University of North Carolina Athletics
1998 Season Preview
June 21, 1999 | Football
September 1, 1998
Chapel Hill, NC - As Carl Torbush embarks on his first full season as Carolina's head coach it would be easy to say that it is a "New Era" in Chapel Hill. Except that would be too trite and simply not entirely accurate. Although it will be the Tar Heels' first time through the Atlantic Coast Conference wars with Torbush calling the shots, the 46-year-old East Spencer, N.C., native has spent the last 10 years here putting together one of the top defenses in the country at Carolina.
He was here a decade ago when any win at all helped a fledgling program make an impression on hot-shot recruits. He was here six years ago when the Tar Heels made the first of six straight bowl game appearances and then dipped into the national pool with an eye-opening win over Southern California, one of the nation's most storied programs. Torbush was here the last two years, building, encouraging, and rallying one of the country's stingiest and most feared defensive units that led Carolina to 21 wins and a pair of Top 10 national finishes.
Thus, while it may be "new" in some aspects - Torbush will likely be more hands on with this team than his predecessor - Carolina is likely to reap the benefits of a stable and smooth transition. Five of the nine assistant coaches on staff the last two years return this fall and two of the five newcomers, wide receivers coach Darrell Moody and tight ends coach Terry Lewis, have spent a combined 12 years on previous UNC coaching staffs.
The three coaching newcomers to Carolina Blue - offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Steve Marshall, linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Ken Rucker and quarterbacks coach Jim Hofher - made an immediate impact in the spring with a dash of enthusiasm, spirit and intellect. Marshall brought with him a wealth of experience garnered the last few seasons at Tennessee, UCLA and Texas A&M; Rucker also was an Aggie last year and played alongside Torbush in college; and Hofher came to Chapel Hill from Cornell where he was head coach for eight seasons.
Torbush will maintain his duties as defensive coordinator and for good reason. Two years ago, he built a defense that finished second in the country in total yards allowed and he was named the National Defensive Coordinator of the Year. Many thought it impossible to top the defensive statistics the Tar Heels posted in 1996, but last year Carolina did just that. The Tar Heels yielded a paltry 209.3 yards per game, again second-best in the country and the lowest by any ACC defense since 1963. Torbush's defense was the only one in the country to be ranked in the top five in in total yards, rush, pass and scoring defense; was the only defense to have finalists for the Lombardi (best lineman), Butkus (best linebacker) and Thorpe (best defensive back) Awards; and had three players selected in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
Torbush will be the first to admit that schemes and gameplans work best with experienced, fast athletes and the 1998 Tar Heels have the latter but are a bit shy on veteran players. There should be at least six new starters on offense and seven on defense. Carolina's nine returning starters are the fewest in the ACC. Fortunately, many of the players who should earn starting jobs have played in reserve roles in the past or are talented newcomers simply in need of gameday opportunities.
The 1997 season was one of the most successful and exhilarating in Carolina football history with 11 wins, including a Gator Bowl victory, and final national rankings of No. 4 in the coaches' poll and No. 6 in the Associated Press poll. The personnel losses are dramatic, however, led by the three defensive stalwarts who were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft - defensive end Greg Ellis, linebacker Brian Simmons and tackle Vonnie Holliday. Leading tackler Kivuusama Mays, cover corner Robert Williams and safety Omar Brown were drafted and safety Greg Williams was a free agent signee. Those seven players started virtually every game the past two seasons.
Offensively, Carolina also loses several veteran standouts, including two-time All-ACC center Jeff Saturday, 1,000-yard tailback Jonathan Linton, quarterback Chris Keldorf, wide receiver Octavus Barnes, four-time bowl game starter at guard Mike Hobgood and tight end Alge Crumpler. Keldorf was the first-team All-ACC quarterback in 1996 and set the school record for touchdown passes with 35 in just two seasons. Barnes established the UNC record for career touchdown catches with 19 and that figure did not include the four he snared in bowl games.
