As a Tarheels fan, the Georgia Tech game is a point of concern for me every season. Georgia Tech's triple option offense eats up yards and time off the clock and their defense is usually blitz heavy. Combine those two factors with the Tarheels perpetual two minute offense and the potential for the Tarheels defense to spend the majority of the game on the field is very good.
The Tarheels received the ball to start the game and true to form scored their first touchdown within two minutes. A quick dose of a healthy Elijah Hood and it was 7-0. The Tarheels added a field goal and then the Georgia Tech offense struck. Georgia Tech's offense makes you susceptible to the play action pass and the Tarheels defense got burned for 83 yards. An ill advised attempt at a strip by defensive back M.J. Stewart and Georgia Tech was back in the game. North Carolina scored a little over two minutes later when Elijah Hood broke a 36 yard touchdown run up the middle on fourth and one. The two teams traded field goals and touchdowns after that and the Tarheels took a 27-17 lead into halftime.
Georgia Tech opened up the second half with a drive that netted them a field goal and it was all North Carolina after that. The Tarheels scored 21 straight points and won going away 48-20. The Tarheels defense recovered two fumbles in the second half, Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas left the game due to an injury, and the Tarheels put the game away with a balanced offense.
Showing posts with label Elijah Hood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elijah Hood. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Monday, November 30, 2015
A Tarheel Blue Collar Win
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
The Longest Drive
The North Carolina Tarheels won ugly against the Virginia Cavaliers or as Head Coach Larry Fedora described it, a very "sloppy" game to improve to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Coastal Division with a showdown Thursday night against and fellow Coastal unbeaten, #25 Pittsburgh.
The Tarheels turned the ball over twice in the first half and had 135 yards in penalties for the game. These penalties most often came at the most inopportune times and the penalties either brought back long Tarheel plays or killed momentum and on the defensive side of the ball, extended Virginia drives and kept the Cavaliers in the game. The Tarheels came up with five turnovers of their own in the second half (two fumble recoveries and three interceptions) to keep the Cavaliers in check.
The Tarheels were only up 16-13 when they received the ball at their own seven yard line after a punt bounced off the leg of Tarheel defensive back and punt return blocker Mike Hughes. Ryan Switzer alertly dove on the ball to keep the possession for the Tarheels. What happened next may have been a record for a Larry Fedora coached Tarheel team. The Tarheels went 93 yards in 13 plays and consumed 5:58 off the clock to give the Tarheels a 23-13 lead. If the Tarheels have a drive that lasts more than two minutes, it is considered a long drive. The Tarheels used short passes from Marquise Williams and a running game that largely featured Williams and Elijah Hood to cover this much ground.
Williams finished with 297 yards of total offense (226 yards passing, 71 rushing) and Hood finished with his fourth 100 yard rushing game on the season, totaling 101 yards and two touchdowns. It was a win for the Tarheels in what I considered a "trap" game and it doesn't matter if they won ugly or won sloppy, the Tarheels still won.
The Tarheels turned the ball over twice in the first half and had 135 yards in penalties for the game. These penalties most often came at the most inopportune times and the penalties either brought back long Tarheel plays or killed momentum and on the defensive side of the ball, extended Virginia drives and kept the Cavaliers in the game. The Tarheels came up with five turnovers of their own in the second half (two fumble recoveries and three interceptions) to keep the Cavaliers in check.
The Tarheels were only up 16-13 when they received the ball at their own seven yard line after a punt bounced off the leg of Tarheel defensive back and punt return blocker Mike Hughes. Ryan Switzer alertly dove on the ball to keep the possession for the Tarheels. What happened next may have been a record for a Larry Fedora coached Tarheel team. The Tarheels went 93 yards in 13 plays and consumed 5:58 off the clock to give the Tarheels a 23-13 lead. If the Tarheels have a drive that lasts more than two minutes, it is considered a long drive. The Tarheels used short passes from Marquise Williams and a running game that largely featured Williams and Elijah Hood to cover this much ground.
