Head coach Dave Doeren of the North Carolina State Wolfpack started a firestorm after last season's 35-7 win over North Carolina by saying, "This is a blue collar school. This is a work ethic, hands-in-the-dirt school." Most fans, me included, took that as a shot directed at North Carolina. That quote was still all the rage a year later and those words never seemed to be far from the Tarheels minds.
They jumped on the Wolfpack from the opening kickoff to the end of the first quarter to the tune of 308 total yards and 35 points. Ironically, the score was 35-7 at the end of the first quarter. Tarheel linebacker Jeff Schoettmer found a certain symbolism in that score. The Tarheels did most of their damage on the ground. They had over 290 yards rushing in the first half and only had one rushing play in the entire game that lost yardage. The Tarheels played the game on the North Carolina State line of scrimmage for the entire fist quarter and held onto to win in the other three quarters.
Sophomore running back Elijah Hood had 220 yards on 21 carries and had two touchdowns. Junior running back T.J. Logan had 100 yards on only six carries and two touchdowns. North Carolina State seemed to center their defensive game plan around stopping the running ability of quarterback Marquise Williams. They did accomplish that goal as he only had 50 yards rushing and limited him to 174 yards passing. He did not need to pass.
North Carolina put it on cruise control in the second half and let North Carolina State pull to within 16 points at 42-26 but finally put them away for good. Beating North Carolina State was the last regular season goal the Tarheels had left to accomplish. There was no midfield celebration on the other team's logo, no trash talking, and no post game antics. It was a Tarheel blue collar win.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
The Secret Weapon
Tight End Brandon Fritts has to be one of the North Carolina Tarheels best kept secrets and one of their most underutilized weapons. He comes into their last game against North Carolina State with 12 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns but he has really come on in the last two or three games. He repeatedly ran seam patterns against Virginia Tech wide open but was never thrown the ball. When Eric Ebron played at North Carolina, he was a major part of the offense and Ebron was able to parlay that into a top ten draft pick. Fritts may not be that much of a freak as Ebron was but they need to look for Fritts running those seam patterns against North Carolina State.
A Game That Means Something
The North Carolina Tarheels travel to North Carolina State this afternoon to take on the Wolfpack in a game that doesn't mean much in the greater scheme of things. North Carolina has already locked up the Coastal Division title and a berth in the ACC Championship game against Clemson. The game may not mean much in the standings but State gave the Tarheels a beating last year to the tune of 35-7. The Wolfpack let them know it before the game, during the game, and after the game.
North Carolina State has the type of team that matches up well with North Carolina. The Wolfpack runs virtually the same type of up tempo offense with a quarterback that can throw and run and is extremely hard to bring down. Like North Carolina's Marquise Williams, NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissette operates better when he gets outside of the pocket and makes things happen. The Wolfpack also has a strong running game and while the Tarheels defense has been better this season, they have have given up a chunk of yardage over the past three games.
State's defensive front four may be the strongest in the ACC and they can really bring the pressure. It is hard to forecast a low scoring game between two offenses like this but I am expecting a score along the lines of 24-17 in a game that could go either way. UNC really doesn't have a lot to play for in this game so I am hoping pride will be enough to carry them to victory.
North Carolina State has the type of team that matches up well with North Carolina. The Wolfpack runs virtually the same type of up tempo offense with a quarterback that can throw and run and is extremely hard to bring down. Like North Carolina's Marquise Williams, NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissette operates better when he gets outside of the pocket and makes things happen. The Wolfpack also has a strong running game and while the Tarheels defense has been better this season, they have have given up a chunk of yardage over the past three games.
State's defensive front four may be the strongest in the ACC and they can really bring the pressure. It is hard to forecast a low scoring game between two offenses like this but I am expecting a score along the lines of 24-17 in a game that could go either way. UNC really doesn't have a lot to play for in this game so I am hoping pride will be enough to carry them to victory.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
A Bounce Back Win
North Carolina's 71-67 loss to Northern Iowa dropped them from #1 to #9 in the polls. It is hard for me to believe that a loss to a good Northern Iowa team could drop the Tarheels that far but that is just proof that early season polls mean absolutely nothing.
