Jackets coach can relate to sore Heels

ATLANTA — The daunting injury list for North Carolina’s football team looks familiar to Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.

He said it’s the same kind of bad luck the Yellow Jackets endured when they finished 3-9 in 2015.

The Tar Heels (1-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) hope to avoid a path to a similarly poor finish when they visit Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-0) today.

“Right now they’re experiencing a little of what we did in 2015, it sounds like,” Johnson said. “Every time you turn around, another guy is getting hurt.”

North Carolina’s already lengthy injury list grew in last week’s 27-17 loss to Duke. On Thursday, the team said receivers Rontavius Groves and Austin Proehl, tight end Carl Tucker and defensive tackle Tyler Powell had been added to the list of players lost for the season because of injuries, pushing the total to 13.

“There are things that are out of our hands that happen, and we have to prepare our team to play no matter what the situation is,” Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said. “And so our guys understand that things happen, and somebody else has got to step up and somebody’s got to be ready to go, and it’s another opportunity for another player to make plays.”

North Carolina has won three straight against Georgia Tech, including last year’s 48-20 victory.

The Yellow Jackets’ defense, which struggled in a 42-41 loss to Tennessee to open the season, played well in last week’s 35-17 win over Pittsburgh. The defense allowed no points after four lost fumbles.