Jay Bateman takes responsibility for Georgia Tech loss

[ad_1]

UNC defensive football coordinator Jay Bateman takes responsibility for the Tar Heels’ embarrassing loss to Georgia Tech.

The North Carolina Tar Heels put in another terrible performance last weekend en route to an embarrassing 23-point loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Their record fell to 2-2 in the process, and basically any hope for them of accomplishing anything big this season has vanished.

That is, if you had the kind of Tar Heels aspirations that they started the season with. Hopes of a potential college football playoff appearance, ACC supremacy and even the candidacy of a junior quarterback for Heisman, all quickly collapsed in the first month of the season.

Even after their slow and disappointing opening loss to Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels had the opportunity to wreak havoc in the ACC Coastal Division that could have potentially led to a conference title game. But even with most of the conference struggling and seemingly leaving the door open for anyone to step in and win the crown, North Carolina gave no one any reason to think they could.

It was bad football all around for the Tar Heels, from the offensive line to Sam Howell’s inability to hold onto the football, to receivers who can’t open and even play calls. ‘looked particularly bad against the Yellow Jackets, and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said after the game the loss was on him.

“We had major, major mistakes,” Bateman said. “There were three races for about 150 meters [for Georgia Tech], and out of the three, we had a guy who didn’t perform the way we want him to perform. So I think that’s part of it. And it’s mine. It’s my job to make sure they’re in the right gap and doing their job. And I think that’s where we need to make progress.

At this point, two losses and seemingly in free fall, it doesn’t come down to a single unit for the Tar Heels. Almost everything has been bad. But if they have any hope of appearing in a bowl game this season, they’re going to have to pull themselves together. They will face a team from the Blue Devils on Saturday who fell 52 points behind their opponents last weekend. A win over their big rival would send them 4-1 this season and further frustrate a struggling UNC team who are already in shock.

We’ll know which team from North Carolina takes the field this Saturday when they host rival Duke at Kenan Memorial Stadium for a noon kick-off. Check back with Keeping It Heel for that, and all the UNC football.

[ad_2]