Sophomore Justin Jackson broke out of his early season slump in the loss to Northern Iowa with 25 points and he proved that wasn't a fluke by putting up 21 points and 13 rebounds in an 80-69 win against a Chris Collins coached Northwestern team. Chris Collins is a Coack K protégé and I guess they are finally starting to leave the nest. I did not care much for Collins as a player and I doubt that it is going to change now that he is a head coach.
Brice Johnson had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Theo Pinson continued his all around, stat stuffing play with 10 points and 8 assists. Pinson has shown great court awareness so far this season and an improved three point shot. He made the extra pass last night and continually found Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson for layups.
Sophomore Justin Jackson broke out of his early season slump in the loss to Northern Iowa with 25 points and he proved that wasn't a fluke by putting up 21 points and 13 rebounds in an 80-69 win against a Chris Collins coached Northwestern team. Chris Collins is a Coack K protégé and I guess they are finally starting to leave the nest. I did not care much for Collins as a player and I doubt that it is going to change now that he is a head coach.
Brice Johnson had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Theo Pinson continued his all around, stat stuffing play with 10 points and 8 assists. Pinson has shown great court awareness so far this season and an improved three point shot. He made the extra pass last night and continually found Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson for layups.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
The Escape
The North Carolina Tarheels escaped Virginia Tech and left Blacksburg, VA with a 30-27 Overtime win and the Coastal Division title in Hokies head coach Frank Beamer's final home game. The Hokies had the Tarheels set up for one of those Hollywood style endings where Beamer gets to walk off the field victorious, legend completely intact.
North Carolina held a 24-10 lead with just under three minutes to go and they could not seem to hang on to the ball. Tarheels quarterback Marquise Williams wanted to hold on to the ball just an extra second or two before making his reads and led two a couple of fumbles at the worst possible times. Virginia Tech scored the tying touchdown with 1:07 to go in the game, sending it to overtime.
Virginia Tech got the ball first and only managed a field goal for a 27-24 lead and Williams completed a 17 yard pass to Ryan Switzer on the first play of their possession and Williams then completed a five yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Quinshad Davis for the win, the title, and a spot in the ACC Championship game against Clemson.
North Carolina held a 24-10 lead with just under three minutes to go and they could not seem to hang on to the ball. Tarheels quarterback Marquise Williams wanted to hold on to the ball just an extra second or two before making his reads and led two a couple of fumbles at the worst possible times. Virginia Tech scored the tying touchdown with 1:07 to go in the game, sending it to overtime.
Virginia Tech got the ball first and only managed a field goal for a 27-24 lead and Williams completed a 17 yard pass to Ryan Switzer on the first play of their possession and Williams then completed a five yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Quinshad Davis for the win, the title, and a spot in the ACC Championship game against Clemson.
Inside Strength
In the North Carolina Tarheels first three basketball games of the season, they have had an obvious advantage on the inside in experience and length with big men Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson and Isaiah Hicks coming off the bench but they have not always taken advantage of it. The Tarheels did not force the inside against a smaller Fairfield team that played mostly zone and the 'Heels settled for medium and long range jumpers much to the dismay of head coach Roy Williams.
Wofford pulled to within 50-47 when the defense of Nate Britt, Joel Berry II, and Brice Johnson took over. Steals and blocked shots led to several breakouts by North Carolina and finished with a 28-11 run that gave them a hard earned 78-58 win over Wofford. Swing man Theo Pinson had the shot of the night but it was also his only basket. Meeks and Johnson both had 16 points and Hicks had a season high 12.
The outside duo of Joel Berry II and Nate Britt has proved to be formidable so far this season as Britt has provided the outside shooting and Berry II has provided a scoring touch that has them both averaging in double figures. Their play has opened up the possibility of going to a three guard offense whenever Marcus Paige does return from injury.
Wofford pulled to within 50-47 when the defense of Nate Britt, Joel Berry II, and Brice Johnson took over. Steals and blocked shots led to several breakouts by North Carolina and finished with a 28-11 run that gave them a hard earned 78-58 win over Wofford. Swing man Theo Pinson had the shot of the night but it was also his only basket. Meeks and Johnson both had 16 points and Hicks had a season high 12.
