Former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik will be back on the sidelines next season, this time as the defensive coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
After winning the 2010 national championship at Auburn, he was relieved of his duties after the Tigers won only three games in 2012, including zero in the SEC. After six years of coaching at Iowa State and Auburn, Chizik compiled a 38-38 record.
Before becoming a head coach in 2007, Chizik gained experience as a defensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin (’96-’97), UCF (’98-’01), and Texas (’05-’06). He won the Broyles Award in 2004 as the nation’s top assistant and was apart of the Texas Longhorns 2005 national championship team.
Head coach Larry Fedora is hoping Chizik can fix one of the worst defenses in the country. North Carolina finished No. 116 in scoring defense, allowing an astonishing 39 points per game. But that’s not all…
The Tar Heels were also ranked No. 117 in rushing defense (240.5 yards per game) and total defense (497.8 yards per game).
The demise of North Carolina’s defense was a main factor to the Tar Heels losing seven games and helped them finish with a losing record (6-7). After starting out the 2014 campaign 2-0, the Tar Heels lost seven of their final eleven games, including a 40-21 loss in the Quick Lane Bowl to Rutgers on Dec. 26.
North Carolina allowed at least 40 points or more six times this season, including a 70-41 drubbing at the hands of East Carolina.
It remains to be seen if Chizik will be the answer, but it seems Fedora made the right move, given Chizik’s experience and history at the position.
*Section Photo credit to Jamie Squire, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Chuck Cook, USA Today Sports.