The one personnel loss that was not anticipated was Crumpler, who would have been a viable preseason All-America candidate until he suffered a season-ending knee injury in spring practice. Crumpler had 24 receptions last fall and would have been a key player as UNC rebuilt its offensive line.
Headlining Carolina's returning starters are junior cornerback Dre' Bly and senior quarterback Oscar Davenport.
Bly, a 5-10, 195-pound junior, is the most decorated football player in Carolina history and is a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. Bly, who has intercepted 18 passes in his career (including two in a bowl game that do not count toward his official total), is the only Tar Heel football player to earn consensus first-team All-America honors in two seasons. Bly has been instrumental in Carolina finishing No. 2 in the country in total defense in each of the past two seasons. His ability to play tenacious man coverage has allowed the rest of the defense to play an aggressive, physical style.
Bly intercepted 13 passes, including two in postseason, as a freshman, and had five last year. He is one behind the alltime ACC record that is held by five different players. The Chesapeake, Va., native has been a finalist for the Thorpe Award in each of his first two seasons.
"Dre' is one of those players that you don't get the pleasure of coaching very often," says Torbush. "He is a gifted athlete who worked hard to become an outstanding cornerback. He has great hip flexibility, closing speed and understanding of what we ask him to do. Those attributes make him a good player. What makes him a great player are his instincts for the ball and his exceptional hands. He catches it like a wide receiver and he has a knack for when and where the quarterback is going with the ball. Not every great athlete has that, but Dre' does. He gambles and sometimes can look like he is going to get beat, but then his great closing speed puts him back in position to make plays."
Davenport, a 6-4, 190-pound senior, is the career pass completion percentage leader at Carolina and was the Tar Heels' Most Valuable Offensive Player a year ago. He earned that award despite not playing in the final two regular-season games or the bowl game due to an ankle injury he suffered on November 8th against Florida State. Davenport is smart, runs well, makes good decisions and has a very strong and accurate arm.
Davenport rallied UNC past Stanford with a game-winning, fourth-quarter drive in week two and took over as the starter the next week. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native completed 115 of 183 passes for 1,380 yards and seven touchdowns. He completed 62.8 percent last year and holds the UNC career mark at 63.7 percent. He also led UNC to a come-from-behind win over Virginia after the Tar Heels trailed by 17 points and had 360 yards passing in the win at Georgia Tech.
"Davenport has proven he is a great quarterback and a winner," says Torbush. "He has produced at this level before and is confident he can again. Oscar is the key to how we do offensively. He has the ability to take the game over. He has great quarterback skills, is a very good athlete who can avoid getting sacked and still get 15 yards downfield. He's definitely the type quarterback all defenses worry about."
Davenport will quarterback an offense featuring several other all-star candidates, including senior wide receivers Na Brown and L.C. Stevens and junior wide receiver Jason Peace.
Brown set the single-season record for receptions by a Tar Heel in 1997 with 55 receptions. Two years ago, he grabbed 54 passes; he is the only player in UNC history to catch 50 or more passes in more than one season. The Reidsville, N.C., native has 110 career catches, the fourth-highest figure in school history. He has eight touchdown catches and averages better than 10 yards per play. He was fourth in the ACC in catches in 1997 with 5.0 per game.
Stevens has the potential to be one of the top big-play threats in the country. The Clinton, N.C., native has 94 career receptions and has 11 touchdowns. He averaged 15.0 yards per catch as a freshman, 17.5 as a sophomore and 16.2 as a junior. Stevens is fifth in UNC history in receiving yardage with 1,588, sixth in touchdown catches and eighth in total receptions. Stevens has made three of the eight-longest touchdown catches in Carolina history and has five career 100-yard games. At Clemson last year, Stevens led the Tar Heels to their first win in Death Valley in 17 years as he made three catches for 169 yards to set up all of Carolina's points.
Peace, a junior from Durham, N.C., caught 32 passes and scored two touchdowns last year, only his second playing the position. He is Carolina's best receiver in getting yards after catches and continues to get better with every practice. This is just his third season playing the position after being a standout quarterback at Northern High School.
