What will UNC football's defense look like at Virginia after losing multiple players to injuries?

North Carolina's defensive depth will face a major test when the No. 15 Tar Heels (7-1, 4-0) hit the road for an Atlantic Coast Conference game at Virginia (3-5, 1-4) on Saturday (noon, ACC Network).

Three defensive starters have been ruled out for the season over the last two weeks, forcing backups into front-line roles and increasing the playing time in reserve roles for several underclassmen.

“I know people say next-man-up mentality, but truly, that’s what it is,'' UNC defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said this week.

The Tar Heels announced Oct. 18 that graduate nose tackle Ray Vohasek was out for the season after suffering an upper body injury. Vohasek has been an anchor for UNC's defensive front since transferring from DuPage junior college in 2009. He appeared in 41 games with 29 starts and recorded 96 tackles and 17 tackles for loss during his career.

More bad news came this week when graduate defensive end-linebacker Noah Taylor (knee) and junior defensive end Desmond Evans (upper body injury) were ruled out for the rest of the season.

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Taylor, a grad transfer from Virginia, has been one of UNC's most productive defenders and a leader on the defense this season. He ranks eighth on the team with 28 total tackles and is the team leader in tackles for loss (6.0) and sacks (3.5).

Evans is an emerging star on North Carolina's defensive unit. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder from Sanford, N.C., has 25 tackles, one tackle for loss and a half sack in eight games this year.

The injuries have occurred just as UNC's defense has started to show progress after a rough start to the 2022 season.The Tar Heels surrendered an average of 39.5 points and 495.3 total yards over their first four games. But in the last four against ACC foes they've improved those statistics to 23.3 points and 419.5 yards.

“I feel like we are getting better every week,” Chizik said. “We’ve seen so much during the season, there’s really not a lot new. It’s really interesting, because when you talk to the guys now, whether it’s on the field in the first half when you’re trying to make adjustments then, or you come in and you make those adjustments, there’s a real clear understanding of what everybody’s talking about. That’s gotten better for sure.”

Junior Kevin Hester, who has appeared in 31 games over the last three seasons, has taken over for Vohasek at nose tackle with highly touted true freshman Travis Shaw and sophomore Keeshawn Silver rotating in to spell him.

Another veteran, graduate student Chris Collins, moves into Taylor's spot where he's seen action in 41 career games with seven starts, and junior Kaimon Rucker will replace Evans. Rucker also has extensive starting experience and ranks second to Taylor in team tackles for loss (5.0) and sacks (2.5).

But true freshman Malaki Hamrick will now take a more significant role rotating with Collins, while sophomore Kendrick Bingley-Jones, sophomore Jahvaree Ritzie and sophomore Jacolbe Cowan will see their playing time increase at end.

The Tar Heels will again be faced with controlling Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who led the ACC with 4,449 passing yards last season. Armstrong collected 554 of those yards and threw for four touchdowns in a 59-39 loss to UNC in Chapel Hill.

“Armstrong is a tremendous player,” Collins said. “Last year, he threw for over 500 yards against us, so you can never take that for granted. They’ve been doing some different things with a new staff, but at the end of the day, they still have their top receivers back, they still have their quarterback.

“At the end of the day, we’ve just got to strap up and play.”

UNC head coach Mack Brown echoed that sentiment on Wednesday.

“You can either lay down and have excuses or stand up and play,” Brown said. “We’ve talked a lot this week about it’s our responsibility to recruit the right guys since we’ve been here, so we should have enough players. And it’s our responsibility to develop them.”

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What will UNC football's defense look like after losing multiple players?