First And Last Impressions Versus Georgia Tech

The 28-20 loss to Georgia Tech was tough to take. The defense played well enough but couldn't hold down a 20-7 lead but that was primarily because the offense could not sustain any drives in the second half and the defense eventually wore down. The defense has been the big focus but they have shown improvement over the first three games. Larry Fedora's high powered offense has not lived up to its potential and the running game has been a big problem. They have been trying to use the three running backs of Romar Morris, A.J. Blue, and True Freshman Khris Francis. I believe they need to settle on one and give him as many reps as possible so they can develop some consistency and get a feel for what the Offensive line is doing. Tight End Eric Ebron had a career game against Georgia Tech with over 100 yards receiving and a highlight reel one handed catch in the end zone. He has really stepped up his game and now the rest of the receiving corps needs to do the same. There have been far too many drops in the seasons first three games to develop any consistency in the passing game. One thing that has been missing from the passing game is the screen pass thrown to the running backs. This is was where they are really missing Gio Bernard. Romar Morris and A.J. Blue only have a combined total of 72 yards receiving on 10 catches in the first three games. Coach Larry Fedora and his staff have their work cut out for them on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, the play has been much better but they are still giving up 25 points a game. Big plays and interior depth have been a problem. I am still not a big fan of the 4-2-5 but hybrid Linebackers Jeff Schoettmer, Norkeithus Otis, and Darius Lipford have developed a better feel for the system and are able to react to plays rather than think about what they are doing. Norkeithus Otis leads the team with 4 1/2 tacles for loss and 3 sacks and Darius Lipford after missing a full year and then some due to injury, is not far behind with 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Jeff Schoettmer leads the team with 23 tackles.

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.

The 4-2-5

Larry Fedora brought a high octane offense and a hybrid defense when he came with him from Southern Mississippi. The offense, in a season plus two games, has been everything as advertised, breaking 35 offensive records in his first season at North Carolina. The defense, not so much. After seeing the 4-2-5 for a season plus two games, I am not a big fan of the 4-2-5. I believe he needs to go to a more traditional 4-3 even with the pass happy offenses in college football these days. The 4-2-5 uses two hybrid linebacker positions called the "Ram" and the "Bandit", one being a hybrid linebacker/rush end position and the other being a hybrid linebacker/safety position. The front four is not getting much pressure on the opposing teams's QB without blitzing a lot, they are giving up a lot of yards on the ground, especially up the middle of the defense, and this defense is not turning defense into offense as Coach Fedora's teams did at Southern Mississippi. Granted, the majority of these players are not players that Coach Fedora and his staff recruited. I have always shared the belief that you tailor your gameplan to your players strengths and not try to force the square peg into the round hole. Norkeithus Otis and Darius Lipford have been playing lights out but when your linebackers and defensive backs are making the majority of the tackles, sacks, and tackles for losses, then it usually means those plays are happening 5 to 10 yards down the field or you are having to blitz a lot to make plays. Georgia Tech and their 68 points from last season are on the horizon and it will be interesting to see how much progress the Tarheels defense has made in a couple of weeks time.

First Impressions: North Carolina Vs. MTSU

It is hard for me to get excited about the North Carolina Tarheels 40-20 victory over Middle Tennessee State today. I thought their Offensive and Defensive lines got pushed around quite a bit by MTSU. MTSU has some talent on both sides of the ball and has been known to be an ACC killer before. Just ask Georgia Tech about last year's game. It if wasn't for three Red Zone turnovers by MTSU and a failed fourth and goal from the one yard line, it could have gotten very interesting at the end of the game. North Carolina did some good things and their offense and defense made some plays. Tre Boston's acrobatic end zone interception on MTSU's first drive of the game, Romar Morris' 26 yard Touchdown run for the 'Heels first score, Johnathan "Bug" Howard's leaping "Alley Oop" TD reception for their final score, and Norkeithus Otis and Darius Lipford being all over the field making tackles were several of the big plays that were made. Overall, the Offense had over 500 yards of total offense and the defense gave up over 400 yards. Head Coach Larry Fedora was worried about depth on both sides of the line going into the season and his worst fears are now being realized.

Versus Rutgers- The Defense

The Tarheels run stuffers played a great game. The Rutgers offense totaled only one rushing yard but their pass defense is another story. The 'Heels are young and inexperienced in the defensive backfield and it really shows at times. The 'Heels defense also took some stupid penalties and prolonged some Rutgers posessions. It is definitely a work in progress.

The Tarheels have some serious speed at Linebacker. They remind me of the Florida State teams from 10-15 years ago. Zach Brown and Kevin Reddick were really flying around and even Ebele Okakpu went sprinting into the backfield to bring down a running back for a loss. Darius Lipford is another one with speed that came on a blitz and batted a pass down. They all got in on the act.

There were a couple of occasions in this game where the Tarheels had a chance at interceptions but flat out did not catch the ball. Matt Merletti and MLB Tommy Heffernan come to mind. They need to start creating turnovers.