The Escape

The North Carolina Tarheels escaped Virginia Tech and left Blacksburg, VA with a 30-27 Overtime win and the Coastal Division title in Hokies head coach Frank Beamer's final home game. The Hokies had the Tarheels set up for one of those Hollywood style endings where Beamer gets to walk off the field victorious, legend completely intact.

North Carolina held a 24-10 lead with just under three minutes to go and they could not seem to hang on to the ball. Tarheels quarterback Marquise Williams wanted to hold on to the ball just an extra second or two before making his reads and led two a couple of fumbles at the worst possible times. Virginia Tech scored the tying touchdown with 1:07 to go in the game, sending it to overtime.

Virginia Tech got the ball first and only managed a field goal for a 27-24 lead and Williams completed a 17 yard pass to Ryan Switzer on the first play of their possession and Williams then completed a five yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Quinshad Davis for the win, the title, and a spot in the ACC Championship game against Clemson.

A Comeback For The Ages

The North Carolina Tarheels had a historic comeback win against Georgia Tech coming back from a 21-0 deficit and grinding out a 38-31 win at Georgia Tech. Marquise Williams posted a stat line against Georgia Tech that probably has not been seen at North Carolina since the days of Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice. Williams led the team in passing, rushing, and receiving and he scored a touchdown rushing and receiving.

Larry Fedora outcoached Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson. North Carolina beat Georgia Tech at their own game, rushing for over 200 yards and playing a great defensive second half. The defense could not stop Georgia Tech in the first half until about four minutes to go in the first half. North Carolina scored two quick times to pull to within 21-14 and the momentum quickly shifted.

I applaud Fedora's onside kick early in the second half. He had the momentum and went for the throat of Georgia Tech. The defense allowed less than two yards a carry in the second half and Linebackers Cayson Collins and Jeff Schoettmer were all over the place during the pivotal defensive stops. Collins had the best game of his young career with 10 total tackles and Schoettmer, the fifth year senior, matched that total.

North Carolina proved a lot on this day. They can win a big game on the road, they can overcome adversity, and this is not the same Tarheel defense from the past several seasons. Their defense kept them in the game and their offense rose to the occasion and Coach Fedora showed no fear in going to his bag of tricks at just the right time. The Wide Receiver pass from Quinshad Davis to Marquise Williams was a beautiful call and executed to perfection and I believe that was the play that finished off Georgia Tech.

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.

Previewing Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech-North Carolina game may go a long way in deciding which team goes to a bowl game. Both teams come into the game at 2-2 and this is probably the weakest Virginia Tech team that Head Coach Frank Beamer has had in quite a while. They have one common opponent in East Carolina and they both lost to East Carolina but in very different fashions. Virginia Tech got way behind before taking the lead in the 4th quarter only to lose in the last couple of minutes. All Tarheel fans remember how the 'Heels fared against East Carolina.

The Virginia Tech Hokies have been hit hard by the injury bug. They are down to three Defensive Tackles and against the 'Heels fast paced offense, that could be problematic especially late in the game. The Hokies also lost one of their feature Running Backs to an ACL injury in their last game.

Virginia Tech has also been chucking the ball up in record numbers for a Frank Beamer team. Quarterback Michael Brewer has an ACC high 10 interceptions and when the Tarheel defense is not giving up yards by the mile, they are adept at creating turnovers. It is feast or famine with the 'Heels defensive backs and it should be interesting to see if Beamer is willing to go deep. It may all hinge on the Tarheels ability to put pressure on Brewer. The 'Heels rank last in defense and Virginia Tech is in the bottom third of the league in offense. Who wins the battle of the worst?

The Tarheels offense needs to go to work. East Carolina was very successful throwing deep early against Virginia Tech and North Carolina should utilize its size at Wide Receiver in Bug Howard and Quinshad Davis to their advantage and see what happens. The success of their season may rest on it.

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.

A Bright Future

If the past 5 games, all Tarheel victories, have proven anything it is that the Tarheels have a bright future. The majority of the big plays on Offense, Defense with the exception of Defensive End Kareem Martin), and Special Teams in this five game winning streak are Freshmen and Sophomores. Marquise Williams took over at QB, T.J. Logan and Khris Francis have gotten the majority of the carries at Running Back, Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis is only a Sophomore even though it seems like he has been there forever, and Mr. Excitement, Ryan Switzer, has been passing, receiving, and returning his way into the national spotlight. On Defense, Brian Walker and Dominique Green have been batting away or intercepting most everything thrown their way, and if it moves with a ball in its hands, Jeff Schoettmer tackles it.

