Wreckin' Georgia Tech

As a Tarheels fan, the Georgia Tech game is a point of concern for me every season. Georgia Tech's triple option offense eats up yards and time off the clock and their defense is usually blitz heavy. Combine those two factors with the Tarheels perpetual two minute offense and the potential for the Tarheels defense to spend the majority of the game on the field is very good.

The Tarheels received the ball to start the game and true to form scored their first touchdown within two minutes. A quick dose of a healthy Elijah Hood and it was 7-0. The Tarheels added a field goal and then the Georgia Tech offense struck. Georgia Tech's offense makes you susceptible to the play action pass and the Tarheels defense got burned for 83 yards. An ill advised attempt at a strip by defensive back M.J. Stewart and Georgia Tech was back in the game. North Carolina scored a little over two minutes later when Elijah Hood broke a 36 yard touchdown run up the middle on fourth and one. The two teams traded field goals and touchdowns after that and the Tarheels took a 27-17 lead into halftime.

Georgia Tech opened up the second half with a drive that netted them a field goal and it was all North Carolina after that. The Tarheels scored 21 straight points and won going away 48-20. The Tarheels defense recovered two fumbles in the second half, Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas left the game due to an injury, and the Tarheels put the game away with a balanced offense.

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.

The Technical That Inspired

Notre Dame was near the end of an 11-0 run when Brice Johnson committed a cardinal sin for Tarheel players, past and present; he was called for a technical foul. Notre Dame hit the two free throws and then hit a jumper to take a one point lead. North Carolina responded with an 11-0 run of their own highlighted by a Theo Pinson to Isaiah Hicks alley oop and the Tarheels were on their way to an 88-74 win. Johnson did have 25 points and 12 rebounds in the game, his Tarheel record 23rd double-double of the season, breaking a record held by Tarheel great Billy Cunningham and John Henson. The Tarheels also moved on to their 19th Final Four, an NCAA record.

On To The Elite Eight

The North Carolina Tarheels took it to the Indiana Hoosiers in their 101-86 Sweet Sixteen victory. The Tarheels hit a season high eleven three pointers, held Indiana to 41% shooting, and outrebounded Indiana 37-32. All five Tarheels starters scored in double figures led by Marcus Paige's 21 points and Brice Johnson's 20 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Hicks had the strangest stat line of the night with four points and four rebounds in seven minutes but he also fouled out of the game.

Indiana was probably the toughest five seed in the tournament. I said Marcus Paige was the key to North Carolina winning it all and he broke out of his slump in a big way going six for nine from the three point line and the Tarheels hit 11 for 20 overall.

Reaction To Duke

I just watched the ESPN show Pardon The Interruption and at least 45 minutes of the hour long show was devoted to what Coach K of the Duke Blue Devils said or didn't say to Dillon Brooks of Oregon after he hit a thirty foot shot right before the game ended with the game well in hand and if Brooks exhibited poor sportsmanship by even shooting the shot. If another coach said something to Grayson Allen after he exhibited poor sportsmanship on several occasions this season, Coach K would have come unglued. Allen exhibited poor sportsmanship by not shaking Brooks hand after the game. Here is an idea none of the "experts" proposed and that is Coach K takes care of his team and not worry about the other team. Coach K has coached his share of jackasses over the past 35 or so years and their antics were more than acceptable. I hope Dillon Brooks celebrated deep into the night and I may download his shot and use it as my screensaver.

Sweeping The Blue Devils

The North Carolina Tarheels beating the Duke Blue Devils in any sport is always a beautiful thing and it doesn't matter if the chess teams are facing off against each other. The Tarheels sweep of the Blue Devils in baseball this past weekend was an excellent example of baseball domination. The Tarheels outscored the Blue Devils 31-6 in the three game sweep and the Tarheels starting pitching trio of Zac Gallen, J.B. Bukauskas, and Jason Morgan- pithed a combined total of 20 innings and only gave up three earned runs while striking out 22 and walking eight.

The Tarheels offense scored 31 runs on only 29 hits but drew 22 walks and also took advantage of a shaky Blue Devil defense that made nine errors in the three games. Centerfielder Tyler Ramirez drove in eight runs in the series and shortstop Logan Warmoth drove in seven runs. North Henderson High School product Zack Gahagan has been key as a spot starter and a late inning defensive replacement at third base. He did his Best Brooks Robinson imitation in a game against Fairfield fielding a grounder deep behind the third base bag into foul territory and throwing out the runner at first. That play made the internet rounds.