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 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.

Ready For Prime Time

The North Carolina Tarheels proved they are ready for prime time with a 26-19 win over #23 Pittsburgh on the road in front of a national audience on ESPN. Both teams were 6-1 headed into the game and undefeated in the ACC Coastal Division. Although North Carolina had beaten Georgia Tech on the road earlier in the season, many considered Pittsburgh North Carolina's first road test and the Tarheels built a fairly sizable halftime lead and held on for the win.

Tarheels Quarterback Marquise Williams set the tone early in the second quarter when he dropped back to pass, stiff armed an onrushing Pittsburgh lineman while being grabbed by the facemask, and threw a strike to Wide Receiver Ryan Switzer who had slipped behind the Pittsburgh defense for a 71 yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead. In watching the replay, I noticed that Williams readjusted his facemask before throwing the pass. That is cool under pressure.

The Tarheel defense under the leadership of defensive coordinator Gene Chizik is finally starting to get the credit they deserve. Chizik has instilled an "assignment first" philosophy and this has resulted in a "bend but don't break" defense. They displayed a much better pass rush against Pittsburgh and came up with five sacks nearly matching their season total of six. The Tarheel defensive backs also set a season high for passes defensed with eight as Des Lawrence and M.J. Stewart continually broke up Pittsburgh pass attempts.

The win puts North Carolina at 7-1 on the season and should boost them into the top 25. The Tarheels haven't had this much excitement surrounding their football team since the Mack Brown era ended in 1997. The Tarheels are not just playing for a bowl game this season (they already have more than enough wins to qualify), they are playing for a spot in the ACC Championship game, a championship they have not won since Lawrence Taylor roamed the field at Kenan Stadium.

Special Teams

Inside Carolina put o a stat today that really surprised me about the Tarheel Special Teams. Between Corbin Daly and Hunter Lent, the Tarheels have punted the fewest times in the NCAA with 18 and they are also the only team in college football that has not allowed a punt return. Combine that with Ryan Switzer 14.4 yard punt return average (it would be much higher if not for the "phantom" fair catch against Wake Forest) and T.J. Logan's kickoff returns and UNC has one of the top ranked Special Team's units in the nation.

Larry Fedora has always emphasized special teams play since he was introduced as North Carolina's football coach and that is how many players earn playing time as freshman by cutting their teeth on special teams. That is how Wide Receiver Mack Hollins first caught the attention of the coaches and Coach Fedora has never been afraid to use his starters on these units.

Several games a season are won or lost with special teams play. The Georgia Tech-Florida State game and the Michigan State-Michigan are recent examples. The first involved a blocked field goal and the second involved a botched punt attempt. Both games were played out on the national stage and both were the deciding score in the game and occurred on the last play.

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.

The Victory Bell Comes Home

UNC recaptured the Victory Bell from Duke last night with a 45-20 win and it was a great sight to see. The way ESPN did their pregame show, it was like they expected Duke to win. They interviewed Coach David Cutcliffe before the game, showed some coach or visiting crackhead from Duke giving a "motivational" speech in the Duke locker room before the game (I think the speech had to do with the benefits of smoking crack before the game), and all UNC got was a spot of Ryan Switzer's dance moves (and contrary to ESPN's commentary, I thought the moves were solid).

The end result was I hope the Duke coach is getting treatment, UNC's D played their best game of the year, The Victory Bell belongs to the Tarheels, and I am sure Ryan Switzer danced the night away after having over 100 receiving yards in the game. ESPN is left to ponder what exactly what is unbiased coverage of a sporting event.

Versus San Diego State

San Diego State's Defensive game plan of sending six or seven men on every play with "exotic" blitz packages could be a recipe for disaster for the North Carolina Tarheels young offensive line. Marquise Williams, Starting Quarterback at North Carolina, promises a different result if San Diego State blitzes. SDSU gave up over 31 points a game last year so I don't know if they have a different Defensive Coordinator or a different defensive system but that is why they play the game. The chess match has already begun. The Tarheels use many running backs and they need to be well versed in blitz pick up. The 'Heels threw short last week- and then some. Ryan Switzer had 8 catches but only 43 yards receiving. The 'Heels only had 235 yards receiving on 29 receptions. They need to try to get the ball down the field. It was probably a tough week in practice. The 'Heels have a game under their belt, a lot of players saw their first collegiate action, and they have the #21 ranking in the country. The San Diego State game is what I like to call a "trap" game. The 'Heels should win but it is a game they will lose if they do not play better than last week.

