Five Things to Watch as Carolina Plays Host to Mercer on Saturday

The Tar Heels and Bears will kick off at 3:30 p.m.

Charles LeClaire | USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina will take the field for the final time at Kenan Stadium on Saturday when it plays host to Mercer, an FCS program out of the Southern Conference.

Here’s what to watch for as the Tar Heels (4-6) meet the Bears (4-7) (3:30 p.m., RSN) with a chance to move one step closer to bowl eligibility:

The Standard

Mercer isn’t a very good team, but that doesn’t mean Carolina can come out and sleep-walk in this one.

Part of the culture change for the program in the big picture is learning to play winning football for 60 minutes, every time out. Effort hasn’t been a problem this season, but for stretches — especially in second quarters — execution has been lacking.

With bowl eligibility still up in the air, Mack Brown wants to see his team play to its own standard rather than playing against its opponent.

“It’s not about Mercer; It’s about us,” he said. “I’ve said from the beginning, football is very simple, people are very complicated, and what we’ve go to do is learn to play football at the highest level every time we walk out here, whether it’s practice or whether it’s a game, and that’s on me because they’re a reflection of me.”

Red Means Score

Carolina’s issues scoring touchdowns in the red zone are magnified by just how close games have been.

The overall numbers have been middling, with the Tar Heels scoring on 84 percent of possessions they reach the red zone, ranking 62 nationally. The real problem has been making those scores touchdowns instead of field goals, where Carolina ranks 113 nationally with touchdowns on 48.7 percent (19 of 39) of red zone trips.

That’s been a point of emphasis for Brown and the coaching staff this week.

“That’s coaching and that’s on us,” he said. “We started well, but we haven’t’ done as well lately, so we’ve got to go back and figure out why.”

The trend isn’t a new one for offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Dating back to his two seasons at Ole Miss, his unit has scored touchdowns on 70 of 132 red zone possessions.

“The red zone, at the end of the day, that falls on me, but we've had some opportunities in the red zone,” he said. “I thought we handled a number of them earlier in the season. That has not been the case the last few games here.”

Defensive Dipping

Carolina’s defense has taken a step back over the past two games, giving up its two highest yardage totals at 517 vs. Virginia and 498 vs. Pittsburgh.

Injuries in the secondary didn’t necessarily hurt the Tar Heels right away this season, but they’re finally taking their toll on a group that will have three freshmen on the field at times.

“I think we’ve had a hard time with some of the pass concepts we’re seeing,” defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said. “And I think what happens is, with some of the youth in the secondary and then having to move around with the linebackers a little bit, we just don’t have a lot of banked reps when it comes to certain things. I’ve got to coach them better.”

Over these next two games, look for the Tar Heels get back to the more aggressive style they were playing earlier in the season.

“I haven’t done a good enough job of saying, ‘You know what we’re going to live with some plays out there,’” he said. “I’ve got to do a better job of that.”

Senior Day

It’ll be the last home game for 20 Carolina seniors, and naturally, that will come with some emotions.

“I said, ‘Cry after the game, after you win. Don’t cry before the game and stink and lose,’” Brown said. “Usually, we hadn’t played well in the first quarter because they’re so emotional because they’re thinking about, ‘This is the last time, man.’ Well, make the last time a good memory.”

Antonio Williams is one of those seniors who could write a storybook ending after earning a few more carries last week when he rushed for 107 yards on 12 carries vs. Pitt. Coming in, Williams had run 20 times for 137 yards all season as he dealt with injuries and a crowded depth chart at running back.

“I think he’s been the hardest worker on this team, he’s had the best attitude of anybody in my estimation on this team and I’m really, really proud of him,” Brown said.

Howell About That?

With 29 touchdown passes this season, Sam Howell is one away from tying Mitch Trubisky’s single-season record at Carolina, and two away from setting a new mark.

Having already set a new freshman passing record with 2,794 yards, Howell currently stands seventh in single-season passing yards for all Carolina quarterbacks. Next up is Marquise Williams’ 2014 season when he threw for 3,068 yards, then his 2015 season when he went for 3,072. Bryn Renner’s 2011 season is fourth-best in program history at 3,086 yards.

With at least two more seasons in Chapel Hill, Howell is on track to rewrite the record books.