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.

Eric Ebron

North Carolina Junior Tight End Eric Ebron announced he was turning pro after this season and I was pretty sure when the season started that this would be his last year in Tarheel Blue. He has broken just about every Tarheel Tight End receiving record in the books and is one of the top ranked Tight Ends in college football and is a probable top 20 pick in next year's draft. I really hate to see him go because he was a true gamebreaker. His 199 receiving yards against Miami earlier in the season was the highlight. A Tight End with size and Wide Receiver's speed that was a perfect fit for Larry Fedora's offense and I would love to see him end up with the Carolina Panthers or the Seattle Seahawks. Hopefully he has got at least two games left in his college career.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Tarheel Football Versus Duke

The Tarheels beat Duke today 37-21 to finish 7-5 on the season in what was probably Everett Withers last regular season game as UNC's coach. It was too much Bryn Renner, Dwight Jones, and Gio Bernard for Duke.

The game wasn't as close as the final score as the 'Heels pretty much dominated the game from the start. Duke only had one sustained drive the entire game with the other two scores coming on long touchdowns. The 'Heels were methodical on offense with a combination of Renners passing, Bernard's running, and Dwight Jones receiving. The 'Heels were opportunistic on defense causing four turnovers and they were led by Zach Brown's 10 tackles and Quinton Coples 2 sacks.

There was a little bit of gamesmanship at the end of the game which I was glad to see. Duke called an unnecessary timeout with 1:22 to go in the game so on the first play after the timeout, backup QB Braden Hanson completed a 47 yard bomb to TE Eric Ebron. It was a beautiful pass by Hanson and he has a big league arm.

There were only two bowl games that the 'Heels seemed to be headed for and that was the Independence Bowl and the Military Bowl but I am sure at this point, UNC will take whatever is offered to them.

Versus Rutgers- The Offense

The offense struggled a little bit against Rutgers. The offensive line really didn't create many holes for the Tarheel running backs. They only had two long runs, one each by Gio Bernard and Ryan Houston. Out of leading rusher Gio Bernard's 81 yards, 66 of those came on two runs. 33 yards out of Ryan Houston's came on one run.

Completion wise, QB Bryn Renner had another good game but he threw three picks, he threw two up for grabs and he tried strong-arming one into Erik Highsmith where it was defleccted and intercepted. He seems to be having a hard time finding the safety playing centerfield. He has thrown picks to the centerfielder in each game this season.

The wide receivers played solid games with the exception of the fact they put two balls on the ground. Dwight Jones, barring injury, may be the best wide receiver in the ACC. He posted another 100 + yard game and scored another TD. He is setting himself up to be a high draft pick in next years NFL draft. Freshman Tight End Eric Ebron had a nice 27 yard reception and Tight End Nelson Hurst also had his first reception on the season.

The positives that came out of this game are that the running game has a sense of excitement about it with Gio Bernard back there. His 60 yard TD run was a thing of beauty. Ryan Houston also had a nice 33 yard run that sealed the deal for the Tarheels towards the end of the game. He was also very alert in recovering the fumbled snap by Bryn Renner and may have saved the game in doing so.

James Madison- Part III- The Freshmen

I was surprised to see that 10 true Freshmen got to play in the game against James Madison. That was one of the top numbers in the country. That can be a good and a bad thing. Playing the Freshmen gives them game experience but I wouldn't want to burn a potential Red-Shirt year in a blowout win and that be the only game they play all year.

Three of the Freshmen Tight Ends got to play-Eric Ebron, Sean Fitzpatrick, and Jack Tabb- and Eric Ebron really flipped the James Madison player on the interception return.

The most surprising Freshman that got to play (and the start) was walk-on Punter Thomas Hibbard. He beat out incumbent C.J. Feagles for the job although I am sure it is probably a week-to-week or maybe even a punt-to-punt competition. His first punt was downed at the 1- yard line by Special Teams stalwart Matt Merletti. Although Hibbard later botched a snap and had his punt blocked, he had a pretty good showing.

Freshmen Wide Receivers Reggie Wilkins, Sean Tapley, and T.J. Thorpe mostly got to play on Special Teams although Wilkins had one carry for nine yards.