The outside duo of Joel Berry II and Nate Britt has proved to be formidable so far this season as Britt has provided the outside shooting and Berry II has provided a scoring touch that has them both averaging in double figures. Their play has opened up the possibility of going to a three guard offense whenever Marcus Paige does return from injury.
Winning On Emotion
North Carolina faces Virginia Tech today in Hokies Coach Frank Beamer's last home game. He announced his retirement a couple of weeks ago. It will be a game full of emotion for Hokies fans and players but will that be enough to carry the Hokies to a win?
It is hard to just play on raw emotion over the course of an entire game. The media, specifically ESPN who is carrying the game, will try to pump it full of emotion and turn it into a Frank Beamer "glory fest" (it is not even 8 A.M. and ESPN already has a sideline reporter in the stadium promoting Beamer).
What has largely been forgotten in the shuffle is that the North Carolina Tarheels also have something on the line here and that is their first Coastal Division title and a trip to the ACC Championship game against Clemson.
I have always believed that playing with emotion can get you through part of the game but it can also have the opposite effect of wearing you out. I have seen a lot of plas crash and burn when the adrenalin runs out and the talent and the X's and O's take over. Virginia Tech is not a bad team and is also going after their sixth win to make themselves bowl eligible.
North Carolina goes into the game as a four point favorite and have scored 125 points in their last two games (both home games) and the only two road wins they have on their resume is a 38-31 victory over Georgia Tech and a 26-19 win over Pittsburgh. GT started out the year in the top 20 and Pittsburgh has bounced in and out of the top 20 but in this game against Virginia Tech, the emotion will be the "x" factor.
It is hard to just play on raw emotion over the course of an entire game. The media, specifically ESPN who is carrying the game, will try to pump it full of emotion and turn it into a Frank Beamer "glory fest" (it is not even 8 A.M. and ESPN already has a sideline reporter in the stadium promoting Beamer).
What has largely been forgotten in the shuffle is that the North Carolina Tarheels also have something on the line here and that is their first Coastal Division title and a trip to the ACC Championship game against Clemson.
I have always believed that playing with emotion can get you through part of the game but it can also have the opposite effect of wearing you out. I have seen a lot of plas crash and burn when the adrenalin runs out and the talent and the X's and O's take over. Virginia Tech is not a bad team and is also going after their sixth win to make themselves bowl eligible.
North Carolina goes into the game as a four point favorite and have scored 125 points in their last two games (both home games) and the only two road wins they have on their resume is a 38-31 victory over Georgia Tech and a 26-19 win over Pittsburgh. GT started out the year in the top 20 and Pittsburgh has bounced in and out of the top 20 but in this game against Virginia Tech, the emotion will be the "x" factor.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Man Down
The North Carolina Tarheels have already started out the 2015-16 college basketball season with their best player, Marcus Paige, out for a month. The last time I can remember this happening was 2008-09 when Tyler Hansbrough was out to begin the season for North Carolina and that turned out pretty well for the Tarheels as they won the National Championship.
In the Tarheels second game of the season against Fairfield Coach Roy Williams said the Tarheels showed "a lack of execution" and "a lack of effort" in the first half and only took an eight point lead into halftime. Kennedy Meeks scored six of his eight points in the first ten minutes and then it seemed like the Tarheels decided to settle on perimeter jumpers. Brice Johnson scored 16 but his best work came on the offensive glass, Justin Jackson scored 11 but all of his damage came on the fast break and his game seems to be struggling when the Tarheels have to go to a half court offense.
Nate Britt came off the bench to score 17 including four of six from the three point line and he has probably been the Tarheels MVP through their first two games (if their is such a thing). Marcus Paige replacement, Joel Berry II, had 15 points, all of the jump shot variety (three of eight from the three point line), and the zone defenses employed by other teams still seems to give the Tarheels fits.
Theo Pinson has stepped up to fill J.P. Tokoto's stat stuffing role and scored a career high 11 against Fairfield with eight assists and zero turnovers. I can't wait to see what he can do over a full season after missing most his freshman season and this summer's workouts with a foot problem.
