North Carolina's D stuffs & stuns the Hokies

North Carolina Tar Heels 2009 ... Head Coach: Butch Davis

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2009 Record: 5-3

9/5 The Citadel W 40-6
9/12 at Connecticut W 12-10
9/19 East Carolina  W 31-17
9/26 at Georgia Tech  L 24-7
10/3 Virginia L 16-3
10/10 Ga Southern W 42-12
10/17 OPEN DATE
10/22 Florida St L 30-27
10/29 at Va Tech W 20-17
11/7 Duke
11/14 Miami
11/21 at Boston College
11/28 at NC State

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 8-5

8/30 McNeese State W 35-27
9/6  OPEN DATE
9/11 at Rutgers W 44-12
9/20 Virginia Tech L 20-17
9/27 at Miami W 28-24
10/4 Connecticut W 38-12
10/11 Notre Dame W 29-24
10/18 at Virginia L 16-13 OT
10/25 Boston College W 45-24
11/1  OPEN DATE
11/8 Georgia Tech W 28-7
11/15 at Maryland L 17-13
11/22 NC State L 41-10
11/29 at Duke W 28-20
Meineke Car Care Bowl
12/27 North Carolina L 31-30

North Carolina Tar Heels

Oct. 29
North Carolina 20 … at Virginia Tech 17
Casey Barth hit two field goals in the final 2:52, including the game-winner from 21 yards out with no time left on the clock, as North Carolina stunned Virginia Tech. The Hokies managed one long 82-yard drive, coming early in the second half, culminating in a one-yard Tyrod Taylor run, but needed an interception to set up the other touchdown, another one-yard Taylor run, as the offense stalled time and again. UNC got into the end zone on two T.J. Yates touchdown passes, with a 13-yarder to Jheranie Boyd in the second quarter and a 15-yarder to Greg Little in the third, but it was the defense that was the star, forcing a Ryan Williams fumble with just over two minutes to play to lead to the game-winning score.
Player of the Game: North Carolina LB Quan Sturdivant made seven tackles with a tackle for loss, two quarterback hurries, and a broken up pass.
Virginia Tech : Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 11-23, 161 yds
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 23-96, Receiving: Dyrell Roberts, 5-73
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 18-28, 131 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 12-77, Receiving: Zac Pianalto, 6-34
What It All Means: North Carolina has always had the talent and the athleticism to play with a team like Virginia Tech, and in the win, the defense finally stepped up and became the difference in a big game. The Hokies managed just 256 yards of total offense and had a hard time staying on the field. The UNC offense might not have been special, but it grinded away when it needed to and was able to control the clock by converting third down chance after third down chance. With home games against Duke and Miami up next, this is when the Tar Heels have to go on a run.

Oct. 22
Florida State 30 … at North Carolina 27
In a tale of two halves, North Carolina got up 17-6 going into halftime helped by a five-yard Greg Little run and a 13-yard touchdown pass from T.J. Yates to Ed Barham, and took an 18-point lead in the second half on a ten-yard Yates run. And then it was all Florida State in a furious 25 minutes as Christian Ponder threw three touchdown passes including a 98-yarder to Rod Owens and an 18-yarder to Beau Reliford for the lead with 6:20 to play. The defense was able to hold on with a sack stopping a final Hail Mary attempt. The Noles won despite making 16 penalties for 121 yards.
Player of the Game: Florida State QB Christian Ponder completed 33-of-40 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 12-25, 64 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 23-126, Receiving: Greg Little, 6-60
Florida State: Passing: Christian Ponder, 33-40, 395 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Thompson, 6-18, Receiving: Rod Owens, 9-199, 1 TD
What It All Means: To collapse at home when everything was going its way shows just how far the program has to go, and how far the offense has to go to consistently be able to close out games. With a trip to Virginia Tech up next, this was a must win that the team had in hand after 25 minutes, but the passing game couldn’t keep the chains moving and the secondary couldn’t slow down a hot Christian Ponder. The best win so far was against Connecticut, and at some point, the Tar Heels have to show they can beat someone decent in ACC play.

Oct. 10
at North Carolina 42 … Georgia Southern 12
The UNC defense forced six turnovers with Quan Sturdivant returning a fumble 49 yards for a score and Bruce Carter taking an interception 41 yards for a touchdown, while the offense came up with three short scores from Ryan Houston and got a 16-yard Shaun Draughn touchdown run. The Tar Heels weren’t totally sharp, committing 11 penalties and turning it over three times, while the defense allowed a 45-yard Adam Urbano touchdown run.
Player of the Game: North Carolina RB Shaun Draughn ran 14 times for 81 yards and a score, and he led the team with five catches for 43 yards.
Georgia Southern: Passing: Lee Chapple, 14-27, 65 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Adam Urbano, 17-93, 1 TD, Receiving: Patrick Barker, 5-35
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 14-20, 118 yds
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 14-81, 1 TD, Receiving: Shaun Draughn, 5-43
What It All Means: The offense continues to be stunningly mediocre. Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston were able to come up with nice games on the ground, but if the Tar Heels struggle against Georgia Southern, where’s the production going to come from against the meat of the ACC schedule? There’s no downfield passing as the coaching staff appears to be relying on the defense and running game to try to win. Against Florida State, who despite all the problems is playing well offensively, the Tar Heels will have to find something that works. They’re currently last in the ACC in yards and scoring, and are 102nd in the nation in both rushing and passing.

