Mitch Trubisky's Break Out Game

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky finally put his stamp on the 2016 North Carolina Tarheels football team. Trubisky led two fourth quarter drives with the Tarheels trailing Pittsburgh 36-23 with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter and threw the game winning touchdown pass to Bug Howard with two seconds on the clock and the ensuing extra point gave the Tarheels a 37-36 win. Trubisky converted four fourth downs on these two drives with his pinpoint passing. He also set career highs with 35 completions, 453 yards, and five touchdowns. This was in spite of the absence of a runn9ing game that only mustered 18 yards on the day.

The North Carolina Tarheels offense had been stale for most of the second half. They had only scored seven points to that point, getting a touchdown on their second drive of the second half. The Tarheels running game was non existent (only netting minus yardage in the second half), Trubisky was sacked four times as Pittsburgh blitzed a lot more in the second half and he was hit on several different occasions. Trubisky put the team on his back, drove the field twice, stayed poised in the pocket, and his wide receivers helped him out with some big catches.

Tarheels Football Going Forward Part One

The North Carolina Tarheels football team had their best season in 2015 since the Mack Brown era in the late 1990's. The Tarheels finished 11-3, they won the Coastal Division for the first time and made their first appearance in the ACC Championship game and they made an appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Baylor. The Tarheels offense set numerous team records with Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell calling the plays and the defense made great strides under Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik.

Keeping continuity in the coaching staff is important in maintaining the excellence of a program and the Tarheels were able to keep most of their coaching staff intact for 2016. They did lose offensive coordinator Seth Littrell who went to the University of North Texas to be their head coach but managed to hold on to Chizik. I believed Chizik would be gone because of his previous head coaching experience and because of the improvement in the Tarheels defense.

The biggest question for the Tarheels on offense is who the backup quarterback is going to be. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has not been anointed as the starting quarterback yet but barring injury or he forgets what a football looks like between now and next September 3rd when they take on Georgia. Sophomore Caleb Henderson got some reps last season as the third string quarterback but only had one pass attempt. The Tarheels also have redshirt Nathan Elliot and incoming freshman and North Carolina State Player of the Year Chaz Surratt waiting in the wings.

National Signing Day

I love National Signing Day. The new prospects sign on to come to play for the North Carolina Tarheels and it is a day full of possibilities. The Tarheels went after defense on National Signing Day as 16 of the 26 players that signed were defensive players, 7 of those 16 were defensive backs. The defensive side of the ball is where a Freshman could step in and play immediately next year. Defensive End Tomon Fox has been mentioned as being able to step in and play immediately as has defensive back Myles Dorn, son of former Tarheel and NFL player Torin Dorn, and defensive back Patrice Rene.

There will also be a battle to see who backs up quarterback Mitch Trubisky. The Tarheels have two quarterbacks in this class, Logan Byrd, who enrolled at North Carolina in January, and National Player of the Year Chazz Surratt. They will compete for the backup job with four other quarterbacks on the Tarheels spring roster. Caleb Henderson got into three games last season as the third on the depth chart. He attempted two passes. No other quarterback on the roster has seen game action.

Two Different Quarterbacks

Is a Quarterback controversy brewing for the North Carolina Tarheels? Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky are tasked to run the same system at North Carolina. Williams and Trubisky are very different Quarterbacks.

Williams is the better and more powerful runner of the two and has been the starter since Bryn Renner got hurt midway through the NC State game in 2013. Williams led North Carolina in passing and rushing in 2014. Williams decision making has been in question this season. He threw three interceptions against South Carolina in their opening loss and threw another pick against Illinois. He was trying to force something that wasn't there. Williams questionable decision making got him pulled from the game against Delaware.

Trubisky is the better passer but he still has the ability to run but he is not going to be able to break off the long run like Williams can. Against Delaware, Trubisky brought the explosive pass play that has been missing thus far this season back to North Carolina's offense.

Coach Larry Fedora claims that Williams is still the starting Quarterback but from a fan's point of view, it seems that Fedora is more run heavy with Williams in the game. Fedora seems to have lost confidence in William's ability to make good decisions when passing the ball. The ability to throw the ball deep has always been a key element in any Fedora coached offense. It will be interesting to see how long he stays with Williams against Georgia Tech if he struggles again. Luckily he has Trubisky waiting in the wings.

The Relief Quarterback

The North Carolina Tarheels were only leading Delaware 10-7 when Quarterback Marquise Williams helmet was knocked off and he had to come out of the game for at least one play. Marquise Williams never went back in the game as backup Mitch Trubisky took over and had the game of his young collegiate career. Trubisky finished 17-20 for 312 yards and four touchdowns and he rushed for 39 yards.

An offense that wasn't running on all cylinders with Williams in the game switched over to nitrous oxide with Trubisky steering the offense. Coach Larry Fedora explained the switch at Quarterback by saying "I wasn't happy with the way we were executing" and "Mitch ran the offense and did a good job." It has not been uncommon for the past couple of seasons for Fedora to put Trubisky in for a series in the first half of games over the past couple of seasons but this was the most extended playing time Trubisky has received in a game.

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.

A Trap Game

As a North Carolina Tarheels fan, I hate to place to much emphasis on a game against North Carolina A & T but this is an important game for North Carolina. It is a game that the Tarheels could possibly lose. A & T has talent and speed at the skill positions and is coming off a 9-3 season and a 61-0 loss over Shaw University. It is a game North Carolina should win but North Carolina has struggled with games they should win over the past couple of seasons. A & T's coach Rod Broadway is a former Tarheels player in the 1970's and a former assistant for the Tarheels. North Carolina A & T would love nothing more than to come intChapel Hill and go back to Greensboro with a win.

Quarterback Marquise Williams confidence was shaken against South Carolina with the three interceptions and that was carried over from the last two games last season. If Williams struggles early, I look for Fedora to give backup Mitch Trubisky some meaningful playing time. I look for the Tarheels to establish the running game behind Elijah Hood and the offense needs to develop some consistency and the defense needs to continue to show improvement. I would like the defense to be able to get some pressure on the Quarterback with their front four and to take advantage of a young A & T offensive line.

Back From Hiatus

I am back writing about Tarheel sports after a three month long hiatus. The basketball team's season ended with a loss to eventual runner up Wisconsin, Jean Pierre Tokoto decided to forego his Senior season and enter the NBA draft, where he was selected in the second round, #58 overall, by the Philadelphia 76ers. I have always said his athleticism reminded me of a young Julius Erving.

Spring Football practice came and went and starting Quarterback Marquise Williams missed Spring football recovering from an injury. Backup Mitch Trubisky got a lot of reps and got some quality playing time last year as a Redshirt Freshman. Trubisky had 459 yards passing and threw for five Touchdown's. The Tarheels have a lot of experience on the Offensive Line, Running Back, and Wide Receiver but the Tarheels season may go as far as their new 4-3 defense under new Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik will take them. Several True Freshmen will have a chance to be in the two-deep depth chart when Fall practice begins.

The NCAA is hard after North Carolina again and the phrase "lack of institutional control" keeps popping up. It seems that the NCAA has already tried this case one time (I believe in legal terms it is called "double jeopardy") but it seems that the NCAA will not rest until they can pin something on UNC that sticks. The education is there for the taking and it is up to the players to take it. I am sure they all have professional dreams but the phrase "student athlete" is used for a reason. Several of the top ranked teams have teams with one or more future felons on their roster and how is that not a lack of institutional control? Jameis Winston should have been kicked off the team well before he won the Heisman.

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.

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.