Williams finished with 297 yards of total offense (226 yards passing, 71 rushing) and Hood finished with his fourth 100 yard rushing game on the season, totaling 101 yards and two touchdowns. It was a win for the Tarheels in what I considered a "trap" game and it doesn't matter if they won ugly or won sloppy, the Tarheels still won.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Taking It To The Defense
Wake Forest came into Chapel Hill with the 15th ranked defense in college football and left Kenan Stadium with the Tar Heel and the rest of North Carolina's foot in their ass to the final score of 50-14.
North Carolina got off to a rough start with Quarterback Marquise Williams throwing interceptions in the their first two drives and a three-and-out on their third drive. Wake Forest's defense was playing in your face aggressive defense and I was thinking "This is going to be a long game." The 'Heels got rolling in the second quarter with a long touchdown pass from Williams to Wide Receiver Mack Hollins and the Tarheels went on to score 29 points in the quarter to lead 29-14 at halftime.
There are times that I wonder if Tarheel coaches even know that Running Back Elijah Hood is standing in the backfield. He had eight carries for 101 yards and a long touchdown run but there was really only one series in the game that he was featured. Hood is well on his way to a thousand yard season and he doesn't even get 15 carries a game.
Freshman phenom (can you call a football player that?) and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton got his first action of his Tarheel career and had four tackles. The downside to him playing is that the Tarheels had to remove his red shirt because of injuries to the interior of the defensive line. Dalton was very active and Dalton said after the game "it's just football."
The light has come on for Senior Linebackers Shakeel Rashad and Junior Gnonkonde as Rashad has had an excellent season and Gnonkonde had the best game of his career against Wake Forest with nine tackles and two sacks and was all over the field. He was a disruptive force. I believe Rashad and Gnonkonde are both thriving under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik because of his return to the more traditional 4-3 defense. I don't think anyone thrived in the last couple of seasons playing the 4-2-5.
North Carolina got off to a rough start with Quarterback Marquise Williams throwing interceptions in the their first two drives and a three-and-out on their third drive. Wake Forest's defense was playing in your face aggressive defense and I was thinking "This is going to be a long game." The 'Heels got rolling in the second quarter with a long touchdown pass from Williams to Wide Receiver Mack Hollins and the Tarheels went on to score 29 points in the quarter to lead 29-14 at halftime.
There are times that I wonder if Tarheel coaches even know that Running Back Elijah Hood is standing in the backfield. He had eight carries for 101 yards and a long touchdown run but there was really only one series in the game that he was featured. Hood is well on his way to a thousand yard season and he doesn't even get 15 carries a game.
Freshman phenom (can you call a football player that?) and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton got his first action of his Tarheel career and had four tackles. The downside to him playing is that the Tarheels had to remove his red shirt because of injuries to the interior of the defensive line. Dalton was very active and Dalton said after the game "it's just football."
The light has come on for Senior Linebackers Shakeel Rashad and Junior Gnonkonde as Rashad has had an excellent season and Gnonkonde had the best game of his career against Wake Forest with nine tackles and two sacks and was all over the field. He was a disruptive force. I believe Rashad and Gnonkonde are both thriving under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik because of his return to the more traditional 4-3 defense. I don't think anyone thrived in the last couple of seasons playing the 4-2-5.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Playing Georgia Tech
As a diehard Tarheel fan, I really hate seeing Georgia Tech on the schedule. Georgia Tech Paul Johnson's team runs the triple option offense and unless the 'Heels play one of the military academies, they are only going to see that offense once a season. Georgia Tech has put up video game like numbers on North Carolina's defense in the three seasons that Larry Fedora has been head coach at North Carolina. Georgia Tech started the season ranked in the top 15 but have lost two in a row, both on the road, but return home for this game. This game could go a long way in deciding the Coastal Division title.