Bowl Eligible

North Carolina won their sixth game of the season against Old Dominion by a final score of 80-20 and became bowl eligible in the process. It was also their fifth win in a row. Old Dominion was not a bad team. They were 8-3 coming into the game, they played the same up tempo style that the Tarheels do, and their Quarterback had thrown for almost 4,000 yards. There were too many stars and outstanding plays in this game to mention all of them. QB Marquise Williams passed for over 400 yards and 5 TD's, Freshman RB T.J. Logan ran for 137 yards on only 14 carries and scored 3 TD's as well as returning a kickoff 99 yards for a TD. Freshman Wide Receiver Ryan Switzer had a career day receiving with 5 receptions for 118 yards and 2 TD's and he returned another punt for a TD giving him 4 in three games tying an ACC record, Wide Receiver Quinshad Davis had over 100 yards receiving and a TD, and Freshman Running Back Khris Francis scored his first rushing TD on the season. On defense, Senior Defensive End Kareem Martin continued his stellar play adding two more sacks giving him 11 on the season. The Old Dominion Head Coach asked Coach Larry Fedora to cut the 4th Quarter to 10 minutes and Fedora readily agreed. It was a class move by both coaches and nothing was going to be gained by playing 5 more minutes. The Tarheels were driving for another score towards the end of the game when Larry Fedora called off the dogs and had Caleb Pressley take a knee on 4th down at the 10 yard line after taking a delay of game from the three on the play before. As a UNC fan, it would have been nice to see the 'Heels set the ACC record for points in a game (the record is 82 by Clemson in 1981 against Wake Forest) although the 'Heels did set a school record for points in a game but I applaud the sportmanship shown by both coaches. That is rare to see at any level of football any more.

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.

Speechless

North Carolina's 55-31 loss to East Carolina has left me speechless. They were dominated in every phase of the game. Once again, the Tarheel Defense got manhandled to the tune of over 600 yards. I have spoken out against the 4-2-5 defense and if this isn't proof that it needs to be scrapped after the season, I don't know what is. They gave up ground by the acre rather than by the yard. East Carolina ran 101 plays, had 267 yards rushing and 336 passing. The Tarheels only had 4 Quarterback hurries in 47 passing attempts by East Carolina QB Shane Carden. No sacks. None. One Interception by Tre Boston. The Offense only fared slightly better. Tarheel Running Back Romar Morris missed the game for an undisclosed reason, leaving the bulk of the carries to A.J. Blue. He had 20 carries for 68 yards but the holes were few and far between. The 'Heels only had 67 yards rushing as a team. QB Bryn Renner did throw for 366 yards and 3 TD's but over 200 yards and all 3 TD's came in the second half when East Carolina maintained at least a 17 point lead throughout the entire second half. North Carolina's young offensive line is having some serious growing pains. Some of North Carolina's young Wide Receivers did get in towards the end of the game and make some plays. Johnathan "Bug" Howard and Nic Platt both had TD catches. T.J. Thorpe had a solid game and Quinshad Davis had over 100 yards receiving and a 56 yard TD reception. The 'Heels have work to do to salvage this season.

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.

A Target On Their Backs

The North Carolina Tarheels two best players are Running Back Gio Bernard and Defensive Tackle Sylvester Williams. With the attention Virginia paid to those two on Thursday night, they sure thought so. Bernard was held to 57 yards rushing but that opened up the passing game and allowed QB Bryn Renner to go 29 for 36 for 315 yards and a couple of TDs. Freshman WR Quinshad Davis was the big beneficiary as he had an ACC record tying 16 catches. He would have broke the record but backup QB Marquise Williams threw him a groundball on the final play of the game. DT Sylvester Williams was the object of double and triple teams and was still a disruptive force. Two plays in particular stood out in my mind with Sylvester Williams. The first was an unnecessary roughness penalty on #72 of Virginia (I didn't even bother looking his name up) in which he tried planting Sylvester Williams into the ground well after the play was over on a double team and the play was well away from him as well. The announcer described it as "finishing the block" and thought it was a bad call. The second play was not called but was a blatant cheap shot by the same #72. On Tre Boston's 36 yard interception return for a TD Sylvester Williams was engaged in a block with another Virginia lineman, and #72 had no intention of trying to tackle Boston on his way by. He singled out Williams and drilled him as Boston ran by. He made no effort to even take a swipe at Boston. #72 was going to make sure he got his cheap shots in.

