A challenging season opener
North Carolina, a 13-point favorite that returns seven starters on a durable defense and an offense that typically racks up yards and points under head coach Larry Fedora.
The first question Cal will have to answer is how to find the ferocity necessary for a game that will feel like it’s starting before 9:30 a.m. The Bears haven’t played in the Eastern Time Zone since 2012 (35-28 loss at Ohio State) and haven’t won in the time zone since 2002 (46-22 at Michigan State).
“You don’t want to start chasing ghosts, because you might start wasting time on things you can’t really control,” Wilcox said. “You just spend a lot of time working on yourself and having answers.”
In preparation for this trip, Cal held early scrimmage-like practices the past two Saturdays, began adjusting the players’ sleep schedules earlier this week, and flew to North Carolina on Thursday — a day earlier than normal for road games.
Once they wipe the sleep out of their eyes, the Bears will have to figure out how to slow down the Tar Heels, who have produced half of the school’s top 10 offensive seasons in Fedora’s first five years.
Fedora’s high-tempo, nohuddle offense transformed Mitchell Trubisky from an anonymous college quarterback to the NFL’s second overall pick in less than a year, and North Carolina appears to have players who could make similar leaps.
Transfer Brandon Harris, who displayed dynamic playmaking as a passer and runner at LSU, and redshirt freshman Chazz Surratt, who holds North Carolina state records with 16,593 total yards and 229 touchdowns at East Lincoln High, are two of the four quarterbacks the Tar Heels might showcase in Week 1.
“I don’t think Cal cares one way or the other who it is,” Fedora said on the “Carolina Insider” podcast. “They know there’s going to be a quarterback out there. I don’t think they’re going to do anything different, depending on which one of our quarterbacks is out there.”
Sophomore Ross Bowers won Cal’s four-man quarterback competition and will get his first start against a Tar Heels defense that returns its top three tacklers, linebackers Cole Holcomb and Andre Smith and safety Donnie Miles.
North Carolina has generally run a 4-3 base defense with split safeties, providing a formidable run defense with a bend-butdon’t-break secondary. Under new coordinator J.P. Papuchis, the Tar Heels are expected to take more chances than they did in recent years after intercepting only one pass last season.
“They’re really good,” Bowers said. “When you look at the film, you don’t see too many big plays. They really limit the explosive plays. Their guys do a great job of not letting people take the top off. …
“They play really sound football and really understand what they’re doing.”
From their helmets to their cleats.