UNC football is coming off of a Week 1 win on the road against Minnesota, a power conference team. It will be easy, if the team doesn't watch out, to let an easy win slip by after a huge 50/50 game. North Carolina needs to come out poised and on the ball to avoid a relapse from last week.

This week, they will go home for their season opener at Kenan Stadium to take on in-state opponent Charlotte. On paper, this game has already been decided; however, on the defensive side of the ball, some key things will need to transpire for UNC football to look how they should against an opponent of this caliber.

Here are five keys to the game on the defensive side of the ball for the Heels Week 2 face-off with the 49ers.

#KeepPounding

This is not a pun on the Carolina Panther tagline, this is what the defense is going to have to do on Saturday. Regardless of what the score is, the defense will need to continue to prove its worth. We saw after the game last week that even the optics of the game can decide where you fall in the rankings.

This is a game that UNC should win in explosive fashion, and if the defense allows multiple touchdowns as a result of already being up 20 then it could lead the doubters to flourish.

Under 250

The defense allowed just 244 yards against Minnesota in the first week. That was far under what they were allowing on a per-game basis during 2023 season. Now, under the new regime of Geoff Collins, the bar has been set. Can they achieve this bar again?

In Week 1, the defense allowed 165 yards passing and just 79 yards on the ground. In Charlotte's first-week loss, quarterback Max Brown threw for 193 yards and the team's leading rusher had 76 yards, both better than Minnesota.

Leading to Offense

Defense is not all about just keeping the ball out of the endzone for the opposing team, it is also about putting the offense in the position to thrive. Last week against Minnesota, the defense did this once led by Amare Campbell's fumble recovery that put North Carolina in field goal position for Noah Burnette to hit the game-winning field goal.

The defense will need to cause turnovers and either score themselves or put the offense on the opposing side of the field.

Geoff Collins Repeatability

Geoff Collins took over the North Carolina defense that was in absolute shambles last season and turned it around to look like competent. Not only that, Collins led a defense that put immense pressure on the quarterback, caused turnovers, and held a power-conference opponent to just two touchdowns.

Hopefully, Collins can repeat the success that the defense and himself had against Minnesota on Saturday against Charlotte.

Tackling

The top complaint of fans alike after the first week of the season was the Tar Heels lack of ability to produce an open-field tackle. It seemed like the first man to the ball could never hold on, taking multiple players in blue to bring a guy down.

For the team to be elevated to the next level, keeping player's yards after contact to a minimum will be pertinent.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : UNC football defensive keys to the game against Charlotte