UNC football prepares to face off against Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T

North Carolina running back Elijah Hood is coming off the strongest performance of his young career, rushing for 139 yards on 13 carries in a 17-13 loss to South Carolina.

But on Saturday, he’ll hardly be the most accomplished back on the field.

That honor belongs to Tarik Cohen, the dynamic scatback from North Carolina A&T. After leading the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in rushing his first two seasons, the Aggies’ star was named MEAC co-offensive player of the year in 2014 and earned numerous honors heading into this season.

“He’s gonna set the school record in rush yards, so he’s doing something right,” said UNC junior cornerback Des Lawrence. “So we’ve just got to tackle, and it can’t be one person.”

Against South Carolina, the Tar Heels contained the Gamecocks early before getting gashed for long gains on the ground late in the game.

This week, UNC defensive coordinator Gene Chizik knows that effectively wrapping up Cohen will be crucial to avoiding catastrophe.

“He’s got a great combination of power for a smaller back, but a ton of speed and great cuts and great vision where he can hit a crack and go,” Chizik said. “It’s going to be a nice task for us to stop him.”

Cohen isn’t the only threat to the Tar Heels’ defense. Aggies’ receiver Denzel Keyes — a 6-foot-4 dual-sport athlete — hauled in a career-high six catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns a week ago in North Carolina A&T’s 61-7 drubbing of Shaw.

But the Tar Heels have sizable wideouts of their own.

Against South Carolina, junior Bug Howard led his squad with six catches for 114 yards and a score. And after defending the 6-foot-5 Howard and 6-foot-4 senior Quinshad Davis each day in practice, the UNC secondary is no stranger to lining up against towering targets.

But after a disappointing showing against the Gamecocks, UNC coach Larry Fedora knows the spotlight will be on the Tar Heels to prove their might.

“This team can beat us just like any other team,” he said. “It’s all about our attitude and our mindset and the way we approach the football game.”

Chizik acknowledges the threat Cohen and Keyes pose to the UNC defense. But despite being heavily favored, the Tar Heels are focused solely on themselves.

“It’s really not about them,” Chizik said. “Everything that we’ll do every week is really coming down to us, what we’re doing and how we execute.”

@CJacksonCowart

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