And after eight drawn-out months, the No. 23 Tar Heels, who are opening the season with a national ranking for the first time since 2010, kick off the 2014 season against the Liberty Flames Saturday night at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
“It’s finally here,” said Coach Larry Fedora. “It’s been something like 245 days since we’ve lined up against another opponent, so I think our team is extremely excited.”
No player may be more anxious to take the field Saturday than senior defensive tackle Ethan Farmer, the only returning starter on the defensive line, who was informed Wednesday that his eligibility issue has been resolved and he’s clear to play.
Despite adding an important piece to the defense with Farmer, the team took a blow Wednesday when starting cornerbacks Des Lawrence and Brian Walker — along with cornerback M.J. Stewart and ram Donnie Miles — received one-game suspensions due to a violation of team policy related to hazing allegations.
Without three of its key members, the Tar Heels’ defensive backfield will face the arduous task of quieting the Flames’ talented receiving corps and redshirt junior quarterback Josh Woodrum, who led the Big South in passing yards and touchdowns in 2013.
On offense, the reshaped UNC offensive line, which doesn’t include a senior on the depth chart and is mostly composed of freshmen and sophomores, will make its debut against the Flames’ defense, which surrendered 17.6 points per game and 313.9 yards per game last season.
“They’ve got a good solid defense,” said junior right guard Landon Turner. “They’re returning a lot of starters this year, so they’re returning a lot of experience. As a young offensive line, we’ve got to go into the game and come correct, because we’re anticipating them to be playing really hard.”
After dropping last year’s season-opener to South Carolina, the Tar Heels got off to a rocky start — opening the season at 1-5 before making a late push for a bowl bid.
