The hope lies with a 42-12 victory against Georgia Southern on Saturday in Chapel Hill. The truth will be revealed in the coming game, a nationally televised affair on ESPN against Florida State on Oct 22 at 8 p.m. at Kenan Stadium, right here in Chapel Hill.

To many Atlantic Coast Conference football fans, just the words "Florida State" are all that need be said. FSU's players are big, fast and will attack Carolina's weaknesses.

Whatever improvement the UNC showed against Georgia Southern will be proven to be fact or fiction before the nation.

Butch Davis wanted to play a Thursday game ever since he arrived here in November 2006.

The problem has been, historically, the UNC administration has been opposed adamantly to playing a Thursday-night game in Chapel Hill. Parking and traffic on campus are tough enough without throwing rush hour in the Triangle into the mix.

When Carolina's opportunity with ESPN came previously, the administration so disliked the idea of playing a weeknight game in Chapel Hill that they maneuvered to have N.C. State change its schedule; that way, UNC's Thursday home game could be played in Charlotte at what is now Bank of America stadium.

College football fans across the country will watch Oct. 22 because the UNC-FSU matchup will be the only game being played, and that audience will include potential recruits and their families.

Davis wants Kenan Stadium shown in the best possible way. This will probably include having the ESPN announcers talk about the stadium's expansion project and the unique aspects the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers athletes who also happen to be students.

Will the Carolina offense from the games against Georgia Tech and Virginia return, or will the offense that played in the East Carolina and Georgia Southern games (first half of Georgia Southern, anyway) show up?

At one point earlier this year, Davis could be confident he would have the team ready for FSU, and he still may.

The defense is light years beyond what he for inherited his first season in 2007. It has more speed than any defense at UNC since the 1996 and '97 versions, which were the best in school history.

Had the offensive line not been decimated with injures, Carolina could probably enter this game without trepidation.

"I don't think it would have been as big of a struggle," Davis said, "if we don't lose Aaron Stahl; if we don't lose Carl Gaskins; if we don't lose Lowell Dyer; if we don't lose Jonathan Cooper; if we don't lose Zack Pianalto -- the complexity of the people in the front line. We knew the receivers were going to be an issue because we had so many young guys."

Face it. The Tar Heels are going to need intense defensive production, not just sure tackling, to have a chance to win against Florida State.

Before last weekend, UNC had gone two games without forcing a turnover. Saturday, the Tar Heels took six turnovers from Georgia Southern, and four of them led directly to scores.

Carolina will need that sort of defensive production against FSU.

"I think it gives the team a boost, helps the offense out a lot, when the defenses scores and creates turnovers," said middle linebacker Quan Sturdivant. "That is what we need for the rest of the year. We have to keep that up."

Just as important, the offensive coaches must continue to mold the game plan and play-calling to what will give these kids the best opportunity to perform.

"I think us identifying the things we think we can do well and stay on the course is important," Davis said. "Let's do those things. If may look like a good idea on Sunday and Monday during game-plan meetings, but, if the kids can't execute it, it doesn't make any difference."