After the first couple of games of the season, the Tarheels have shown that they are much better when they run the court versus a half court game because their big men can get up and down the court and the basketball world has not someone that can make the outlet pass like Kennedy Meeks since the days of Wes Unseld in the 1960's and '70's. The Tarheels outside shooting has improved (15-35) even without arguably their best outside shooter. I see the Tarheels as a top five team right now but their held on number one may be tenuous.
In the Tarheels second game of the season against Fairfield Coach Roy Williams said the Tarheels showed "a lack of execution" and "a lack of effort" in the first half and only took an eight point lead into halftime. Kennedy Meeks scored six of his eight points in the first ten minutes and then it seemed like the Tarheels decided to settle on perimeter jumpers. Brice Johnson scored 16 but his best work came on the offensive glass, Justin Jackson scored 11 but all of his damage came on the fast break and his game seems to be struggling when the Tarheels have to go to a half court offense.
Nate Britt came off the bench to score 17 including four of six from the three point line and he has probably been the Tarheels MVP through their first two games (if their is such a thing). Marcus Paige replacement, Joel Berry II, had 15 points, all of the jump shot variety (three of eight from the three point line), and the zone defenses employed by other teams still seems to give the Tarheels fits.
Theo Pinson has stepped up to fill J.P. Tokoto's stat stuffing role and scored a career high 11 against Fairfield with eight assists and zero turnovers. I can't wait to see what he can do over a full season after missing most his freshman season and this summer's workouts with a foot problem.
After the first couple of games of the season, the Tarheels have shown that they are much better when they run the court versus a half court game because their big men can get up and down the court and the basketball world has not someone that can make the outlet pass like Kennedy Meeks since the days of Wes Unseld in the 1960's and '70's. The Tarheels outside shooting has improved (15-35) even without arguably their best outside shooter. I see the Tarheels as a top five team right now but their held on number one may be tenuous.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
The Scoring Machine
The North Carolina Tarheels have scored 125 points in their last two games. Those are video game like scoring numbers. Marquise Williams had his worst passing game statistically of the season yesterday. Miami may have been ready to defend the pass but they were not ready for Williams ability to run the ball. Once Williams got himself involved in the Tarheel offense running the ball and the Tarheels gave themselves a short field by recovering a couple of fumbles and an interception by Jeff Schoettmer, the Tarheels set sail for their ninth straight win. Throw in Ryan Switzer's seventh career punt return for a touchdown and you ended up with 59 points on the board.
The Tarheels defense blitzed more in this game than they did in any other game this season. The 'Heels wanted to make Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya uncomfortable in the pocket and although he passed for over three hundred yards, it was 45-0 by the time Miami put any points on the board. It was senior day at North Carolina as it was their final game in Kenan Stadium and head coach Larry Fedora was able to take the seniors on offense and defense off the field as a group. They haven't gone undefeated at home since 1980 when Lawrence Taylor played in Kenan Stadium.
The Tarheels defense blitzed more in this game than they did in any other game this season. The 'Heels wanted to make Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya uncomfortable in the pocket and although he passed for over three hundred yards, it was 45-0 by the time Miami put any points on the board. It was senior day at North Carolina as it was their final game in Kenan Stadium and head coach Larry Fedora was able to take the seniors on offense and defense off the field as a group. They haven't gone undefeated at home since 1980 when Lawrence Taylor played in Kenan Stadium.
Getting Closer
The North Carolina Tarheels took it to the University of Miami 59-21 in a game that was played with an edge from the opening kickoff. Marquise Williams keeps racking up the touchdowns for North Carolina and North Carolina won their ninth game in a row and only need one more win to wrap up their first Coastal Division title and a trip to their first ACC Championship game.
The game was chippy from the beginning. Multiple personal fouls on both teams, Miami had over 100 yards in penalties, North Carolina had over 50, and that is going to happen with a game of this magnitude. The only thing I really did not like was the "inverted 'U'" symbol that Marquise Williams made after scoring a touchdown and Ryan Switzer did the same thing after returning a punt for a touchdown before halftime.
If anybody deserves treatment like that, it would be Miami. They have done that kind of thing for years and most sports are very cyclical. If you play a team every year, there is always that one year that other team will exact a little bit of payback. North Carolina has a history of playing Miami tough even when Miami was at the top of the college football world.
Miami was not a bad team coming into the game at 6-3 and still with a chance to win the Coastal Division. Miami needed a scapegoat after a 58-0 thrashing at the hands of Clemson about a month ago and Coach Al Golden was that scapegoat. They are still pretty much the same team they were a month ago and they will probably end up in a bowl game but that is not good enough for "the U."
The game was chippy from the beginning. Multiple personal fouls on both teams, Miami had over 100 yards in penalties, North Carolina had over 50, and that is going to happen with a game of this magnitude. The only thing I really did not like was the "inverted 'U'" symbol that Marquise Williams made after scoring a touchdown and Ryan Switzer did the same thing after returning a punt for a touchdown before halftime.
If anybody deserves treatment like that, it would be Miami. They have done that kind of thing for years and most sports are very cyclical. If you play a team every year, there is always that one year that other team will exact a little bit of payback. North Carolina has a history of playing Miami tough even when Miami was at the top of the college football world.
Miami was not a bad team coming into the game at 6-3 and still with a chance to win the Coastal Division. Miami needed a scapegoat after a 58-0 thrashing at the hands of Clemson about a month ago and Coach Al Golden was that scapegoat. They are still pretty much the same team they were a month ago and they will probably end up in a bowl game but that is not good enough for "the U."
Always The Coach
There is a habit among coaches that probably goes back to the days of James Naismith and that is you cannot let your team feel to good about what they just accomplished. The North Carolina Tarheels beat the Temple Owls 91-67 in the opener for both teams and Coach Roy Williams was not exactly a happy man after the game.
Junior big man Kennedy Meeks had a career high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks but Coach Williams said after the game that he was not ready to "anoint" Meeks because he was facing much smaller Temple players and indicated that Meeks should have had a pretty good game. He also said that Junior Isaiah Hicks "did not play worth a dang" after scoring only six points and four rebounds.
Senior Brice Johnson also had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) but was involved in an incident towards the end of the game that resulted in Nate Britt getting ejected from the game. Johnson had a rebound dunk and he hung on the rim and a Temple player took exception to the fact that Johnson's legs were wrapped around his neck and shoved him to the ground. Nate Britt left the bench to prevent the altercation from escalating, resulting in Britt's automatic ejection.
As far as I know, hanging on the rim is still a technical foul and the only exception is a player can hang on the rim to avoid injury. Now players hang on the rim to rub it in the other team's face and call a few technical foul's and the problem might go away.
Britt played a great game, 15 points and three for four from the three point line) and Roy Williams did credit Britt with being a catalyst off the bench. Coach Williams did punish the whole team by making them dress up for the trip back to Chapel Hill thanks to Britt's lack of better judgement.
Junior big man Kennedy Meeks had a career high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks but Coach Williams said after the game that he was not ready to "anoint" Meeks because he was facing much smaller Temple players and indicated that Meeks should have had a pretty good game. He also said that Junior Isaiah Hicks "did not play worth a dang" after scoring only six points and four rebounds.
Senior Brice Johnson also had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) but was involved in an incident towards the end of the game that resulted in Nate Britt getting ejected from the game. Johnson had a rebound dunk and he hung on the rim and a Temple player took exception to the fact that Johnson's legs were wrapped around his neck and shoved him to the ground. Nate Britt left the bench to prevent the altercation from escalating, resulting in Britt's automatic ejection.
As far as I know, hanging on the rim is still a technical foul and the only exception is a player can hang on the rim to avoid injury. Now players hang on the rim to rub it in the other team's face and call a few technical foul's and the problem might go away.
Britt played a great game, 15 points and three for four from the three point line) and Roy Williams did credit Britt with being a catalyst off the bench. Coach Williams did punish the whole team by making them dress up for the trip back to Chapel Hill thanks to Britt's lack of better judgement.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Isaiah Hicks
Usually there is at least one name that generates buzz coming out of North Carolina's fall practices for being much improved or they put in some serious work over the summer and it shows in their game. This year it is junior big man Isaiah Hicks. I have been expecting big things from Hicks since he set foot in the Dean Dome as a freshman but the transition from high school to college is a bigger leap for some players than it is for others. Hicks caught my attention when he had 34 points and 30 rebounds in the state high school championship game as a senior in high school. I don't care who you are playing against, those are some eye popping numbers.
Hicks may not even start at the beginning of this season. He is primed and ready for his breakout season and he could be on the floor at the same time as Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks, and Marcus Paige on the floor at the same time. Size and athleticism. We wouldn't need to shoot three's but Paige could if he had to.
Hicks may not even start at the beginning of this season. He is primed and ready for his breakout season and he could be on the floor at the same time as Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks, and Marcus Paige on the floor at the same time. Size and athleticism. We wouldn't need to shoot three's but Paige could if he had to.
Is It Almost Time For Tarheels Basketball?
With the North Carolina Tarheels football team on a roll with eight straight wins, the beginning of the Tarheels basketball season started with not much fanfare or noise at all, even with the Tarheels basketball team ranked #1 in most preseason polls. The fans in Tarheel land have not been this excited about football since the Mack Brown era ended in 1997. If the Tarheels football teams wins out, which is a distinct possibility, they could enter the college football "postseason" at 11-1 with a chance to make some serious noise on the national scene.
The word out of the Tarheel basketball camp is "potential." At the beginning of any season, potential is a good word. At the end of the season, it is usually used in past tense and is the worst word in sports. Senior point guard and team leader marsus Paige has already broken his hand and will be out for the first month of the season. "Potential" fills out the rest of the roster.
For the first time in several seasons, North Carolina's roster will not be dominated by freshmen. There will be a good mix of upper classmen and the freshman class is only two strong and will more than likely not see much playing time.
The word out of the Tarheel basketball camp is "potential." At the beginning of any season, potential is a good word. At the end of the season, it is usually used in past tense and is the worst word in sports. Senior point guard and team leader marsus Paige has already broken his hand and will be out for the first month of the season. "Potential" fills out the rest of the roster.
For the first time in several seasons, North Carolina's roster will not be dominated by freshmen. There will be a good mix of upper classmen and the freshman class is only two strong and will more than likely not see much playing time.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Marquise Williams
I am one of those Tarheel fans that pour through the recruiting lists every signing day to see what kind of potential they have with North Carolina and to see how they might fit in. Quarterback Marquise Williams was on the "letter of intent list in 2011. I was living in Charlotte at that time and had heard of Marquise Williams at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte and knew that he had put up some pretty gaudy numbers in high school. Most quarterbacks put up impressive numbers in high school so you really can't go by that.
I did notice that he ran the same type of system that new head coach Larry Fedora wanted to run but Williams was already behind Bryn Renner and Braden Hanson so I was thinking that Williams may see some playing time when he was a Junior or a Senior. Williams red-shirted one year and Hanson ended up transferring to North Dakota so it came down to Renner and Williams for playing time in Renner's Junior and Senior seasons. Williams had some academic and some injury issues and it always seemed like he was missing spring practice and the valuable reps that came with it for some reason or another.
Renner was the more natural passer of the two and Williams was the better runner so they put in special option packages for Williams in his red shirt Freshman year but by the middle of Renner's Senior season, he was losing about half of his reps to Williams and then Renner got hurt against North Carolina State. That game was when the changing of the guard at Quarterback occurred and it became Williams team.
The Tarheels appeared in a bowl game behind the leadership of Williams in 2013 but the 2014 became a completely different story. As a fan, I could tell from the outset that the 'Heels were not playing as a team and that all became public after their bowl game against Rutgers. Williams posted some solid numbers but the Tarheels staggered to a 6-7 record including a mauling by Rutgers that made most of the Tarheel fan base question whether Larry Fedora should still be the head coach.
An offseason meeting, Williams once again misses spring practice, and a three pick day by Williams against South Carolina, and the beginning of this season had the same feeling as last season's did to it.
That was when the Tarheel coaching staff went to work. The Tarheels turned more of the offensive load over to sophomore running back Elijah Hood, the running game features less of Williams, and backup QB Mitch Trubisky has not been rotating in for at least one series in every game. Coach Fedora has not been afraid to show Williams "tough love" as he did against Delaware when he benched him for the entire second half due to poor play.
Fast forward a couple of months, Williams has been named to the Davey O'Brien watch list, UNC has won eight in a row, and is in line for it's first Coastal Division title and it's first appearance in the ACC Championship game. This is due in large part to the maturity of Marquise Williams. He had a record setting game against Duke (494 passing yards and did not even play the fourth quarter) but the three best throws he made the entire game were the three passes that he threw out of bounds because the play was not there.
I did notice that he ran the same type of system that new head coach Larry Fedora wanted to run but Williams was already behind Bryn Renner and Braden Hanson so I was thinking that Williams may see some playing time when he was a Junior or a Senior. Williams red-shirted one year and Hanson ended up transferring to North Dakota so it came down to Renner and Williams for playing time in Renner's Junior and Senior seasons. Williams had some academic and some injury issues and it always seemed like he was missing spring practice and the valuable reps that came with it for some reason or another.
Renner was the more natural passer of the two and Williams was the better runner so they put in special option packages for Williams in his red shirt Freshman year but by the middle of Renner's Senior season, he was losing about half of his reps to Williams and then Renner got hurt against North Carolina State. That game was when the changing of the guard at Quarterback occurred and it became Williams team.
The Tarheels appeared in a bowl game behind the leadership of Williams in 2013 but the 2014 became a completely different story. As a fan, I could tell from the outset that the 'Heels were not playing as a team and that all became public after their bowl game against Rutgers. Williams posted some solid numbers but the Tarheels staggered to a 6-7 record including a mauling by Rutgers that made most of the Tarheel fan base question whether Larry Fedora should still be the head coach.
An offseason meeting, Williams once again misses spring practice, and a three pick day by Williams against South Carolina, and the beginning of this season had the same feeling as last season's did to it.
That was when the Tarheel coaching staff went to work. The Tarheels turned more of the offensive load over to sophomore running back Elijah Hood, the running game features less of Williams, and backup QB Mitch Trubisky has not been rotating in for at least one series in every game. Coach Fedora has not been afraid to show Williams "tough love" as he did against Delaware when he benched him for the entire second half due to poor play.
Fast forward a couple of months, Williams has been named to the Davey O'Brien watch list, UNC has won eight in a row, and is in line for it's first Coastal Division title and it's first appearance in the ACC Championship game. This is due in large part to the maturity of Marquise Williams. He had a record setting game against Duke (494 passing yards and did not even play the fourth quarter) but the three best throws he made the entire game were the three passes that he threw out of bounds because the play was not there.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
A Statement Win
If the North Carolina Tarheels were looking to make a statement against Duke and their fourth ranked defense, they had accomplished that goal by the end of the first quarter when they held a 21-3 lead. The Tarheels showed from the very first play that they were going to do whatever they had to do to win the game and conservative play calling was not an option.
When the Tarheels ran a flea flicker from their own 11 yard line on their first play from scrimmage, that told me they were all in. When running back Elijah Hood took the handoff from quarterback Marquise Williams, and pitched it back to Williams, there was no pressure from the Duke defense at all. Wide receiver Ryan Switzer hid among the Duke linebackers until the fake was sold and then Switzer was streaking down the field all by himself where Williams hit him with a perfect pass for an 89 yard touchdown and North Carolina's offense was just getting started.
Williams had thrown for 404 yards and three touchdown's by halftime, had ran one in, and UNC held a 38-10 lead. The Tarheels scored two touchdowns with under two minutes to go on long passes from Williams to wide receiver's Bug Howard and Mack Hollins and North Carolina's receivers continually got behind Duke's defensive backs and ended up with nine plays of over twenty yards.
Could it really have been that simple? Duke's safeties play near the line of scrimmage and they were willing to let Williams try to beat them through the air. North Carolina took advantage of their aggressiveness and just through over the top to their wide receivers. Giving up two long touchdown passes with under two minutes to go in the first half really surprised me. Duke did not appear to have anyone in deep coverage in either one of these plays as Hollins and Howard just streaked right by them untouched.