"Oscar Davenport and our top three wide receivers have been in the wars," says Torbush. "Brown and Stevens have made more than 200 catches the last two years and Peace has improved as much as anybody on our football team. I think they are as good a group as in the country. They have proven it under fire."
Carolina has to answer two of the biggest questions about its football team on the offensive line and the running game. Only one lineman, junior guard Joe Ellison, has nailed down a starting job entering preseason camp. Every other position is listed as co-starters coming out of spring practice. Three players, including Ellison, have started games at Carolina on the offensive line. Ellison made three starts at right guard last fall. Mike Gimbol started all 12 games last year at left guard but battled injuries in the spring and did not solidify his return to the starting lineup. Senior tackle John Surigao started at right tackle one time last year.
The offensive line has been the team's most maligned position over the past few years. The Tar Heels had become a finesse running team the last few years and gave up 24 combined quarterback sacks in its only three losses in 1996 and 1997. Torbush and Marshall's chief objective in spring practice was to develop a more physical and aggressive offense.
"Our goal in spring was to become a more physical football team," says Torbush. "Basically we worked toward that, but we still are not where we want to be. Our offensive line will be young, but they are big and strong and have a chance to be really good. We accomplished getting more physical, but we have to get it done in a ballgame.
"We want to continue to throw the ball as well as we have thrown it the last several years and be able to convert on third downs like we have. To be consistently among the Top 10 football teams and be able to beat the teams we have to beat on a yearly basis, we are going to have to be able to run the ball better. We need to run it better, but not necessarily more. We want to feel as good about our running game as our passing game."
Neither Torbush nor Marshall believe in an offensive system that runs and passes a certain percentage. "I don't care if we run the ball effectively 60 times or 10 times in a game," says Marshall. "The key is for us to both run and pass equally as well. If we can get what we need in the running game on a handful of plays and still move the ball, that's fine. If teams want to take away one aspect of our offense, we have to be able to counter. We want to establish an offense that can keep a defense guessing and keep it off balance so we can move the ball doing both."
Surigao, a 6-5, 285-pound senior from Durham, and James Wagstaff, a 6-4, 340-pound sophomore from Charlotte, are at left tackle. Ellison, a 6-2, 275-pound junior from Winston-Salem, returned last year after injuring a knee in the 1997 Gator Bowl against West Virginia. He should start at left guard and is backed up by Louis Marchetti, a 6-6, 250-pound junior from Nashville, Tenn.
Three players are competing at center. Cam Holland, a 6-2, 300-pound Franklin, N.C., native, played in all 12 games last year a total of 103 snaps. Ryan Carfley, a 6-2, 295-pound junior from Ridgewood, N.J., has seen action in nine games in two years. Bryant Malloy, a 6-3, 290-pound freshman from Cherryville, N.C., enrolled in school in January and by virtue of going through spring drills has a chance to play as a true freshman at either center or guard.
Gimbol, a 6-4, 305-pound junior from Doylestown, Pa., sprained his knee in the spring and enters fall camp in a battle with Jon Hall, a 6-3, 325-pound junior from Hagerstown, Md. Malloy is next in line behind Gimbol and Hall.
Kareem Ellis, a 6-5, 315-pound junior from Jacksonville, N.C., had a very solid spring after rebounding from a back injury that limited his playing time a year ago. Bryan Jones, is a bit undersized at 6-4, 270, but the junior from Valparaiso, Fla., is very athletic and is enthusiastically working hard to get bigger and stronger. Ellis and Jones should both see action at right tackle.
Just as uncertain as the offensive line is the cast of backs who will be running behind that line. A trio of tailbacks, sophomore Domonique Williams, red-shirt freshmen Ravon Anderson and Rufus Brown, are in a friendly, yet fierce competition for the opportunity to replace Linton. Linton rushed for 1,004 yards and 10 touchdowns and added 29 receptions in his one year as a starter.
Only seven players, including three quarterbacks, had rushing attempts last year. Linton and reserve tailback Mike Geter, also a senior in 1997, combined for 303 carries. The leading returning rusher is fullback Deon Dyer, who had 90 yards on 25 attempts. Williams had 15 carries for 50 yards, 10 yards of which came on a touchdown run against Duke.
