UNC officially opens practice today for a season filled with promise but also with questions, both on and off the field.
The Heels are expected to garner strong consideration for a preseason top-25 ranking after returning almost the entire team from an 8-5 campaign in 2009 that was six points away from being 11-2. But Carolina will navigate a daunting schedule as 8 of their 11 Division I opponents played in bowl games last season and at least five opponents should open the season in the Top 25. Still, the Heels should have the experience and talent to be in every game on the schedule and compete for a division title.
Carolina will take the practice field on Friday facing three main questions:
1. How will the NCAA inquiry into Marvin Austin and Greg Little turn out?
News that the NCAA was back in Chapel Hill this week returned the ongoing saga of Austin and Little to the forefront. Both players will practice, into which we can read absolutely nothing. Until the NCAA issues a ruling, there is no reason for them not to practice, and even if one or both were to be suspended, there is no prohibition against them practicing while on suspension.
(As a side note, both Weslye Saunders and Marcel Dareus have also practiced with their respective teams this week. In his comments to the media, Alabama coach Nick Saban said of Dareus, “He’s going to have to live with the consequences if there are consequences. But there will be a day when he’s allowed to play football again, and it may be very soon. He needs to prepare himself to take advantage of that.” [emphasis mine] Wonder if those in the blogosphere will parse those words as intently as the comments of Charlie Williams to Tim Scott were scrutinized, as may imply that Saban either knows something and is holding back or is lying, as some blogs accused Butch Davis of doing. But I digress…)
It is debatable who would be a bigger loss, Austin or Little, if one or both are suspended or declared ineligible. Austin is very talented but the defense is full of talented players. And yet, the defensive line thins out quickly after the top 3 or 4 guys. Little, on the other hand, is the team’s leading receiver, but there are receivers behind him with lots of potential, and the drop-off after Little does not seem to be as large as the drop-off after Austin.
In any case, the general feeling seems to be that the NCAA probe will be wrapped up before the LSU game and the team can move forward.
2. Who will assume control of the QB position?
Most teams would love to have a returning senior three-year starting quarterback who had led his team to back-to-back 8-win seasons, but the mojo around T.J. Yates remains cloudy. Yates’ inconsistent and often erratic play has opened the door for highly-touted freshman Bryn Renner to compete for the starting job.
The most popular guy on a football team is the backup quarterback, and Renner did nothing to dispel that notion with his performance in the spring game. Butch Davis has shown loyalty to Yates, and unless something drastic happens between now and Labor Day weekend, we can expect Yates to start against LSU.
But it does lead to the question of how long Yates’ leash will be. I think Davis will be much more likely to give Yates the hook if he starts throwing at receivers’ shoestrings or opponents’ defensive backs like he did last year. I can also envision a scenario where Renner gets one or two series with the first unit each half, especially in games after the open date following the LSU game.
3. Just how good is UNC’s defense, really?
It has been a given that UNC’s defense will be dominant, given the level of talent returning. But despite some gaudy numbers and individual talent, the defense faltered in three crucial losses last year: Florida State, NC State, and Pitt in the bowl game. Much has been made of how much the defense might have to carry the offense this year, but at least in the FSU and State games last season, the offense scored enough points to win.
Hopefully the offense will be improved enough that the defense will only have to be pretty good, not exceptional, for Carolina to improve on last year’s record. If the defense is exceptional and the offense improves to just average, the Heels could be in for a very, very good year.
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Anything less than an exceptional defense spells trouble IMO.
it all comes down to QB. any natl contender has to have at least collegiate level QB play. lets be honest here, yates looked at best like a high school junior too many times last year. in the spring game Renner had that (((((((FIRE)))))) that you look for in a national contender. he had spring in his step and he was {{{{MOBILE}}}}} which we havent seen since D Durant. i appreciated yates getting us here but now its time to lay the Bunting era to rest.
