North
Carolina Tar Heels
Preview 2008
By
Richard Cirminiello
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2008 CFN North
Carolina Preview
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2008 UNC Offense
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2008 UNC Defense
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2008 UNC Depth
Chart
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2007 CFN UNC Preview
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2006 CFN UNC Preview
Head coach: Butch Davis
2nd year at UNC: 4-8
8th year overall: 55-28
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 19, Def. 24, ST 1
Lettermen Lost: 18 |
Ten
Best Tar Heel Players
1. WR Hakeem Nicks, Jr.
2. S Deunta Williams, Soph.
3. DT Marvin Austin, Soph.
4. OT Garrett Reynolds, Sr.
5. RB Greg Little, Soph.
6. QB T.J. Yates, Soph.
7. WR/KR Brandon Tate, Sr.
8. DE E.J. Wilson, Jr.
9. OG Calvin Darity, Sr.
10. LB Quan Sturdivant, Soph. |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 4-8 Aug. 30
McNeese State
Sept. 6 OPEN DATE
Sept. 11 at Rutgers
Sept. 20 Virginia Tech
Sept. 27 at Miami
Oct. 4 Connecticut
Oct. 11 Notre Dame
Oct. 18 at Virginia
Oct. 25 Boston College
Nov. 1 OPEN DATE
Nov. 8 Georgia Tech
Nov. 15 at Maryland
Nov. 22 NC State
Nov. 29 at Duke
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 3-9
2007 Record: 4-8
Sept. 1
James Madison
W 37-14
Sept. 8
at East Carolina
L 34-31
Sept. 15
Virginia L 22-20
Sept. 22 at
South Florida L 37-10
Sept. 29 at
Va Tech L 17-10
Oct.
6
Miami W 33-27
Oct.
13
South Carolina L 21-15
Oct.
27 at
Wake Forest L 37-10
Nov.
3
Maryland W 16-13
Nov.
10 at
NC State L 31-27
Nov.
17 at
Georgia Tech L 27-25
Nov.
24
Duke
W 20-14 OT |
Head coach Butch Davis’ sleeping giant should be ready to take a monster
step in its quest to be a perennial contender in the ACC, but now it’s
time for all the young players to come through and pay off after going
through growing pains last year.
Young teams usually have problems knowing how to win, and they tend to
have the most problems in tight games. While the Tar Heels came up with
close wins over Maryland and Duke, they also lost six games by seven
points or fewer, including a battle with eventual ACC champion Virginia
Tech.
Now the payoff is expected. There’s experience everywhere,
including at quarterback, where sophomore T.J. Yates is hoping to
recover from shoulder surgery in time to start for a second season. He
leads a promising offense with great upside, but it needs to start
putting up points after scoring 16 or fewer five times.
Davis has the defense in place, doing a better job than it might have
seemed for a 4-8 team. The overall goal will be to let the defense do
its job and be solid, get more big plays from the offense, win the
turnover battles, generate more wins. The hope is for things to be that
simple. Not as easy will be keeping Davis in Chapel Hill if the success
starts to come.
Davis turned away a few suitors since the end of the season, likely
sensing that the Tar Heels have enough young talent and momentum to get
where Wake Forest has been the last couple of seasons. While a jump back
to the NFL is unlikely, Davis could be on the short list for any big
opening in the next year or two, but it’s possible he’ll make North
Carolina one of those big programs soon.
The second year under Davis is all about building on last season,
getting better on offense, and changing the culture of losing that’s
prevailed in Chapel Hill for a decade. They’ll have to navigate a tough
schedule to do so, but the Heels are inching closer to winning six games
and qualifying for a second-tier bowl game. A 13th game is
just the kind of event that would instantly put the program’s rebuilding
efforts into overdrive and make this the hot team going into 2009. Davis
wouldn’t mind speeding the timetable up.
What to watch for on offense:
Running back Greg Little. The former receiver took over the ground game
late last year showing good quickness and surprising power for a wiry
6-3, 210-pound runner. Athletic enough to be a walk-on for the
basketball team, he has a little bit of everything for the offense.
After a great spring, he’s the main man the running game will revolve
around from the start. He earned the job.
What to watch for on defense: The tackles. While the loss
of first round draft pick Kentwan Balmer will hurt, there’s enough
talent on the inside for the run defense to be strong in the middle.
Marvin Austin was a big-time recruit a few years ago, and he’s about to
become the star good enough to replace Balmer. Aleric Mullins is a
promising inside presence who should be a rock against the run. As long
as the interior is sound, the coaching staff can work on the ends, which
are a bit more of an issue.
The team will be far better if … it grows up in a hurry
and learns how to pull out the close games. Of the six games Carolina
lost by a touchdown or less a year ago, including heartbreakers to
bowl-bound East Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. If
even half of those outcomes go in the Heels’ favor, the program would
have qualified for a bowl game and would’ve come up with its first
winning season since 2001. More often than not, the culprit was an
offense that stalled repeatedly in the red
zone and had trouble mounting long drives.
The Schedule: The Tar Heels catch a monster break missing Clemson,
Florida State and Wake Forest from the Atlantic and get Boston College
at home, while Virginia Tech, the likely preseason Coastal favorite,
has to come to Chapel Hill. Three of the four ACC road trips are against
teams that didn't go to a bowl last year. The non-conference slate,
outside of the opener against McNeese State, is challenging highlighted
by a Thursday night showdown at Rutgers, but battles against UConn and
Notre Dame are at home.
Best Offensive Player: Junior WR Hakeem Nicks. After just two
seasons in Chapel Hill, Nicks is well on his way to becoming the best
wide receiver in Tar Heel history. A big, physical target who can break
containment at the line of scrimmage, he has already pulled down 113
career passes for 1,618 yards, including a school-record 74 passes last
season.
Best Defensive Player: Sophomore S Deunta Williams. The reigning
ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Williams has the size and the
run-stopping skills of a safety, yet moves with the grace and the
confidence of a cornerback. A genuine playmaker out of the secondary,
the converted wide receiver will keep getting better as he learns more
of the nuances of playing on defense.
Key player to a successful season: Sophomore RB Greg Little.
Although he’s only played a couple of games at running back, Little is
the type of explosive athlete that can light a fire under the feeble Tar
Heel offense. Carolina was 107th nationally on the ground,
but Little closed strong with 243 yards and two scores in the final two
games. The offense will need more of the same this fall to support a
passing attack that has its own problems.
The season will be a success if ... Carolina bowls. Anything less
would be a disappointment for a program that’s a year older and quickly
gaining ground on the ACC powerbrokers. With a schedule that’s not
particularly daunting, seven or eight wins is well within reach. And if
the offense can finally make strides, the Tar Heels will be good enough
to contend in a weak and watered-down Coastal Division.
Key game: Sept. 20 vs. Virginia Tech. UNC is going to
learn a lot about itself in Week 3. The Tar Heels outgained and nearly
knocked off the Hokies last season, falling 17-10. This fall’s game will
take place at Kenan Stadium against a Tech team flush with question
marks and new starters. If Carolina delivers the upset, the timetable
for its arrival will have to be redesigned.
2007 Fun Stats:
- Third quarter scoring: Opponents 77 – North Carolina 45
- Third down conversions: Opponents 73 of 187 (39%) – North Carolina 48
of 164 (29%)
- Interception return average: North Carolina 25.3 yards – Opponents
13.3 yards
