Extra Points: Origins

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 3, 2017 | Football, Featured Writers, Lee Pace

By: Lee Pace

By Lee Pace

Exactly six months after His Airness sent a raucous Smith Center flock into tremors with his "ceiling is the roof" line—perhaps the most famous malapropos in history—the Tar Heel football team donned its spiffy new threads on Saturday with the Michael Jordan flying-with-the-greatest-of-ease logo on the front-left shoulder. The words "Origin of Flight" were everywhere—from the locker room door to the tunnel leading to field to framed schedule posters around Kenan Football Center.

Freshman tailback Michael Carter apparently digested and took to heart one passage posted underneath those three words entering the team's dressing quarters: "Where the expectation is to fly ... down the sideline, over the opposition and upward to the highest ceiling ..."

Carter, playing his first college football game, averaged 8.5 yards a carry, once streaking the sideline for 47 yards and later leaping and sailing to the end zone pylon for a touchdown. He joined fellow neophyte Jordon Brown at the tailback spot and freshman quarterback Chazz Surratt to combine for 214 yards rushing and nearly five yards a pop in the first meaningful action for each of them.

"Football's football," Carter said, downplaying the transition from high school to college. "The creases are the same, the hash marks are the same, the concepts are the same. It felt good to play. It was really fun. I've dreamt of that. I used to play 'Road to Glory.' This is the dream."

Sadly for the Tar Heels, the dream turned to a nightmare on opening day 2017 against the University of California. The offense committed three turnovers, belying Coach Larry Fedora's offensive mantra that it is not as much as about going lickety-split as it is protecting the ball. And the defense turned momentum south with a needless targeting penalty at the end of the first half—the Heels were about to force a three-and-out—and went soft on three straight third downs during the Bears' game-deciding touchdown march in the fourth quarter. The result was a 35-30 loss to the Bears, continuing the Tar Heels' run of non-conference, opening-day flubs in the last decade against marquee opponents like South Carolina (twice), Georgia and LSU.

"It hurts," linebacker Andre Smith said. "Every guy has to do their job. Those big plays, whew, it really, really, really hurts. But you have to suck it up and move on to next play. Every time they scored, it was a self-inflicted wound. This loss is on us."

"The seniors stepped up in the locker room and said, 'This doesn't define us," added receiver Austin Proehl. "It will not define our season. We've been here the last three seasons, and they've ended well. Two years ago we were ACC Coastal champions, last year we were 8-4, going to the Sun Bowl and playing Stanford. This doesn't define who we are, but we have to hold each other accountable, and it has nothing to do with the coaches. It has everything to do with the players. We'll challenge each other to get better."

Jaws wagged and opinions flew during the offseason as Fedora and staff addressed the issues of replacing QB Mitch Trubisky, two tailbacks, three receivers and three blockers. One answer was graduate transfers, and on several possessions Saturday, the Tar Heels had QB Brandon Harris (LSU), center Cam Dillard (Florida) and right guard Khaliel Rodgers on the field together.

With that side of the ball needing a cushion to grow out of its training wheels in the coming weeks, the blueprint for another bowl season insisted upon a stout defense that could improve against the run and on third down and not have assignment busts at the back end—reasonable bets given a bounty of returning players. But the Bears and their sophomore quarterback, Ross Bowers, popped the Tar Heels with passes of 67 and 54 yards, 8-of-18 third-down conversions and 2-for-2 fourth-down conversions.

"I know there was a couple of blown coverages on a couple of scrambles that we didn't plaster to the guys," Fedora said. "I don't know that we got enough pressure with four men. I'm sure (defensive coordinator John Papuchis) will have to adjust that. Especially in that last drive—I think it was three third-and-longs that they converted on that last drive. We have to get that corrected if we're going to be successful."

Harris started at quarterback, played two series, then Surratt played the third according to a pre-ordained rotation set by Fedora and quarterbacks coach Keith Heckendorf. From there, the idea was to go by feel and results. Surratt had the more impressive numbers—18-of-28 passes, no turnovers and 66 yards rushing—and he was the quarterback on all four of the Tar Heels' touchdown drives.

Fedora said he and the coaches would "have to look at the film" before making any further judgments on playing time. Harris offered that, "My role on this team and my time here, anything that will help the team win, I'm about." And Surratt said it just good to get on the field and "get hit. I haven't been hit since my senior year of high school. The good thing was that the game wasn't too fast for me."

So as the defense addresses some serious lapses and the quarterback issue continues to work itself out, at least the Tar Heels know they have two playmakers in Carter and Brown, the latter of whom played five games in 2016 as a freshman and had 20 carries. His highlight Saturday was taking a swing pass in the second quarter, stepping through one leg tackle, turning a 360 to avoid another and bursting through yet another Bear shoulder-tackle for a 15-yard gain. That a tailback like Brown was the Tar Heels' leading receiver—nine catches for 53 yards—vouches that things are different with no Mack Hollins, Ryan Switzer or Bug Howard.

Carter and Brown even look alike on the field—both are 195 pounds, Brown standing 5-10 and Carter 5-9. Both have dreadlocks popping from the back of their helmets.

"They bring a spark to the team," Dillard said. "You get those guys the ball, it's lethal. They're going to make plays, they're going to get a first down, and Michael is going to do crazy acrobatics into the end zone. They may be little, but they come with some fire power."

"We may be a spread team, but you've got to have a running back out there," Proehl added. "We've been blessed with T.J. Logan and Elijah Hood making huge plays the last few years. What Mike and Jordon showed today is we're not going to skip a beat. What they showed was definitely a positive."

Indeed it was. Now we'll see where the Tar Heels go from here: Will Surratt and his deft running ability seal the QB job? Will tackle Bentley Spain return for Louisville after sitting out the second half? Can the defense generate more pressure and notch more than one sack? Can sophomore safety Myles Dorn become the "alpha dog" that DBs coach Terry Joseph wants after landing one juggernaut hit on a Cal runner?

"Origin of Flight" has a nice ring to it, but it comes with some awfully high standards.

Lee Pace is in his 28th year covering Tar Heel football through "Extra Points" and 14th as the sideline reporter for the Tar Heel Sports Network. His book, "Football in a Forest," is available in bookstores across North Carolina and online at www.johnnytshirt.com. Email him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @LeePaceTweet.