt junior quarterback, who he says has the team’s full confidence. Fedora went on to suggest that he’s never felt more comfortable about going into a season with a new quarterback than he does his Trubisky, given the signal caller’s experience in the system.

Just 42 days until Georgia.

They say that the backup quarterback is the most popular guy in town when the starter is struggling. Even with a record-setting quarterback like Marquise Williams, Mitch Trubisky was still the topic of conversation many times over the past two seasons. Trubisky, the former Mr. Football in the state of Ohio, lost out on the starting quarterback position twice to Williams, but he still managed to show that he was a valuable asset with the potential of a future star whenever he did see action.

With Williams on the bench after losing his helmet, Trubisky first opened eyes with a go ahead touchdown pass on a pivotal 3rd down and six late in the fourth quarter on the road at Virginia in 2014 to cap a Tar Heel victory in Charlottesville. A year later, he was able to shine in relief of a struggling Williams, going 17 for 20 with 312 yards passing and four touchdowns in a win versus Delaware, earning himself ACC Offensive Back of the Week honors. The performance sparked the peak of the Williams vs Trubisky debate but lost traction after Williams had one of his patented bounce back performances at Georgia Tech in the following week.

Trubisky continued to see time and excel in spot duty throughout the 2015 season. At NC State, he was once again on for Williams for a play and managed to avoid defenders and fire a touchdown pass in a third down and goal situation. In the ACC Championship game against Clemson, Trubisky easily transitioned off the bench to convert on third down and long for the Tar Heels.

The success that Trubisky found in those spots, along with what Carolina returns with in 2016, has led Williams to place–on several occasions–lofty expectations for his successor heading into 2016.

With that being said, how realistic are these expectations? Another 11-1 regular season would likely do the trick once again with the Coastal crown. In Williams’ scenario of beating Clemson, that’s not that farfetched given what could have been if a certain onside kick wasn’t called offsides, but we don’t need to talk about that injustice.

A College Football Playoff berth would be difficult even with a 12-1 record and ACC title due to the glaring scheduling mishap of once again having two FCS teams on tap for 2016—something that heavily affected Carolina’s rankings throughout the Playoff polling and played a role in them being snubbed from the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The addition of Florida State and Georgia to the schedule also complicates the Tar Heels’ playoff chances, but are two games that would bolster their odds should they come out on the right side of each.

That alone would be hard enough for Trubisky to live up to if he wasn’t already faced with the task of following the most prolific quarterback in program history. As pointed out before, the performance in spot duty is encouraging but still only offers a small sample size. A cautionary tale that Carolina fans should look at before anointing Trubisky the piece that will elevate Carolina to the next level is that of Jeremy Johnson at Auburn last year.

Johnson, like Trubisky, was voted Mr. Football in his respective state of Alabama and came into his first season as a starter with high expectations. Again, like Trubisky, Johnson had to follow a prolific quarterback, one in Nick Marshall, who led Auburn to a National Championship berth. Johnson earned much of his acclaim, like Trubisky, with his success in spot duty. Most notably, a two-touchdown, 243-passing yard first half showing against Arkansas, while Marshall sat out due to suspension.

Johnson then struggled to live up to expectations in Auburn’s first three games, being intercepted six times, prompting the Auburn coaching staff to bench the quarterback after he lost all confidence. Unlike Johnson, Trubisky won’t been burdened with Heisman Trophy expectations, but has still been given attention as a missing link to a potential National Championship.

Confidence shouldn’t be an issue with Trubisky. Throughout his time in Chapel Hill, even when things weren’t going his way, he has made the most of his opportunities, as seen by his play in aforementioned spot duty.

He carried over that confidence in the spring by stepping into a leadership role even before being named the starter. In the annual spring game, Trubisky completed 13 of 22 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown to lock up the starting job heading into the summer. The confidence that the coaching staff and players have placed on him is part of the reason why many are encouraged about the things he may be able to do as his new regime begins under center.

There’s no doubt that Trubisky possesses the skill set to operate the Carolina offense at a high level. With the experience returning on the offensive side of the ball, there is good reason for all of the optimism surrounding a Trubisky-led offense. It’s important that Carolina fans recognize that there is still a learning curve in an offense when a new quarterback–even one who has spent four years in a system–takes over.

Trubisky may very well follow up on Williams’ promise and lead Carolina to its first ACC championship since 1980, but even a Coastal title defense and an increase in overall offensive numbers should be considered a success in the signal caller’s first season.