Coming off of a controversial 30-27 loss against Miami last weekend, Duke has turned its sights on a crucial ACC Coastal matchup with Tobacco Road rival North Carolina Saturday at noon in Chapel Hill. The winner of the contest will take control of the Coastal Division, putting themselves in the driver’s seat to play in the ACC Championship next month in Charlotte. Every week throughout the football season, we will break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest:
Duke: Special teams
The Blue Devils’ special teams unit got off to a stellar start, but has not quite met expectations during the team’s last two games. Kicker Ross Martin, who started the season a perfect 12-of-12 on field goals through his first six games, has since only knocked in 4-of-7 field goals and missed kicks of 29, 38 and 46 yards against Virginia Tech and Miami the last two weeks. Punter Will Monday’s shortcomings have not been as noticeable, but the redshirt senior did struggle last weekend against Miami, completely shanking a first-half punt that traveled just 11 yards.
Then, there was the controversial Hurricane kick return in the final six seconds of last week’s game that gashed a normally stout Duke kickoff coverage unit.
The bottom line is that the Blue Devils need to bounce back on special teams Saturday if they want to win against North Carolina and put themselves in control of the ACC Coastal Division. With a pair of the ACC’s top defenses going head to head, Martin is going to have to execute field goals from near and far, and Monday will look to help Duke win the field position battle with punts into North Carolina territory.
The Blue Devils will also seek production out of kick returner DeVon Edwards and punt returner Ryan Smith, who have not made any big plays since each notching long returns against Virginia Tech back on Sept. 26. Two years ago in Chapel Hill, Edwards’ 99-yard kick return at the end of the first half against the Tar Heels gave the Blue Devils a much need response when North Carolina took a 15-10 lead in a game that Duke would win en route to an appearance in the ACC Championship game. If Duke can make big play across the board on special teams Saturday, it could be the difference maker in the latest installment of the Tobacco Road Rivalry.
North Carolina: linebacker Jeff Schoettmer
Under new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, the North Carolina defense is experiencing a resurgence in 2015. After establishing itself as one of the worst defenses in the nation in 2014, Chizik has turned the Tar Heels around on the defensive side of the football. His defense is only giving up 17.0 points per game this season. Schoettmer, a senior, will be a key part of Chizik’s game plan Saturday when North Carolina faces a Duke offense that has averaged more than 38 points per game in its last three contests.
The former walk-on is a versatile player at linebacker who has the ability to roam the line of scrimmage and drop back into coverage in passing down situations. Schoettmer has proved he can anchor the Tar Heel defense with 56 tackles and an interception this season, and will look plug holes against the Blue Devil rushing attack that averages 180.6 yards per game, but will be without speedster Shaun Wilson Saturday. It is likely that North Carolina will also assign Schoettmer to keep an eye on quarterback Thomas Sirk when he drops back to pass, and if Schoettmer can limit the Duke quarterback on the ground Saturday, it could result in a win for his team.
Look for Schoettmer to be very active in his final game against the Blue Devils, and lead a Tar Heel defense that has easily handled its opponents during the team’s seven-game win streak dating back to Sept. 3.
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