First Impressions- East Carolina

Games like this always make me nervous. Its a game North Carolina should win, but against a motivated, fired up team on the road, alot of bad things can happen. The Tarheels went from an opponent in Georgia Tech that featured the triple option and rushed for over 300 yards to going against pass happy East Carolina that threw the ball 58 times and had over 400 yards passing.

On offense, the Tarheels achieved an almost Monk-like balance with 230 yards passing and 226 yards rushing with four of their five touchdowns coming thru the air. The Tarheels did not turn the ball over while forcing 4 East Carolina turnovers, all of those coming in the first half.

Several plays stood out. Dwight Jones two acrobatic touchdown catches, the athleticism that Defensive Tackle Sylvester Williams displayed on his interception at the end of the first half, and the pinpoint accuracy of Bryn Renner on his long TD pass to Eric Highsmith as well as the fourth down completion to Tight End Nelson Hurst that helped put the game away.

The gameplan that the Tarheels put together was a bit conservative but they utilized their strength and that was their massive offensive line. They outweighed East Carolina's defensive line by an average of almost 50 pounds a man and they continually blasted holes open for Gio Bernard, especially in the first half. They also did not allow Bryn Renner to be sacked. Offensive lineman Travis Bond also had his first career reception on a batted pass. He lost 7 yards on the play but at least he had the athletic ability to catch the ball.

The 'Heels improve to 4-1 on the season and only need two more wins to become bowl eligible in Interim Head Coach Everett Withers first season as coach. That is, if the NCAA allows them to go to a bowl game.

Versus Georgia Tech- The Offense

The offense came alive in the second half after a forgettable first half against Georgia Tech. It seemed that Offensive Coordinator John Shoop was more concerned about holding the ball and playing keep away from Georgia Tech in the first half than he was running his offense. He did not put QB Bryn Renner in a position to be successful. Third-and-Long is a difficult position to put any QB in on just about every series.

So far this season North Carolina seems to perform at a higher level when they are using the pass to set up the run. After the first game, the teams they have played seemed determined to make Bryn Renner beat them. As was the case against Georgia Tech, interceptions have been his problem this season.

Gio Bernard seems to get better and better with every game and his play has relegated Senior Ryan Houston into being a non-factor. Gio had a scintillating 55-yard run for a TD against Georgia Tech and is well on his way to being a 1,000 yard rusher, averaging over 100 yards a game now.

The Tarheel receiving corps has been almost all Dwight Jones with a little bit of Erik Highsmith thrown in. The rest of the receivers have been non-existent. Jones had 8 more catches against Georgia Tech, Freshman Sean Tapley got his first career start and had one catch for 18 yards, and Jheranie Boyd had one catch for 4 yards. The Tight Ends had more drops than they had catches although Nelson Hurst did have his first career TD reception.

Wide Right Part Whatever

UNC 37, Florida State 35. All I can say is what a game. Going in to the game, I have to admit that I was expecting the worst. Florida State was coming off a tough loss and the 'Heels barely squeaked by FCS William and Mary. It was homecoming at Florida State, they had never won there before, and the deck was stacked against them.
Offensive Coordinator John Shoop came out and did what I have wanted him to do all season long. Open it up, let TJ Yates throw the ball, and rack up some yards. Part of today's plan may have had to do with the fact that they were down to their fourth string running back, Hunter Furr, by the end of the game. He ended up leading the team in rushing (27 yards on 3 carries) but they were the most important rushing yards of the game as they were driving for Casey Barth's game winning field goal. It still took a "wide right" by Florida State to seal the deal but I'll take it. It is about time the football gods smiled on the 'Heels this season.
The real story of the game was TJ Yates and his school record 437 passing yards. Dwight Jones has become "the man" among ACC wide receivers. 8 Catches for 232 yards and a touchdown. Jhay Boyd and Eric Highsmith have all but disappeared for whatever reason. Redshirt Freshman Joshua Adams had some big time catches and his first collegiate touchdown.
The defense took on a "bend but don't break" philosophy and played shut down football in the second half. The only points they scored came off a 1 yard drive as a result of a botched snap to the punter.
What a Game!!