Oct. 3
Virginia 16 … at North Carolina 3
Robert Randolph hit three field goals and Mikell Simpson ran for a eight-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Virginia stunned the Tar Heels. The North Carolina offense managed just 174 yards and a 39-yard Casey Barth field goal, and while the game was close until late, the Cavs were almost never threatened.
Player of the Game: Virginia RB Mikell Simpson ran 20 times for 100 yards and a score, and led the Cavs with four catches for 45 yards.
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 20-36, 135 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 14-25, Receiving: Greg Little, 8-63
Virginia: Passing: Jameel Sewell, 13-24, 136 yds
Rushing: Mikell Simpson, 20-100, 1 TD, Receiving: Mikell Simpson, 4-45 
What It All Means: What the (bleep) was that?! After coming up with a miserable performance against Georgia Tech, the offense couldn’t produce against a Virginia defense that everyone gets healthy against. The ground attack was awful with the line getting next to no push, while T.J. Yates and the passing game couldn’t pick up the slack. The defense was more than fine, it got into the backfield and it kept the Cavs to 254 yards, but when you’re only gaining 174, with 39 yards rushing, the results aren’t going to be good. After the last few weeks, the Tar Heel offense desperately needs to use next week’s game against Georgia Southern to sharpen up.

Sept. 26
at Georgia Tech 24 … North Carolina 7
Georgia Tech held on to the ball for over 42 minutes with Josh Nesbitt running for two short scores in the fourth quarter and Roddy Jones running for a 13-yarder in the first. North Carolina never got into a groove with just 17 yards rushing and only getting on the board with a 40-yard touchdown catch from Erik Highsmith in the fourth. Morgan Burnett led Georgia Tech with six tackles and made two picks.
Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 19 times for 158 yards
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 11-26, 137 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 7-26, Receiving: Erik Highsmith, 6-107, 1 TD
Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 7-11, 89 yds
Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 19-158, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 3-35 
What It All Means: North Carolina can’t get too hung up on the loss. Georgia Tech was jacked up, executed perfectly, and came up with the easy win. The Tech offense ran at will and got first down after first down to keep the clock moving, but the UNC offense didn’t help the cause by failing time and again to convert on third down. This is a good team that will make a lot of noise before the year is out, but after the way this game went, an easy win over a bad Virginia team next week is a must.

Sept. 19
at North Carolina 31 … East Carolina 17
Erik Highsmith caught a 16-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and Jheranie Boyd made a 59-yard scoring grab in the second for North Carolina, but East Carolina hung around with a seven-yard Jamar Bryant touchdown catch and a six-yard Dwayne Harris run. The Tar Heels pulled away with a two short Ryan Houston touchdown runs, while the defense held the Pirates out of the end zone in the second half.
Player of the Game: North Carolina QB T.J. Yates completed 19-of-24 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns
East Carolina: Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 19-30, 157 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Jackson, 12-35 , Receiving: Alex Taylor, 5-46
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 19-24, 227 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 19-84, Receiving: Erik Highsmith, 6-113, 1 TD
What It All Means: North Carolina is 3-0 and appears to be just scratching the surface on what they can become. The young wide receivers, particularly Erik Highsmith, came up with big performances to show that the passing game has moved on after the loss of the top pass catchers, while the defense is starting to dominate when needed. The Tar Heels didn’t let ECU do anything on the ground, and tightened up in the second half. Georgia Tech and it running game should have a tough time against the Tar Heel linebackers next week.

Sept. 12
North Carolina 12 ... at Connecticut 10
North Carolina got a safety thanks to a holding call in the end zone with 1:32 to play to cap off a fourth quarter comeback. Connecticut had a 10-0 lead on a  47-yard Dave Teggart field goal and a four-yard Jordan Todman touchdown run, but the last 11 minutes belonged to UNC with a 22-yard field goal and a two-yard Zack Pianalto touchdown catch with 2:36 to play. Neither offense could get going in the rain with the Tar Heels outgaining the Huskies 268 yards to 196.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, Connecticut LB Lawrence Wilson made 11 tackles with two tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble
Connecticut: Passing: Zach Frazer, 11-19, 94 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jordan Todman, 18-66, 1 TD, Receiving: Brad Kanuch, 4-56
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 23-32, 233 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Ryan Houston, 7-33, Receiving: Greg Little, 8-45
What It All Means: Good teams find a way to make things happen when they're not playing well. North Carolina couldn't get the ground game working against UConn, T.J. Yates made too many mistakes, and the offense failed to do anything until the fourth quarter. But the Tar Heels took control of the game in the second half, holding on to the ball for 8:17 in the third and 11:06 in the fourth, and then the defense came up with the play it needed to generating pressure to force the game-winning safety. However, there's a big cause for concern going into next week's game against East Carolina and it's terrific D line, and with Derrick Morgan and Georgia Tech coming up soon; the O line has to be better. The Tar Heels gave up six sacks and Yates had little room to breathe.

Sept. 5
at North Carolina 40 ... The Citadel 6
In a sloppy game with eight turnovers, North Carolina got two touchdown passes from T.J. Yates and a 77-yard punt return for a score from Da'Norris Searcy in the easy win. The Tar Heels scored the first 37 points before Citadel finally got on the board with a  42-yard Sam Keeler field goal, but by then UNC had the backups in.
Player of the Game: North Carolina RB Shaun Draughn ran 20 times for 118 yards, and caught two passes for 11 yards.
Citadel: Passing: Bart Blanchard, 21-37, 117 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Remi Biakabatuka, 7-30, Receiving: Andre Roberts, 10-30
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 9-20, 114 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 20-118, Receiving: Greg Little, 2-31, 1 TD
What It All Means: It wasn't a perfect performance and there's a lot to be worried about after T.J. Yates only completed 9-of-20 passes, but that's what games against The Citadel are for. There were too many turnovers (four), not enough in the way of passing efficiency, and little pop from the receivers, but the defense held the Citadel rushing game to just 30 yards net and swarmed all over the field. UNC can beat Connecticut and East Carolina if the D plays like this, but the O has to get in shape before dealing with Georgia Tech at the end of the month.