Va Tech Third Quarter

Three-and-Out is the way to start the second half. One first down by the 'Heels on their first drive, a penalty, and a poor punt by Thomas Hibbard. We would hate for the refs to call holding on the Hokie offense or roughing the passer on their defense. The flags must be Carolina Blue. #9 Linebacker Travis Hughes with the steal! Travis Hughes stood up the running back and ripped the ball out of his hands setting the 'Heels up with posession on the Hokies side of the field. Now UNC has to take advantage of that. Renner shows some escapability on a 3 yard scramble and a 12 yard completion to Davis. A great play fake by Renner and he hits Sean Tapley for a 19 yard TD pass. And the Tarheels Special Teams give 6 points right back as they give a a kick return for a TD. There is that Carolina Blue flag again. I am not even bothering counting how many penalty yards they have now. An important 3rd down pass completion to Davis. A defensive pass interference on Va Tech? I bet that makes the ESPN highlights. I like using Marquise Williams as a change of pace QB. Everyone one knows that he is probably going to run but there is always a chance he might unleash one. It is not your typical Wildcat package. That sack of Renner really hurt but taking a sack is better than throwing it up for grabs. Barely missed Ebron in the end zone and had to settle for a Barth field goal. UNC 38, Va Tech 26. UNC is getting gashed bad by the long pass but a critical 4th down stop gives the ball back to the 'Heels. Va Tech gets away with a facemask on Bernard's 51 yard run and the refs penalize the 'Heels for unsportsmanlike on Blue's 13 yard TD run. UNC 45, Va Tech 26. Tim Scott intercepts Logan Thomas on the first play from scrimmage after the kickoff and now the 'Heels have to play solid ,fundamental football and they can finish this one off. I do not think the 'Heels can run a play without holding being called. End of third quarter, UNC 45, Va Tech 26.

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).

Versus Elon

62-0. That was a stats stuffing game worthy of the video game NCAA Football 13 if there ever was one. The first half of the game was the Gio Bernard show. He had a 59 yard TD run, a 6 yard TD catch, and a 70 yard punt return for a TD. The 'Heels led 41-0 at halftime and it was just the kind of start the 'Heels needed. They removed their starters before the Third Quarter was half over. Before the game started I had visions of footballs filling the air, passing on every down, and the game turning into fast break football. The television broadcast timed the Tarheels were snapping the ball 16 seconds after it was marked down by the officials. In an interview at the end of the first half, Larry Fedora made the comment that he didn't feel they were moving fast enough. The game was already out of hand so Larry Fedora had to dial it down in the second half when the reserves were put into the game. There were some impressive numbers that came out of this game. 14 different receivers caught passes for North Carolina. They set an ACC record for punt return yardage with 260 as Gio Bernard, Roy Smith, and Erik Highsmith all returned punts. There were too many good plays to mention all of them. Freshman Quinshad Davis made an ESPN play of the day worthy acrobatic catch for his first college reception. Defensive back Tim Scott jumped a wide receiver screen and made the interception. Defensive Lineman Sylvester Williams had two sacks. Defensive back Jabari Price led the team in tackles and had an interception. Offensive Lineman Jonathan Cooper made great blocks throughout the game. Quarterback Bryn Renner had 3 TD passes. A lot of players got valuable game time. The only disappointment I had with the game was the empty seats especially at the end of the game. I think everyone bailed at halftime and I have to admit it was over after the first quarter, but I always try to stay to the end of whatever game I go to. That is what being a fan is all about.

The Tarheel Mess

This is the worst off season for UNC sports that I can ever remember. Tales of academic scandals, bowl bans, and ineligible players have dominated the headlines. Now the focus needs to be what is going right at North Carolina. A new football coach, Larry Fedora, has taken over to put the Tarheel nation back on course with a brand of football never seen before in Chapel Hill. He brings with him a spread offense, a 4-2-5 defense, and positive, Red Bull fueled hyper attitude with him. The biggest problem that Coach Fedora faces is depth, especially at the wide receiver position. In order to run the spread you have to 4 or 5 wide receivers on the field. Freshman Quinshad Davis and Kedrick Davis as well as several walk-ons may be counted on to log some quality playing time, especially with training camp injuries claiming Sophomores T.J. Thorpe and Reggie Wilkins. Running Back seems to be set with Giovanni Bernard, A.J. Blue, and Romar Morris all more than likely getting most of the carries. Quarterback is set with Bryn Renner claiming the starting job but a battle developing for the backup position between Redshirt Freshman Marquise Williams and True Freshman Kanley Coker.