How UNC's Secondary Got Exposed in TCU Loss

However, the Tar Heels gave up 284 passing yards and TCU quarterback Josh Hoover carved up their defense. Sure, having little to no pressure up front did the secondary no favors. But when TCU's 208 of 258 yards were on the perimeter, it doesn't do anyone any favors.

Here is some analysis on the performance of UNC's secondary.

Marcus Allen's Struggles

The worst thing for a cornerback is to be on the side of the field where the opposing offense throws it to the most. That's exactly what Allen was going through on Monday night.

TCU targeted the wide receiver Allen was guarding nine times, and all nine times, the pass was caught. Hoover completed all nine of his passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Allen was guarding Jordan Dwyer when he caught the 27-yard touchdown pass.

When the Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades came out, Tuesday morning, Allen had a 38.7 defensive grade and a 39.8 coverage grade, which were both the lowest grades of any defensive player.

To make matters worse, his tackling grade was 25.3, also the worst on the team, as he missed four tackles, which were all in zone coverage, which means he wasn't an effective open-field tackler.

The Inability to Tackle in Space

If there was one glaring issue with the defensive backs as a whole, it was their inability to tackle in space. Of TCU's 284 passing yards, 135 of them came after the catch. In terms of defending the running game, the

TCU's rushing attempts to the outside

• Left tackle: 5 attempts for 30 yards (6.0 yards per carry), 3 first downs, one 10-plus run, long of 16 yards.

• Left end: 8 attempts for 52 yards (6.5 yards per carry), 1 TD, 3 first downs, two 10-plus runs, and a long of 28 yards.

• Right tackle: 2 attempts for 29 yards (14.5 yards per carry), first down, 10-plus run, long of 26 yards.

• Right end: 4 attempts for 97 yards (24.3 yards per carry), 2 first downs, two 10-plus runs, long of 75 yards (TD).

A large part of its inability to stop the run and yards after the catch was due to poor tackling. Of the 19 missed tackles committed by the Tar Heels, nine of them the secondary was responsibile for, the most of any position on UNC's defense.

Thaddeus Dixon Performed Well in his Debut

Dixon turned in a solid debut despite the secondary’s struggles. According to PFF, he earned the second-highest coverage grade on the team at 74.5, trailing only linebacker Andrew Simpson. Dixon allowed three receptions on six targets for 20 yards, with the longest gain going for 12 yards. He also finished with three tackles and two stops.