In North Carolina's 48-43 win last season, Georgia Tech had over 600 yards of offense including almost 400 yards rushing. North Carolina has since switched to a more traditional 4-3 defense and the most points Gene Chizik's defense has given up this season is 17 against South Carolina.
This is the type of game that North Carolina's up tempo offense works against them. Georgia Tech is capable of going the length of the field and burning six to seven minutes off the clock. North Carolina's scoring drives only last two to three minutes on a long drive. North Carolina cannot afford to many three and outs in order to give their defense some rest. North Carolina's front four has to hold their own in this game and limit Georgia Tech's explosive plays and force a few three and outs of their own. On a wet field, North Carolina needs to force some turnovers and make Georgia Tech put the ball on the ground. I do believe that a wet field favors a team that can run the ball and North Carolina's running game has been much improved this season.
North Carolina's Marquise Williams put up 390 yards passing last season with four TD's and while he may not need those types of numbers, he needs to have a solid error free game in order to give North Carolina chance. It will be interesting to see how he responds after being pulled from last week's Delaware game. I look for North Carolina to try to establish Elijah Hood early on and try to open up the play action passes later on in the game.
In North Carolina's 48-43 win last season, Georgia Tech had over 600 yards of offense including almost 400 yards rushing. North Carolina has since switched to a more traditional 4-3 defense and the most points Gene Chizik's defense has given up this season is 17 against South Carolina.
This is the type of game that North Carolina's up tempo offense works against them. Georgia Tech is capable of going the length of the field and burning six to seven minutes off the clock. North Carolina's scoring drives only last two to three minutes on a long drive. North Carolina cannot afford to many three and outs in order to give their defense some rest. North Carolina's front four has to hold their own in this game and limit Georgia Tech's explosive plays and force a few three and outs of their own. On a wet field, North Carolina needs to force some turnovers and make Georgia Tech put the ball on the ground. I do believe that a wet field favors a team that can run the ball and North Carolina's running game has been much improved this season.
North Carolina's Marquise Williams put up 390 yards passing last season with four TD's and while he may not need those types of numbers, he needs to have a solid error free game in order to give North Carolina chance. It will be interesting to see how he responds after being pulled from last week's Delaware game. I look for North Carolina to try to establish Elijah Hood early on and try to open up the play action passes later on in the game.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Records Were Broken
It was a record breaking day for a couple of the Tarheels yesterday against Big 10 opponent Illinois in the Tarheels 48-14 win. Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis caught his 22nd career touchdown pass, breaking a tie with Hakeem Nicks, and Punt Returner Ryan Switzer had 168 punt return yards to break the Tarheel record for one game held by Bud Carson. That record had stood since 1951. Switzer had a 71 yard punt return and he closed out the scoring with an 85 yard return in the fourth quarter.
With the exception of an interception by Quarterback Marquise Williams, the Tarheels played a great game. The most notable improvements are in their defense and their special teams. The defense was flying all over the field and Donnie Miles, Jr., and Shakeel Rashad had some wicked hits on Illinois wide receivers and running backs. I am impressed with Rashad's ability to diagnose plays. He sniffed out a wide receiver screen and crushed the wide receiver for about a five yard loss. Miles was in the backfield on running back sweeps before the running back could start making his move. Gene Chizik has made a big difference with his scheme and you can tell the coaching staff and players have been watching some film.
Marquise Williams and Elijah Hood both had over one hundred yards rushing and Williams had over 200 yards passing and two touchdowns. North Carolina seems more focused on running the ball this year and Hood has had over one hundred yards rushing in two games already. After the first game against South Carolina, the Tarheels game plan has been more balanced.
Nick Weiler hit another 48 yard field goal and is five for five this season with a pair of 48 yarders. Fedora is confident enough in the kicking game to send Weiler out there this year in any kicking situation. You can tell that Weiler put in the work this past off season.
