North Carolina’s three-week hiatus will come to an end this weekend when the No. 12 Tar Heels travel to Chestnut Hill to face off against Boston College.

For Jeff Hafley’s Eagles, it’s the biggest game of the young season. During Steve Addazio’s seven-year tenure, BC was just 1-17 against AP Top 25 teams. With a win on Saturday, the 41-year-old Hafley would be well on his way to changing the ACC narrative surrounding BC.

To do it, he’ll have to get past Mack Brown and one of the best offenses in the country, not to mention a feisty pass rush. Eagle Action reached out to Tar Heel Illustrated publisher Andrew Jones to find out more about UNC, perhaps the most intriguing team in the conference.

Eagle Action: What did you learn about UNC from its season-opening win over Syracuse?

Andrew Jones: I learned that the defense is faster than it was a year ago, not just in conventional speed, but from sideline-to-sideline and it’s quicker to the ball. It’s pass rush was much improved (eight sacks) because the guys up front really got off the ball well. UNC doesn’t mind blitzing a lot, but that it only did so 13 times indicates Jay Bateman was very happy with the unit’s base play.

Eagle Action: Everyone knows Sam Howell, but who is the X-factor on the Tar Heels’ offense?

Jones: The Tar Heels have a lot of weapons including a pair of 1,000-yard receivers from last year and a 1,000-yard running back to go with another who had 933 yards. They are all weapons, but the x-factor is the offensive line. The unit was so-so at best in the first two-plus quarters against Syracuse and as a result, UNC led just 7-6 midway through the third quarter. But once the line took over, Carolina scored 24 points over its next four possessions to put away the game. This group is talented and should have its best player back, Joshua Ezeudu, who missed the opener.

Eagle Action: What are UNC’s greatest strengths/weaknesses?

Jones: The strengths are its skill guys on offense and “back seven” on defense, and I use quotations there because sometimes it’s sort of a back eight and even a back nine. There were a lot of Syracuse snaps in which just two Tar Heels had a hand on the ground. Its weaknesses are the defensive line until we see it perform for a few more games. That group lost by far its two best players from a year ago and the most experienced returning players got about 250 snaps last season. Another weakness until proven otherwise is a kicking game that is solid in coverage, isn’t dynamic enough in the return game, and suspect at placekicker. Plus, these groups get flagged way too often.

Eagle Action: The Tar Heels were pretty inexperienced on defense last year—which young player in Jay Bateman and Tommy Thigpen’s unit has the biggest upside in 2020?

Jones: Storm Duck is a true sophomore cornerback who is perhaps the second best defensive player now behind linebacker Chazz Surratt. Duck is a pro, according to DC Jay Bateman, and he certainly loos the part. Also, look for true sophomore Tomari Fox on the defensive line. His upside is considerable and he’s starting to show more than flashes.

Eagle Action: What have you seen from Mack Brown in year two?

Jones: He hates being called the consummate CEO but the manner he runs his program is extremely impressive. They don’t miss anything, they have built a culture that can sustain a lot of issues and one in which its best players really are all about the team. I’ve seen a lot of teams I’ve covered in the ACC, including before at UNC, that weren’t like that, but this team/program is. Also, Brown is so open with the media that his players probably don’t get many mixed messages from what they read online to what he tells them. He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason.