Tarheels In The Draft

Eric Ebron led the Tarheels parade to the NFL by being the #10 overall pick in the First Round by the Detroit Lions. Ebron and Calvin Johnson on the field at the same time should give defenses in the NFC Central something to think about. Kareem Martin lasted until the Third Round when he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals. The next Tarheels were drafted in the 4th Round. Center Russell Bodine went to the Cincinnati Bengals and Tre Boston stayed local, going to the Carolina Panthers. Jabari Price lasted until the 7th round when he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings. The big surprise was that James Hurst was not drafted at all so the Baltimore Ravens got a steal when they signed him as an Undrafted Free Agent. Bryn Renner gets to try to take the next step in his career with the Denver Broncos. He signed with them as an Undrafted Free Agent and stands an excellent chance of making the team. Who better to learn the Quarterback position from than Peyton Manning?

The 2014 NFL Draft

The UNC Tarheels will be represented in the 2014 NFL Draft. Tarheel Tight End Eric Ebron is expected to go in the First Round, possibly being a Top Ten pick. Defensive End Kareem Martin is expected to go in the 2nd/3rd Round as is Offensive Lineman James Hurst. Quarterback Bryn Brenner has impressed in his pre-draft workouts and is being seriously looked at by the Minnesota Vikings who neeed help at that position. Center Russell Bodine is predicted to go in the last couple of rounds after declaring for the draft a year early. Defensive Backs Tre Boston and Jabari Price and Defensive Lineman Tim Jackson and Running Back A.J. Blue will at least get Free Agent looks after the draft is over. Good luck to all the 'Heels in this years draft.

A Tribute To Renner

Marquise Williams changed his jersey number from his customary #12 in yesterday's 45-14 win over Virginia to Bryn Renner's #2 as a tribute to Renner. Yesterday's game also served as Marquise Williams taking over the reigns as the starter and he proved himself quite capable. Marquise Williams threw 2 TD passes, ran for another, and he also caught a 29 yard TD pass from Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis. According to the statisticians that might be the first time in Tarheel history that type of trifecta has ever been pulled off. He was 15 for 28 for 185 yards with 2 TD's and an Int and he ran for another 46 yards on 16 carries and caught a 29 yard TD pass. He totalled 260 yards of total offense. He also helped lead the Tarheels to their first 200 + yards rushing performance of the season. Romar Morris led the 'Heels with 48 yards rushing. Tight End Eric Ebron was relatively quiet with only 2 catches for 21 yards but Virginia was focused on not letting him run free across the middle and that allowed the Wide Receivers to run loose along the sidelines. Quinshad Davis had 5 catches for 65 yards and a TD. A total of 8 Tarheels caught passes. The screen game was more in play against Virginia asd Khris Francis caught a 15 yard screen that resulted in a TD and T.J. Logan ran one for 30 yards.

Bryn Renner's Career Comes To An Unfortunate End

Bryn Renner's Tarheel career came to an unfortunate end on a scramble in the Third Quarter. He slid feet first and took a shot from an NC State player to his left shoulder that broke a bone and tore the labrum. I am biased but I thought it was a cheap shot. With all of the player ejections I have seen over the past three weeks for "targeting", I guess it is okay to target a players shoulder while he is laying on the ground as long as you don't target his head. I thought a sliding player was supposed to be protected anyway. The 15 extra yards wouldn't have mattered anyway. Renner came back into the game for one more play and completed a third down pass for a first down. If he would have played his final four games at UNC, Renner more than likely would have held every major passing record at North Carolina. His Senior season didn't quite go as planned as far as victories go but he faced adversity throughout his career and he faced the news that his CVarolina career was over with his usual class and looking forward mentality. No one knows if a pro career is in his future but I am sure he will be invited to a training camp if he is not drafted in the later rounds. He should also garner an invite to the pro combine before the draft as well.

A Complete Game

The Tarheels played the most complete game they have played all season in their 34-10 win over the Boston College Eagles yesterday. The Defense played an impressive game with the exception of the 56 yard TD run by Andre Williams in the First Quarter. Take away that run and Boston College only averaged about 4 yards a carry. They held BC QB Chase Rettig to 57 yards passing on 10 completions and applied constant pressure on him all day long, tallying 4 sacks, 2 by Senior Defensive End Kareem Martin. Freshman Mikey Bart, getting his first career start, got his first career sack on a Fourth Down in the Fourth Quarter. The Offense used a true two Quarterback System for the first time with Bryn Renner and Marquise Williams sharing the playing time. Marquise Williams provides a change of pace as he is more of a threat to run as he led the team in rushing yards with 55 on 7 carries and a TD. He also threw a 17 yard TD pass to Johnathan "Bug" Howard. Howard had 2 TD catches in the game. Bryn Renner went 18 for 21 for 227 yards and 2 TD's and he passed 8,000 yards for his career. The UNC run game was still anemic with 110 total yards and only about 2.5 yards per carry. 7 Tarheels ran the ball, including Tight End Eric Ebron. None of the Tarheels four Running Backs- AJ Blue, Romar Morris, Khris Francis, or TJ Logan- have really stepped up to take charge and become the "go to" back. Wide Receiver Ryan Switzer caught his first career TD pass from Bryn Renner, a 13 yard catch in the First Quarter. Eric Ebron only had 4 catches for 68 yards but he was impressive with his blocking and his running after the catch. The 'Heels have the slimmest of chances at a bowl game but they have to win out in order to do so. Yesterday was a good start.

Playing For Pride

At 1-5, UNC's football season is in dire straits. If they win out, they could make a bowl game. Their play has been much improved against better competition in Virginia Tech and Miami but they cannot seem to make those one or two big plays they need to put them over the top. I believe the loss to East Carolina did more psychological damage than anything. Senior Defensive End Kareem Martin had his best game of the year with 4 tackles for loss and 1 sack. Once again, Tarheel defensive backs led the team in tackles and that means that the opposing runners are making it to the second and third levels before they are getting stopped. That was evident the entire second half against Miami. The Miami also saw the debut of Tarheel Freshman T.J. Logan as the starter at Running Back. He had 16 carries for 61 yards but he displayed some of the elusiveness that made him such a highly sought after recruit and he hung in there against blitzing linebackers and tried picking up blocks to allow Bryn Renner time to throw.

So Close Yet So Far

The Tarheels gave their best effort of the year in the 27-23 loss to the Miami Hurricanes last night. Deep down I knew that when Bryn Renner threw that interception at the UNC 10 yard line that killed at least a Field Goal attempt and then the 'Heels were forced to punt down to the 10 yard line, that Miami was going to drive the field and score the TD that would win the game. The Tarheel defense played a solid game and came up with 4 interceptions, 2 by Freshman Dominique Green, but in the second half, Miami virtually gave up on the passing game and ran up the middle the entire second half. That was what the Hurricanes did on the last drive of the game. UNC was powerless to stop it. The Tarheels missed out on several scoring opportunities, had too many breakdowns on Special Teams, and had penalties at the worse possible times. A blocked Field Goal by Miami gave them 7 cheap points. I have never heard of a college team getting down to their third string snapper as the Tarheels have due to injuries. According to Larry Fedora, that led to the blocked field goal. Bryn Renner had his best game of the season- 28 for 36, 297 yards, a TD, but he will be most remembered for the ill advised pass that was picked off by Miami. Marquise Williams got in for a couple of series and his first pass attempt was picked off in the end zone by Miami in the first half. I had to question the timing of Williams being inserted into the lineup at that point and time. Renner was leading a solid drive into Miami territory and I am guessing that Williams was inserted into the lineup to catch Miami off guard by throwing the ball rather than running the ball. Williams later atoned for his mistake by throwing a 71 yard TD pass to Tight End Eric Ebron (mostly yards after the catch by Ebron). There were a reported 37 professional scouts and 5 General managers at that game and they got to see Ebron have the greatest game by a Tight End in Tarheel football history. Ebron had 8 catches for 199 yards and the 1 TD and he made acrobatic catches, he blocked, and he did it all. I would be willing to bet that he will be going pro after this season.

Speechless

North Carolina's 55-31 loss to East Carolina has left me speechless. They were dominated in every phase of the game. Once again, the Tarheel Defense got manhandled to the tune of over 600 yards. I have spoken out against the 4-2-5 defense and if this isn't proof that it needs to be scrapped after the season, I don't know what is. They gave up ground by the acre rather than by the yard. East Carolina ran 101 plays, had 267 yards rushing and 336 passing. The Tarheels only had 4 Quarterback hurries in 47 passing attempts by East Carolina QB Shane Carden. No sacks. None. One Interception by Tre Boston. The Offense only fared slightly better. Tarheel Running Back Romar Morris missed the game for an undisclosed reason, leaving the bulk of the carries to A.J. Blue. He had 20 carries for 68 yards but the holes were few and far between. The 'Heels only had 67 yards rushing as a team. QB Bryn Renner did throw for 366 yards and 3 TD's but over 200 yards and all 3 TD's came in the second half when East Carolina maintained at least a 17 point lead throughout the entire second half. North Carolina's young offensive line is having some serious growing pains. Some of North Carolina's young Wide Receivers did get in towards the end of the game and make some plays. Johnathan "Bug" Howard and Nic Platt both had TD catches. T.J. Thorpe had a solid game and Quinshad Davis had over 100 yards receiving and a 56 yard TD reception. The 'Heels have work to do to salvage this season.

Middle Tennessee State: The Good And The Bad

There were several good things that happened against Middle Tennessee State. One of the stats I was most impressed with was that 12 different receivers caught passes, including backup Quarterback Marquise Williams, who caught a 23 yard pass from Running Back A.J. Blue. They do have a lot of options at the Wide Receiver position. The 'Heels also had three running backs- Romar Morris, A.J. Blue, and true Freshman Khris Francis- that had ten carries in the game. The top rusher was Morris with 46 yards and none of the three broke any run longer than about 10 yards. Bryn Renner also had a strong game running the offense and as a fifth year Senior and in his second year in this offense, he has shown the ability to take charge of the many options in this offense. The defense came up with three turnovers in the Red Zone including Tre Boston's interception in the end zone. The play of Norkeithus Otis and Darius Lipford deserve special mention as well. I was also impressed with the play of true Freshman Dominic Green from the defensive backfield. The bad had to be the running game on both sides of the ball. The 'Heels only averaged a little over 3 yards a carry while giving up 5 yards a carry. The play of both lines left a lot of room for improvement. Luckily they have a week off before they take on ACC nemesis Georgia Tech.

2013 Football Preview- Quarterback

Bryn Renner is the unquestioned leader of this team and the Quarterback. I cannot wait to see what he can do in his second season in Coach Larry Fedora's high octane offense. He has a full season and a Spring Practice under his belt after finishing very strong in the Tarheels last 5 games last season. I am also looking forward to them really opening up the playbook this season. He threw for a school record 28 Touchdowns last season but he will not have Gio Bernard to hand off or pass to and he was a major weapon out of the backfield. The big question this fall is going to be who is going to be Renner's backup? Marquise Williams got into 9 games as a Redshirt Freshman last season but he was used more for his skill as a runner than he was a passer. He only attempted 17 passes but 29 rushing attempts. Due to academic difficulties, Marquise Williams' loss is True Freshman Mitch Trubisky's gain. Williams was not enrolled in school in the Spring Semester and missed all of Spring Practice. He re-enrolled in school in the first summer session and hopefully will be academically eligible in the Fall. Trubisky threw for over 4,000 yards and accounted for 60 TD's (42 passing, 18 rushing) and was named Ohio's Mr. Football in 2012. He enrolled in the Spring and got a lot of reps in the Tarheels' offense and drew praise from the coaching staff at the end of Spring Practice. He is listed as the backup QB on several preseason depth charts and the co-backup with Marquise Williams according to Inside Carolina. Redshirt Freshman Kanler Coker was in a battle last season with Williams to be Renner's backup but he was redshirted instead. Here is hoping that Renner posts some Heisman winning stats and the question of who the backup is becomes a moot point. How can I mention the Quarterbacks without mentioning local product Caleb Pressley who actually got into a blowout game last year as a walk on and took several snaps but was not allowed to air it out at least once. He did, however, get on the stat sheet.

North Carolina 2012 Football Review- Offense

Larry Fedora brought his Red Bull-fueled offense to Chapel Hill in 2012 and I was really curious to see what he could do in a short period of time. Any time a new coach brings in a radically different offense from the previous coach, he is trying to fit his system with someone else's players. Coach Fedora wasn't starting from scratch because he had some great pieces to start with. He had a great offensive line, rated as one of the best units in college football to start the season. He also had Bryn Renner and Gio Bernard in the backfield, both coming off record setting seasons, and a good mix of youth and experience at Wide Receiver. Coach Fedora was placed ina more difficult situation because the 'Heels were facing a "lame duck" situation because of NCAA sanctions. The camp got off to a rocky start as the 'Heels started losing Wide Receivers to injury from about the first day as T.J. Thorpe and Reggie Wilkins went down and depth all over the field became the biggest problem. They ended up having to use players from other UNC sports at Wide Receiver (Mark McNeill, Lacrosse and Roy Smith, Track) just to have depth at Wide Receiver and McNeill and Smith were able to work their way into the rotation during the season. The offense lived up to Fedora's reputation. They scored over 40 points a game and they ran and passed North Carolina's record book thru a paper shredder. The Tarheels finished at 8-4 on the season and were only truly out of one game, that being Georgia Tech. There were not too many dull moments this season either. Gio Bernard had almost 2000 total yards on the season in spite of missing 2 1/2 games on the season. If not for those missed games Gio would have had the kind of stats stuffing numbers worthy of the Heisman Trophy. I would have voted for him anyway. The 74 yard punt return to win the game against NC State was the signature play that set him apart from the rest. He had 1228 yards rushing, 490 yards receiving, and 263 punt return yards. QB Bryn Renner completed 65 % of his his passes, had 3356 yards passing and 28 TD's with only 7 picks on the season. By seasons end, he had a firm grasp on UNC's spread offense. Several other players emerged on the offensive side as well. Freshman Quinshad Davis had a Freshman record 61 catches for 776 yards and tied for the team lead with 5 TD's. Eric Ebron was able to stretch the field from his TE position to the tune of 40 catches and 625 yards with 4 TD's. Although Gio decided to turn pro after his red-shirt Sophomore season, they still have the pieces in place to have another outstanding season next year. Renner will be back, Romar Morris, who has many of the same skills that Gio has, and A.J. Blue return in the backfield, and hopefully injury will not wipe out the Wide Receiver Corps because I am really looking forward to see what they can do.

A Target On Their Backs

The North Carolina Tarheels two best players are Running Back Gio Bernard and Defensive Tackle Sylvester Williams. With the attention Virginia paid to those two on Thursday night, they sure thought so. Bernard was held to 57 yards rushing but that opened up the passing game and allowed QB Bryn Renner to go 29 for 36 for 315 yards and a couple of TDs. Freshman WR Quinshad Davis was the big beneficiary as he had an ACC record tying 16 catches. He would have broke the record but backup QB Marquise Williams threw him a groundball on the final play of the game. DT Sylvester Williams was the object of double and triple teams and was still a disruptive force. Two plays in particular stood out in my mind with Sylvester Williams. The first was an unnecessary roughness penalty on #72 of Virginia (I didn't even bother looking his name up) in which he tried planting Sylvester Williams into the ground well after the play was over on a double team and the play was well away from him as well. The announcer described it as "finishing the block" and thought it was a bad call. The second play was not called but was a blatant cheap shot by the same #72. On Tre Boston's 36 yard interception return for a TD Sylvester Williams was engaged in a block with another Virginia lineman, and #72 had no intention of trying to tackle Boston on his way by. He singled out Williams and drilled him as Boston ran by. He made no effort to even take a swipe at Boston. #72 was going to make sure he got his cheap shots in.

Motivation

Head Coach Larry Fedora has tried different motivational tactics with the Tarheels football team this week, decorating the locker room with red, the idea being to see the proverbial red and to bring out the best in them. If the fact that NC State head coach Tom O'Brien has never lost to the Tarheels while he has been the Wolfpack head coach does not bring out the best in them, I do not know what will. He is 5-0 against the 'Heels, and with his highly ranked defense coming into Kenan Stadium this weekend, looks primed to extend the winning streak to 6 games. At the beginning of the season, Coach Fedora talked about winning a mythical "state championship" as the 'Heels were scheduled to play 5 games against teams from North Carolina this season. If the 'Heels lose to State this weekend, they will not even go .500 against the in-state teams after losing to ACC perennial cellar dwellars Wake Forest and Duke. The NC State game should be a rivalry game but the Tarheels need to win to make this a rivalry again. The past two seasons the Wolpack defense has really slammed the hammer down on the Tarheel running game. The key will be Gio Bernard. The 'Heels need someone else to step up and help him out whether it be via the pass or the run. I think Tight End Eric Ebron needs to step up against the NC State linebackers and work the middle of the field with his size and speed. Bryn Renner also needs to start strong and the 'Heels cannot afford to go into halftime facing a 2 TD deficit like they did against Louisville and Duke.

The Red Zone Vs. The Twilight Zone

Whenever the UNC Tarheels offense enters the Red Zone it ends up looking like the football version of the Twilight Zone. I can almost hear Rod Serling's voice now. The Tarheels trailed Duke 20-6 at halftime and 23-9 after three quarters all due to their inefficiancy in the red zone. The wide receivers do not have as much room to roam and Gio Bernard cannot get to the outside as well. QB Bryn Renner only had 36 yards passing thru three quarters and ended up with 198 yards but their offense was still the Gio show with over 130 yards rushing. With the NC state game on the horizon, the 'Heels need to figure out how to keep the red zone from turning into the Dead Zone against NC State's defense.

Va Tech Third Quarter

Three-and-Out is the way to start the second half. One first down by the 'Heels on their first drive, a penalty, and a poor punt by Thomas Hibbard. We would hate for the refs to call holding on the Hokie offense or roughing the passer on their defense. The flags must be Carolina Blue. #9 Linebacker Travis Hughes with the steal! Travis Hughes stood up the running back and ripped the ball out of his hands setting the 'Heels up with posession on the Hokies side of the field. Now UNC has to take advantage of that. Renner shows some escapability on a 3 yard scramble and a 12 yard completion to Davis. A great play fake by Renner and he hits Sean Tapley for a 19 yard TD pass. And the Tarheels Special Teams give 6 points right back as they give a a kick return for a TD. There is that Carolina Blue flag again. I am not even bothering counting how many penalty yards they have now. An important 3rd down pass completion to Davis. A defensive pass interference on Va Tech? I bet that makes the ESPN highlights. I like using Marquise Williams as a change of pace QB. Everyone one knows that he is probably going to run but there is always a chance he might unleash one. It is not your typical Wildcat package. That sack of Renner really hurt but taking a sack is better than throwing it up for grabs. Barely missed Ebron in the end zone and had to settle for a Barth field goal. UNC 38, Va Tech 26. UNC is getting gashed bad by the long pass but a critical 4th down stop gives the ball back to the 'Heels. Va Tech gets away with a facemask on Bernard's 51 yard run and the refs penalize the 'Heels for unsportsmanlike on Blue's 13 yard TD run. UNC 45, Va Tech 26. Tim Scott intercepts Logan Thomas on the first play from scrimmage after the kickoff and now the 'Heels have to play solid ,fundamental football and they can finish this one off. I do not think the 'Heels can run a play without holding being called. End of third quarter, UNC 45, Va Tech 26.

Va Tech Second Quarter

The 'Heels went for it on fourth and inches (very impressed with the play call by Head Coach Fedora) on their own 38 yard line and Gio Bernard broke over the left side untouched for a 62 yard TD run. A defensive pass interference penalty eventually leads to a Hokie field goal. UNC 21, Va Tech 17. A 76 yard TD drive by the 'Heels was capped off by a 1 yard A.J. Blue plunge. The highlight had to be a 26 yard completion to Tight End Eric Ebron down to the 1 yard line. He is turning into a serious stud at Tight End for the 'Heels and Bryn Renner's go to guy. A.J. Blue is also turning into the 'Heels short yardage guy that can pick up those tough yards. UNC 28, Va Tech 17. Now lets see some defensive intensity. I would hate for the Tarheels to enjoy any kind of momentum or prosperity. A muffed punt that would have set the Tarheels up in great field position led to a Hokie field goal. UNC 28, Va Tech 20 at Halftime. The 'Heels really picked up their offensive game in the second quarter as Renner finished 9 for 18 for 115 yards and Bernard topped 100 yards rushing in the first half. Virginia Tech seemed to come out with the intention of stopping North Carolina's screen game and in that they were effective. Defensively the 'Heels are not getting much of a pass rush on Hokie QB Logan Thomas. They need to make him feel uncomfortable back there.

In Game Observations Versus Virginia Tech First Quarter

Bryn Renner needs to calm down or it is going to be the Louisville game all over again. 0 for 5 so far and he has missed at least two wide open targets down the field. The 'Heels have 40 yards in penalties and -4 yards of total offense halfway through the first quarter. Very thankfull for a Sean Tapley kickoff return for a Touchdown and a Virginia Tech dropped pass. 7-7 with 8 minutes to go in the First Quarter. A 28 yard completion to Freshman Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis, a couple of Virginia Tech offsides penalties (very uncharacteristic for a Bud Foster defense), a run and a reception by Gio Bernard and the 'Heels finish it off with a Bryn Renner 4 yard TD run. Renner is still off on most of his passes. A double move burns Jabari Price to tie the game at 14. The 'Heels close out the First Quarter with a personal foul penalty after an A.J. Blue run, a completion to Eric Ebron, a Bernard run, and a failed third and short attempt by Brenner. The Offensive Line could not get enough push to get a half yard? 93 yards of offense in this quarter and 55 yards in penalties (statistics mine).

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.