Extra Points: Building A Brand On Defense

Carolina football has put up pinball type numbers on offense over four years of the Larry Fedora era. Each of them, in fact, ranks in the Top 10 of 125 years worth of total yards output in the sport’s history in Chapel Hill. Since 2012, Carolina has averaged 457 yards a game.

Now the defense is trying to catch up.

With Gene Chizik calling the shots in his first year as defensive coordinator in 2015, Carolina allowed 14.5 fewer points a game in 2015 over 2014—the most improvement by a Power 5 team. That quantum leap combined with the Tar Heels’ 11-1 regular-season record and ACC Coastal Division title were just the cornerstones Fedora, Chizik and the staff needed to land a 2016 recruiting…