NC brings long injury list to Ga. Tech
ATLANTA — The size of North Carolina’s daunting injury list looks familiar to Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.
He says 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) are hoping 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. The Tar Heels said Thursday receivers Austin Proehl and Rontavius Groves, tight end Carl Tucker and defensive tackle Tyler Powell have been added to the list of players lost for the season with injuries. The team has lost 13 players for the season.
Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said he’s never experienced anything like this year’s rash of injuries. There were 19 players on the injury report before the
Duke game. Among nine players lost for the season were three starters: linebacker Andre Smith, receiver Thomas Jackson and offensive lineman William Sweet.
“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,” 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 following four lost fumbles.