The Vandals Cannot Rain On The Tarheels Parade

When Larry Fedora was named Head Coach of the North Carolina Tarheels it was predicted by many that the offensive record book at North Carolina would be completely rewritten by seasons end. Not quite halfway through the season, and the 'Heels have topped 60 points twice, both shutouts, and set a record with 66 points yesterday versus Idaho. The coaching staff went so deep into the depth chart by the end of the game, I didn't even know who these guys were. Local product, QB Caleb Pressley from Asheville, NC, even got some TV time his Tarheel jersey with a big #16 on it. All he did was hand it off to 5th string RB Kenny Owens and Pressley did carry it 2 times for 0 yards so he was officially on the stat sheet. The 'Heels really dialed it back in the third and fourth quarters.

Versus East Carolina

It looks like the North Carolina Tarheels might finally be buying into Head Coach Larry Fedora's system. The 27-6 win over East Carolina yesterday was the most complete game they have played all season. The offensive tempo is improving although I am sure is not fast enough for Coach Fedora. The East Carolina defense threw a new wrinkle at QB Bryn Renner by only rushing three and dropping eight into coverage for the majority of the game. Renner took what the defense gave him and did not force the ball into coverage. He passed for over 300 yards and threw a couple of TD passes, one to Gio Bernard and a a 62 yarder to Sean Tapley. He showed some really nice touch on the ball on a first half completion down the middle to Gio Bernard for 30 yards and the TD to Sean Tapley. RB Gio Bernard made his return and only rushed for 50 yards but had over 100 yards of total offense. The 'Heels defense had their most impressive performance picking up a season high seven sacks and getting some of those from unlikely sources. Defensive Backs Jeff Schoettmer and Jabari Price and Sophomore Linebacker Norkeithus Otis all picked up sacks. Kevin Reddick, Jabari Price, and Sylvester Williams were all over the place. East Carolina QB Carden spent most of the second half running for his life. The 'Heels defense still got gashed by the run more than I would have liked and even allowed East Carolina to convert a third and thirty on a draw play from inside their own ten yard line.

A Tale Of Two Halves

Two different North Carolina Tarheel football teams showed up to play the Louisville Cardinals yesterday. Their was the Tarheels team from the first half that couldn't do anything right- penalties, interceptions, fumbles, centering the ball over the QB's head, bouncing it to the QB, lobbing it to the QB, and more missed tackles and missed assignments than I would care to count. The 'Heels didn't move the ball on offense until the end of the first half and the defense didn't stop Louisville at all. Louisville scored on every posession in the first half. The Tarheels did not have a clue on offense or defense. They lost the first half 36-7. The second half a team that wanted to compete came out of the locker room. On the Cardinals first drive of the second half Linebacker Tommy Heffernan stopped the Louisville running back on fourth down and that was a play they needed to make. The Tarheels drove down the field and scored after that and you could see them gaining confidence. They stopped the run, they put pressure on the Cardinals QB Teddy Bridgewater, and the offense looked crisp and sharp. In the second half they got it. Several players showed up in the second half and the 'Heels even found a few players. Tommy Heffernan had 12 tackles including a sack and that crucial fourth down stop, Romar Morris had 149 yards receiving out of the backfield including two TD receptions, and QB Bryn Renner tied a school record with 5 TD passes, 2 of those to TE Eric Ebron, and set a career high with 363 yards. They won the second half 27-3. The totals equal a loss but there are some positives to take out of this game.

Growing Pains

The Tarheels suffered some serious growing pains in the loss last Saturday to Wake Forest. The 'Heels were without the services of running back Gio Bernard due to a knee injury suffered against Elon and I would like to think that he would have made the difference but backup A.J. Blue had 19 carries for 106 yards and a Touchdown. Romar Morris also got some quality carries. The biggest impact of Bernard sitting out was in the Tarheel passing game. Blue and Morris are not the accomplished receiver that Bernard is, especially when it comes to running screen plays. QB Bryn Renner did not have one of his better games. He overthrew several receivers throughout the game including a crucial overthrow of a wide open Sean Tapley in the fourth quarter. The 'Heels defense was pretty well man handled in the first half by Wake Forest. They played shutdown defense in the second half until Wake Forests game winning drive. The 'Heels are not getting any pressure on the opposing quarterbacks thru the first two games. They have only totaled three sacks in their first two games and interior lineman Sylvester Williams has 2 1/2 of those. Wake Forest QB Tanner Smith had a lot of time to throw the ball especially in the first half. The 'Heels play their first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when they travel to #19 Louisville.

Versus Elon

62-0. That was a stats stuffing game worthy of the video game NCAA Football 13 if there ever was one. The first half of the game was the Gio Bernard show. He had a 59 yard TD run, a 6 yard TD catch, and a 70 yard punt return for a TD. The 'Heels led 41-0 at halftime and it was just the kind of start the 'Heels needed. They removed their starters before the Third Quarter was half over. Before the game started I had visions of footballs filling the air, passing on every down, and the game turning into fast break football. The television broadcast timed the Tarheels were snapping the ball 16 seconds after it was marked down by the officials. In an interview at the end of the first half, Larry Fedora made the comment that he didn't feel they were moving fast enough. The game was already out of hand so Larry Fedora had to dial it down in the second half when the reserves were put into the game. There were some impressive numbers that came out of this game. 14 different receivers caught passes for North Carolina. They set an ACC record for punt return yardage with 260 as Gio Bernard, Roy Smith, and Erik Highsmith all returned punts. There were too many good plays to mention all of them. Freshman Quinshad Davis made an ESPN play of the day worthy acrobatic catch for his first college reception. Defensive back Tim Scott jumped a wide receiver screen and made the interception. Defensive Lineman Sylvester Williams had two sacks. Defensive back Jabari Price led the team in tackles and had an interception. Offensive Lineman Jonathan Cooper made great blocks throughout the game. Quarterback Bryn Renner had 3 TD passes. A lot of players got valuable game time. The only disappointment I had with the game was the empty seats especially at the end of the game. I think everyone bailed at halftime and I have to admit it was over after the first quarter, but I always try to stay to the end of whatever game I go to. That is what being a fan is all about.

Game Day vs. Elon

As a fan, I always get nervous before the first game of the season because you never know exactly what you are going to get. This season is much different for the North Carolina Tarheels than any other. New Head Coach Larry Fedora is unveiling a radically different offense and defense than anything the 'Heels have done before. A spread offense that will probably rack up more total offense and rewrite the Tarheel record books. The question I have is this offense going to be able to kill the clock nursing a 3 point lead with about 3 minutes to go in the game. The Tarheels are also unveiling a 4-2-5 defense that is attacking and aggressive and aims to turn defense into offense. Fedora's defense at Southern Miss returned 8 interceptions for TD's last year. It will be interesting to see what happens. The 'Heels have some offensive weapons in place in QB Bryn Renner and RB Gio Bernard. Wide Receiver could be a problem especially with training camp injuries to T.J. Thorpe and Reggie Wilkins. Coach Fedora has stated that he likes to use 8 wide receivers and the Tarheels go into this game with walk-ons Roy Smith and Mark McNeill as #7 and #8. On defense, the 'Heels have defensive lineman Sylvester Williams and Linebacker Kevin Reddick as the feature players but Seniors Dion Guy and Gene Robinson could play prominent roles in the new defense. Guy is playing a hybrid end/linebacker role and Robinson is playing a defensive back/linebacker role. It will be interesting to see how the 'Heels defend Elon Wide Receiver Aaron Mellette who had 113 receptions last year and at 6'4", would represent match up problems for any team. My prediction, UNC 34, Elon 21.