The opening game this season against LSU is going to be very important! I have my reservations about putting a rookie on that stage first thing. I would like to see Yates get the start (for experience reasons) and see Renner transition to the starting position by mid season if he continues to impress like he did during the spring game. It would be nice to see Renner in there by the Clemson game, but no later than when they travel to Miami.
IMO the loss of Austin could be the difference between a potential shut-down defense and a good one. Having that bell cow in the middle demanding more than one-on-one attention on every play frees everyone else up to give us a match-up edge. With him gone the pressure goes more squarely on the secondary which has never been a particular strength of UNC teams. Here’s hoping that he gets to play so we can see just how good this defense can prove itself to be!
Yates is the starter, no question. I just hope he decides that this is his senior year and it is time to shine. I think he can be all of the QB we need if he just made better decisions. That is something that can be learned, but I’m not sure if he has learned it yet.
I also think losing Austin hurts more, since he is a force in the middle that has to be accounted for. With him in the game, our defense can go from good to great. And speaking of the D, there were too many breakdowns last year for me to assume that our defense can carry us to an ACC title game. We lost to NC State for crying out loud. An ACC title contender doesn’t do that. Here’s hoping they’ve learned their lessons.
Just how good is UNC’s defense, really?
this my question. all you hear is nfl defense, freakish athletes, etc.
but the defense looked porous in a couple of games last year. far from “shut down”.
my thoughts were, are the coaches holding them back? or is there something else wrong?
any thoughts?
The defense had a year to grow and learn from their mistakes, and returned 9 starters and pretty much every starter and a few backups are NFL caliber. That’s why they get so much love. For their potential to be great. Also where would the team have been last year without the stout defense? Those close games would have turned into blowouts with the pitiful offense we had.
I’m sure Yates has always wanted to be a solid college QB. The god given ability just isn’t there. The running game should be improved and defense will be stout with or without Austin, so hopefully Yates won’t need to air the ball out as often anyway. His miscues really hurts the team with clock control. A solid running game could solve that real quick, and the improved offensive should make the difference.
Talent wise, it’s hard to see another team in the ACC that has the defense that UNC does. The only area that conerns me on that side of the ball really has nothing to do with the personnel; it’s all about how Everett Withers calls a game. Watch a rerun of any UNC football game, and you see the same formation, most of the same personnel, and that bleeping zone coverage that even a UVa QB seems to find the soft spots in to kill us for chunks of yards. Withers very rarely blitzes Carter or Sturdivant, and Robert Quinn and co. are primarily relied on to get pressure or pick up a sack.
On the other side of the ball, the offensive line is the key. The line needs to give Yates more time (and while Yates had serious accuracy issues, the line gave him less than adequate time to throw and he’s not very quick) and allow the running game time to produce. If that offensive line is as bad as they were in the beginning part of the year, than maybe the only that can save us on offense other than John Shoop’s shifting and trickery is putting Charlie Justice behind center.
Finally, UNC needs “that guy;” a playmaker who you can give the ball to and they have the ability to make something happen. Greg Little, Erik Highsmith, and Jehranie Boyd all showed flashes, but weren’t really consistent enough. Johnny White has the potential to be explosive, but never seems to be on the field all that much. Having someone that can make things happen with the ball in their hands can bump you up into an elite team from an average team just like that in college football. If UNC has “that guy,” he hasn’t quite materialized yet.
Yes, I’m not sure what Withers was thinking last year. I’m definitely not an armchair defensive coordinator, but when you’ve got the talent he does you’ve got to use it. Save the conservative play calling when you’ve got a roster full of underclassmen with little skill, not when you’ve got a near-NFL defense. You need to unleash those wild animals and force the opposing offense to figure out how to stop them.
I don’t remember being able to specifically point out certain defensive players last year who I thought did poorly. However I do remember times when I the whole D performed poorly as a unit. IMO, when you’ve got talent, that points to poor play calling.