What has been lost in the shuffle of North Carolina's 66-31 win and 704 yards of total offense is the fact that Duke had 543 yards of offense of their own. The Tarheels defense did have three takeaways (two interceptions and a fumble recovery) but that is the most yards a Gene Chizik defense had given up all year long. I don't know if the lopsided score had anything to do with it but the announcer had no problems making up excuses for Duke's poor performance, basing it on the ending of last week's Miami-Duke game.
When the Tarheels ran a flea flicker from their own 11 yard line on their first play from scrimmage, that told me they were all in. When running back Elijah Hood took the handoff from quarterback Marquise Williams, and pitched it back to Williams, there was no pressure from the Duke defense at all. Wide receiver Ryan Switzer hid among the Duke linebackers until the fake was sold and then Switzer was streaking down the field all by himself where Williams hit him with a perfect pass for an 89 yard touchdown and North Carolina's offense was just getting started.
Williams had thrown for 404 yards and three touchdown's by halftime, had ran one in, and UNC held a 38-10 lead. The Tarheels scored two touchdowns with under two minutes to go on long passes from Williams to wide receiver's Bug Howard and Mack Hollins and North Carolina's receivers continually got behind Duke's defensive backs and ended up with nine plays of over twenty yards.
Could it really have been that simple? Duke's safeties play near the line of scrimmage and they were willing to let Williams try to beat them through the air. North Carolina took advantage of their aggressiveness and just through over the top to their wide receivers. Giving up two long touchdown passes with under two minutes to go in the first half really surprised me. Duke did not appear to have anyone in deep coverage in either one of these plays as Hollins and Howard just streaked right by them untouched.
What has been lost in the shuffle of North Carolina's 66-31 win and 704 yards of total offense is the fact that Duke had 543 yards of offense of their own. The Tarheels defense did have three takeaways (two interceptions and a fumble recovery) but that is the most yards a Gene Chizik defense had given up all year long. I don't know if the lopsided score had anything to do with it but the announcer had no problems making up excuses for Duke's poor performance, basing it on the ending of last week's Miami-Duke game.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
A Meaningful Game
This is the first "meaningful" football game that Duke and North Carolina have played since about 1939. By meaningful, I mean this game has Coastal Division title possibilities on the line and a spot in the ACC Championship game. Duke-North Carolina will always have the Victory Bell and it is Duke-North Carolina no matter what the sport but if it was not for Duke's loss to Miami last week that came right out of the Twilight Zone, they would both be nationally ranked.
Duke Coach David Cutcliffe has really turned Duke's program around and has made them relevant again and it looks like North Carolina Coach is finally starting to see some relevance in his fourth season. Fedora needed to get by that "we made it to a bowl game" hump and start playing for something more meaningful and this is it.
The Duke-North Carolina game shapes up to be classic football. UNC's offense versus Duke's nationally ranked defense. Most experts believe defense wins championships. North Carolina has played two opponents- Illinois and Wake Forest that have had nationally ranked defenses. The results were 48-14 and 50-14, both North Carolina blowouts.
Duke is a little more battle tested than Illinois or Wake Forest and they very well could be playing on a wet field. Duke's offense is very similar to North Carolina's and North Carolina's defense utilizes a "bend but don't break" philosophy. North Carolina's defensive stat line is never going to blow you out of the water with a lot of sacks, three-and-outs, or tackles for losses but they play solid fundamental football.
Duke Coach David Cutcliffe has really turned Duke's program around and has made them relevant again and it looks like North Carolina Coach is finally starting to see some relevance in his fourth season. Fedora needed to get by that "we made it to a bowl game" hump and start playing for something more meaningful and this is it.
The Duke-North Carolina game shapes up to be classic football. UNC's offense versus Duke's nationally ranked defense. Most experts believe defense wins championships. North Carolina has played two opponents- Illinois and Wake Forest that have had nationally ranked defenses. The results were 48-14 and 50-14, both North Carolina blowouts.
Duke is a little more battle tested than Illinois or Wake Forest and they very well could be playing on a wet field. Duke's offense is very similar to North Carolina's and North Carolina's defense utilizes a "bend but don't break" philosophy. North Carolina's defensive stat line is never going to blow you out of the water with a lot of sacks, three-and-outs, or tackles for losses but they play solid fundamental football.
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