With the exception of an interception by Quarterback Marquise Williams, the Tarheels played a great game. The most notable improvements are in their defense and their special teams. The defense was flying all over the field and Donnie Miles, Jr., and Shakeel Rashad had some wicked hits on Illinois wide receivers and running backs. I am impressed with Rashad's ability to diagnose plays. He sniffed out a wide receiver screen and crushed the wide receiver for about a five yard loss. Miles was in the backfield on running back sweeps before the running back could start making his move. Gene Chizik has made a big difference with his scheme and you can tell the coaching staff and players have been watching some film.
Marquise Williams and Elijah Hood both had over one hundred yards rushing and Williams had over 200 yards passing and two touchdowns. North Carolina seems more focused on running the ball this year and Hood has had over one hundred yards rushing in two games already. After the first game against South Carolina, the Tarheels game plan has been more balanced.
Nick Weiler hit another 48 yard field goal and is five for five this season with a pair of 48 yarders. Fedora is confident enough in the kicking game to send Weiler out there this year in any kicking situation. You can tell that Weiler put in the work this past off season.
Monday, September 14, 2015
A Win Is A Win
I watched the North Carolina-North Carolina A & T game on ESPN3 on my laptop at my desk. That was an enjoyable experience and a great way to watch a football game. North Carolina needed a bounce back win after the disappointment against South Carolina and North Carolina A & T was a good opponent. A & T had some speed and although they are an FCS team, they were coming off a 9-3 record and picked to win their league again this year. They were overmatched against North Carolina and although North Carolina won 53-14, they still have work to do.
The Tarheel fans and the media had wanted more of Running Back Elijah Hood and that is what Coach Larry Fedora gave them. Hood was coming off a breakout game against South Carolina but he only had 56 yards rushing against A & T. The Tarheels had 224 yards rushing as a team but the three longest runs were made by the Quarterbacks- 19 yards by Marquise Williams, 35 yards by Mitch Trubisky, and 18 yards by Caleb Henderson. The Tarheels also went six deep in their Running Backs so most everyone got a few carries.
Marquise Williams had a "bounce back" game against A & T. He was 15 for 20 for over 200 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another one. He made some nice touch throws, one down the sideline to Tight End Kendrick Singleton that he hit in stride down the right sideline for a touchdown.
The defense showed the kind of improvement I was looking for. They were quick to the ball but the only thing that concerns me is the lack of pressure they are putting on the Quarterback with their front four. Defensive coordinator Gen Chizik has really not unveiled a lot of blitz packages and I am hoping he can dial something up. Linebacker Shakeel Rashad did a great job of reading plays, had one interception and should have had another one. Sam Smiley had a fumble return that he almost took back all of the way and M.J. Stewart also had an interception.
The 'Heels receiving corps had a good game and they unveiled a new red zone weapon in backup Tight End Brandon Fritts. His first two collegiate catches were for touchdowns, one of those from his former high school Quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
The Tarheel fans and the media had wanted more of Running Back Elijah Hood and that is what Coach Larry Fedora gave them. Hood was coming off a breakout game against South Carolina but he only had 56 yards rushing against A & T. The Tarheels had 224 yards rushing as a team but the three longest runs were made by the Quarterbacks- 19 yards by Marquise Williams, 35 yards by Mitch Trubisky, and 18 yards by Caleb Henderson. The Tarheels also went six deep in their Running Backs so most everyone got a few carries.
Marquise Williams had a "bounce back" game against A & T. He was 15 for 20 for over 200 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another one. He made some nice touch throws, one down the sideline to Tight End Kendrick Singleton that he hit in stride down the right sideline for a touchdown.
The defense showed the kind of improvement I was looking for. They were quick to the ball but the only thing that concerns me is the lack of pressure they are putting on the Quarterback with their front four. Defensive coordinator Gen Chizik has really not unveiled a lot of blitz packages and I am hoping he can dial something up. Linebacker Shakeel Rashad did a great job of reading plays, had one interception and should have had another one. Sam Smiley had a fumble return that he almost took back all of the way and M.J. Stewart also had an interception.
