Comments on: Maryland 17 UNC 15

By: william

william — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:57:23 +0000

What’s the deal with Carolina losing so many close games? They lost all of the close ones last year and I guess they have lost 3 of 5 close ones this year, but it feels worse than that since they were ahead much of the way in all three losses. You have got to have a killer instinct, especially when you do not have a field goal kicker who can confidently make anything besides an extra point.

Remember the great debate about how a 35-yard extra point should be a gimme? Apparently, a 28-yarder is no gimme for us.

By: Big Apple Heel

Big Apple Heel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:50:07 +0000

Andy, good points on Greg Little. You really do have to shake your head and wonder how he isn’t more of a contributor. With all the injuries on the team that you would think would open up opportunity for him – and a coaching staff that has proven it can maximize talent – it’s just really strange.

By: Andy In Omaha

Andy In Omaha — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:03:48 +0000

I saw several issues with this game.
I give the defense a ton of credit, because they were on the field for a vast majority of this game, but I still don’t udnerstand why we didn’t blitz or bring more pressure more often. In the UVa and Maryland losses, both QB’s were able to attack the soft spots in the zone and kill us. Turner also had a lot of running room late in the game because our LB’s were dropped back. I give the players a lot of credit for swarming to the ball and making plays, but the scheme they are running is counterproductive.
The second issue is the offensive line. No holes for Draughn, and too much pressure on Sexton. This line was supposed to be one of the better ones in the conference, and they’ve been under-performing all season long.
The last issue was way too many dropped passes. Greg Little’s especially killed us. Granted the ball was just a touch underthrown, but that one could have gotten us some points. Little has been somewhat of an enigma to me; he gave us huge hopes last year with some breakout performances, but now it just seems like his head isn’t in the game right now. Part of that could be that the coaching staff really doesn’t know where to put him right now, but he just seems like he’s not interested sometimes.
Ugh. Three wins by a total of eight points. This team could potentially be undefeated right now, and now we need sme serious help to win the division. I know that a lot of football fans had some low-to-moderate expectations, but winning the division (even the conference title) wasn’t out of the question. We need to win these last two games, and hope Miami and Virginia Tech stumble along the way to get to Tampa.

By: TxTarheel

TxTarheel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:01:26 +0000

THF or others: any comment on the “lost” 20-25 seconds after Maryland’s 3rd and 9 (last drive, 4th QTR) was whistled as a drop? I think the clock read 2:05…Maryland kicked off with 1:45 remaining. In the end, not too large a deal.

Two games left with a very good chance to finish 9-3. I would never had guessed this possible outcome in August.

By: Tar Heel Fan

Tar Heel Fan — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:17:20 +0000

The defense did what is has done most of the season and held the other team to a reasonable number of points even though they did fail to make one last stop. 17 points is a good enough defensive effort for the offense to win the game. So was 20 against VT and 10 in regulation versus UVa. The opposing teams’ defense is part of the equation but Sexton is the other part.

By: ILMTarheel

ILMTarheel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:12:57 +0000

I posted this on an earlier on the “blowout” topic, but is time to go back to T.J. Yates. Cam Sexton has been a good back up, and he has shown us the past games that is what he is. If Yates is truly healthy and ready to go, he must start against N.C. State, Duke and our bowl opponent. Sexton has had good plays, which are the result of being an o.k. qb and having excellent receivers and very good backs. Most important to Cam’s success has been the D. The D did not play well at Virginia, we lost. The D played well since, especially GT and we have won. Our D was once again in “bend don’t break mode” today and while they didn’t break, it surely didn’t help the team out. Sexton has helped us have a good season, but he is showing his true colors, and now it is time to go back to Yates.

By: Tar Heel Fan

Tar Heel Fan — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:52:08 +0000

I read the total passing line….Rome did have one pass.

By: Silent Sam

Silent Sam — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:45:35 +0000

Nitpicking perhaps, but Sexton was 10-24 rather than 11-25 passing.

By: Big Apple Heel

Big Apple Heel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:32:35 +0000

All in all, you have to be pretty happy with this season and the progress since last year. It is frustrating that all three losses seemed pretty self-inflicted – they felt less due to an opponent being outright better on the day than us and more about missed opportunities and execution by the Heels. But hey, in sum, there’s more to smile about than reason to frown.