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.

The Belk Bowl

The UNC Tarheels played one of their best overall games of the year in the season finale against Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl rolling to a 39-17 win. The 'Heels were outgained in total yards by Cincinnati but they were able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Special Teams were extra special in this game. Punt Returner Ryan Switzer tied an NCAA record with his 5th punt return for a TD and this one went for 86 yards. This punt return may have been his best of the season. He fielded the punt as Cincinnati Bearcats were all around on him and one of the Bearcats appeared to touch Switzer on the back as he went by. Switzer calmly fielded the punt and went up the middle of the field to the End Zone for his history making return. The return also made ESPN's Top Ten plays for the night. Kick Returner T.J. Logan had a 76 yard kickoff return for a TD that showed off his speed and elusiveness. This kick return came after a Brandon Ellerbe sack in the end zone thqat resulted in a Safety. The Defense had 5 sacks in the game and the 'Heels came from everywhere on the blitz. Cincinnati had only allowed 12 sacks on the season. Tre Boston picked off his 5th pass of the season to finish off the game. The Cincinnati Bearcats 9-3 record was a little misleading. They did not beat a team with a winning record. The 'Heels still had a dominant performance against a team they should have beat. That is something they did not do early in the season. The win gave the 'Heels a 7-6 record on the season after a 1-5 start and because of the 'Heels reliance on Freshmen and Sophomores, the future looks much brighter in Chapel Hill.

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.

Switzer Saves The Day

The North Carolina Tarheels evened their record at 5-5 with a hard fought 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers yesterday at Heinz Field. The Tarheels raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead on the strength of 2 Marquise Williams rushing TD's and a Ryan Switzer 65 yard punt return for a TD. The 'Heels tacked on a Field Goal to start the scoring in the Third Quarter and make it 27-3 then had to hang on. Pittsburgh tied it up at 27 and then Ryan Switzer returned a second punt for a TD in the game, this one a weaving, field crossing, 61 yarder. The 'Heels still had to make a couple of defensive stands, the last one a fourth and one on their own 26 yard line with 1:12 to go in the game. It wasn't pretty but they won their fourth game in a row and now only need to win one of their last two to become bowl eligible. The Tarheel defense, in particular Kareem Martin, played a solid game and had 7 sacks in the game, with Kareem Martin getting 3 1/2 of those. Cornerback Terry Shankle led the team with 8 tackles and had 2 sacks.

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.

The Backbreaker

The North Carolina Tarheels 27-17 loss to Virginia Tech yesterday really didn't come as a surprise to me yesterday but it is how they are losing. It seems like it is the same reasons every week. Big plays, penalties, and their run defense. Yesterday's backbreaker came when the Tarheels had Virginia Tech backed up to their own two yard line when Tarheel Punter Tommy Hibbard pinned them deep with a perfect punt. On the first play Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas hit Wide Receiver Willie Byrn for an 83 yard completion down to the UNC 15 yard line. He also hit Wide Receiver D.J. Knowles for a 45 yard TD for the Hokies first score. Tarheel Punt returner had a rough game as well. He muffed a punt inside the Tarheels 15 yard line giving the Hokies easy access to the end zone a few plays after that but more importantly, he had an 80 + yard TD called back because of a penalty. That is the second time this season that has happened to Switzer. This time it was an 81 yard punt return. It would have made the score 21-14 and would have made the game very interesting. Tarheel Tight End/Linebacker Jack Tabb got ejected for throwing a punch at a Hokies player and I would have to question why he was the only one ejected. You cannot really see what happened on the replay the TV cameras showed. Tabb knocked the Hokies players helmet off in the process of making the block (that was not what he was penalized for) but somehow Jack Tabb ended up on the ground with his helmet off before he ever got up and threw the punch. One of the Hokies players also tried going right thru the Ref to get to Tabb and he kept bumping and pushing the Ref. In the NFL that would have gotten him booted and fined.