The 'Heels receiving corps had a good game and they unveiled a new red zone weapon in backup Tight End Brandon Fritts. His first two collegiate catches were for touchdowns, one of those from his former high school Quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
It Is Time
This season marks Head Coach Larry Fedora's fourth season in Chapel Hill. This is the season that he has to show that the North Carolina Tarheels are headed in the right direction. He took a major step in the off season by hiring Gene Chizik as his defensive coordinator. Chizik Immediately switched the Tarheels defense to a more traditional 4-3 and the "bend but break like a twig" 4-2-5 of Vic Koenning is gone.
The biggest questions the Tarheel football team faced coming in to this season was their defense and special teams. Both performed well enough to win the opener against South Carolina. The defense gave up 394 yards, 254 yards of those were rushing yards, but only 17 points. That point total already best last season's lowest points allowed of 20 against Duke. The Tarheels were facing a South Carolina Quarterback that had only thrown two collegiate passes coming into the game.
The kicking game for the Tarheels was among the weakest in college football last season. The Tarheel kickers did not have a field goal longer than 29 yards last season. Nick Weiler had two field goals (47,30) longer than that in the first game. This was another critical improvement for the Tarheels.
What was not expected to be a problem for the Tarheels was the offense. Their high scoring offense was expected to be even better this season. They have weapons at all of the key positions- Quarterback, Wide Receiver, and a stable of Running Backs that run four deep. The veteran offensive line had several penalties and outside of his touchdown pass to Bug Howard, Starting Quarterback Marquise Williams could never seem to get untracked. He threw three interceptions against South Carolina, two of those in the end zone. Running Back Elijah Hood had 13 carries for 138 yards but was conspicuously absent at key moments in the game.
Coach Fedora's play calling, the fact that he stuck with Williams for the entire game, and the fact that he did not use Hood more was all called in to question after the game. The bottom line is that the Tarheels need to win the games they have a chance to win and they should have won the South Carolina game. The team showed critical improvement in two of the three phases of the game, but the team's strength, their offense, let them down.
The biggest questions the Tarheel football team faced coming in to this season was their defense and special teams. Both performed well enough to win the opener against South Carolina. The defense gave up 394 yards, 254 yards of those were rushing yards, but only 17 points. That point total already best last season's lowest points allowed of 20 against Duke. The Tarheels were facing a South Carolina Quarterback that had only thrown two collegiate passes coming into the game.
The kicking game for the Tarheels was among the weakest in college football last season. The Tarheel kickers did not have a field goal longer than 29 yards last season. Nick Weiler had two field goals (47,30) longer than that in the first game. This was another critical improvement for the Tarheels.
What was not expected to be a problem for the Tarheels was the offense. Their high scoring offense was expected to be even better this season. They have weapons at all of the key positions- Quarterback, Wide Receiver, and a stable of Running Backs that run four deep. The veteran offensive line had several penalties and outside of his touchdown pass to Bug Howard, Starting Quarterback Marquise Williams could never seem to get untracked. He threw three interceptions against South Carolina, two of those in the end zone. Running Back Elijah Hood had 13 carries for 138 yards but was conspicuously absent at key moments in the game.
Coach Fedora's play calling, the fact that he stuck with Williams for the entire game, and the fact that he did not use Hood more was all called in to question after the game. The bottom line is that the Tarheels need to win the games they have a chance to win and they should have won the South Carolina game. The team showed critical improvement in two of the three phases of the game, but the team's strength, their offense, let them down.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Positives
Going into the Clemson game I had serious doubts about the Tarheels ability to stay competitive with Clemson in Death Valley. The Tarheels not only stayed competitive but were an end zone interception and an onside kick away from making it a very interesting last two minutes at Clemson.
On offense, the Tarheels put up 35 points against what most consider a very good Clemson defense and a young and injury riddled offensive line only gave up 3 sacks and gained almost 500 yards of total offense. Quarterback Marquise Williams throw for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns and Tarheel Quarterbacks completed passes to 13 different receivers. Freshman Elijah Hood may have emerged from the logjam at Running Back as the go to guy with 13 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the 'Heels defensive backs got beat deep repeatedly and gave up 6 touchdown passes. The 'Heels defensive line did get 3 sacks and record 7 tackles for loss and intercept a pass. The Tarheel defense did hold Clemson to 92 yards rushing and 2.1 yards per attempt.
On offense, the Tarheels put up 35 points against what most consider a very good Clemson defense and a young and injury riddled offensive line only gave up 3 sacks and gained almost 500 yards of total offense. Quarterback Marquise Williams throw for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns and Tarheel Quarterbacks completed passes to 13 different receivers. Freshman Elijah Hood may have emerged from the logjam at Running Back as the go to guy with 13 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the 'Heels defensive backs got beat deep repeatedly and gave up 6 touchdown passes. The 'Heels defensive line did get 3 sacks and record 7 tackles for loss and intercept a pass. The Tarheel defense did hold Clemson to 92 yards rushing and 2.1 yards per attempt.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Redemption Versus East Carolina
First of all, I think redemption is a lousy motivating factor going into a football game. If you have to use what happened last year to get up for a football game, then you may be in trouble. I watched the East Carolina-Virginia Tech game and in the First Quarter, all ECU QB Shane Carden did was throw jump balls to his Wide Receivers 50 yards down the field. This is the same QB that lit up the North Carolina defense last year. This year's UNC DB's do not have the experience that last year's DB's did. This year's UNC Defensive Line only has one returning veteran and that is Ethan Farmer. LB Norkeithus Otis making his return will aid the Tarheel defense. The 'Heels defense has had two weeks to prepare for this as well as having the benefit of being able to watch the game last week. UNC's offense has not exactly set the College Football world on fire either. The Tarheel offense was shutout against San Diego State in the first half of their game. They have a young offensive line going up against the Swamp Monster and a blitzing ECU defense. I think UNC also needs to settle on one or two Running Backs to carry the load. This three or four Running Back system is not allowing the Backs to develop any kind of rhythm with their Offensive Line. My top two are T.J. Logan and Elijah Hood. I think the Tarheels need to roll QB Marquise Williams out and get him out of the pocket and on the edge and let him make some plays.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Versus Liberty
The North Carolina Tarheels open their 2014 Football season against the Liberty Flames tonight at Kenan Stadium. There is a little bit of a dark cloud hanging over the team as four defensive players, two of those players are starting defensive backs, and the two deep depth chart has already taken a hit going into the game.
The biggest question marks going into the game is along the Offensive and Defensive lines where any game experience is almost non-existent. Center Lucas Crowley and Defensive Tackle Ethan Farmer have the most experience on those fronts. I am excited to see some of the highly heralded Redshirt and True Freshmen get their first game experience. Running Back Elijah Hood is listed as third or fourth on the Depth Chart but should see some snaps today and on the Defensive side of the ball, Redshirt Freshman Dajuan Drennon gets the start at Defensive End and Defensive Tackle Nazair Jones made the two deep and should see plenty of snaps as well.
The Offensive backfield and Wide Receivers are in good shape as Quarterback Marquise Williams should get the start but Redshirt Freshman Mitch Trubisky should get some snaps in. I am really excited to see what he brings to the table because he was Larry Fedora's first real QB recruit. Fedora stole him out from under Ohio State's nose. The Running Backs go four deep with Romar Morris, T.J. Logan, Khris Francis, and Elijah Hood all being in the mix. The Receiving corps is solid if not spectacular and they will not wow you with track star speed but the combination of Quinshad Davis, Bug Howard, and Ryan Switzer and Tight End Jack Tabb are all capable of putting up big numbers in games.
Most predictions I have seen have UNC putting up huge offensive numbers against Liberty with one being as hight as 70-20 in favor of UNC but I am going to scale it back some and my prediction is UNC 42 Liberty 21.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)