Williams, a 6-2, 205-pound standout prep quarterback from Upper Marlboro, Md., combines speed and the ability to run inside and may have the edge due to his experience, albeit limited. He has excellent hands and is a legitimate pass-catching threat out of the backfield.
Anderson, 5-10, 190 pounds from Hoboken, N.J., scored twice in the Blue-White spring game and is an elusive, darter-type runner. He is dangerous when he runs inside the tackles and finds holes through which he bursts into the secondary.
Brown, 6-1, 210 pounds from Belzoni, Miss., is the power back of the three. He has good speed, but he is also the type back who will take defenders head on and run them over. He missed the last several practices in the spring due to a broken rib but should be cleared by the start of preseason practice.
"All of them compliment each other," Torbush says. "Williams is versatile like Leon Johnson. Ravon reminds me of Eric Blount when he was at running back as he is a smaller, quicker guy. Rufus is a big back with strong thighs. Each is a little unique from the other and brings something to the table. The best thing about them is that they are young and will be around a long time. None of them has jumped out in front of the others, but I think you will see someone will separate from the pack by about the fourth game."
Dyer, the starter for the first 10 games last year, and Ronnie Robinson, the starter in the last three games including the bowl game, return for a spirited competition at fullback. Both players will see prominent playing time and may do so in a one-back set. With red-shirt freshman Anthony Saunders improving each day, this is one of the deepest and most talented positions on the team.
Dyer is a 6-0, 240-pound junior from Chesapeake, Va. He has the physical tools to be a dominant fullback both in college and in the NFL. He runs well (had a 31-yard touchdown run last fall against Virginia), is a good receiver and a devastating blocker. He suffered a broken leg in the 10th game last year and must be in good physical condition to be an impact player.
Robinson, a 6-2, 240-pound sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., played beyond expectations in his three starts and had an excellent spring. Like Dyer, Robinson can run well and is a threat in the passing game, especially in his ability make yards after catches.
Saunders is a 6-2, 215-pound red-shirt freshman from Greensboro, N.C., who set virtually every high school rushing record in the state.
"Deon's a proven player who can play one back," says Torbush. "We have had some pretty good fullbacks here lately, and I think he can be really special. Ronnie Robinson has been a tremendous surprise. Here's a kid who never says a word, just goes out there and busts his tail. And Saunders is going to be a good player. You have to remember that all three were high school tailbacks and can really run the ball. They can play one-back, lead block for the tailbacks, pass protect, whatever we ask. They are a really good group."
Torbush believes that having an experienced quarterback in Davenport and three veteran receivers in Brown, Stevens and Peace will take some pressure off the running game early in the season. Marshall plans to use three and four receiver sets in a multiple pro-style set and the fourth receiver heading into preseason is Kory Bailey, a 6-2, 185-pound freshman from Durham.
Crumpler's injury was one of a series of injuries that plagued the tight end position all spring. Dauntae' Finger, a 6-5, 240-pound sophomore from Newton, N.C., played in all 12 games last year a total of 170 snaps but did not have a reception. Finger would likely have been the candidate to inherit the starting job as a result of Crumpler's injury, but he missed all of spring practice as he rehabilitated from shoulder surgery. Allen Mogridge, a 6-3, 250-pound junior from Sevierville, Tenn., enters preseason as the starter. Mogridge has played several positions at Carolina, including defensive end, fullback and linebacker. Joey Walters, a junior from Hollywood, Fla., is next in line at tight end.
Ebenezer Ekuban, who will start at defensive end, may also be asked to play eight to 12 snaps per game at tight end. He was the top backup behind two-time All-ACC tight end Freddie Jones in 1995 and 1996 and caught six passes, two for touchdowns. Freshmen Zach Hilton of Silver Spring, Md., and Julius Peppers of Bailey, N.C., may be given an opportunity to contribute immediately.
"There is no question we lost one of the best players we had on our football team," says Torbush. "Alge would have been a preseason All-America. Finger is a good player with athletic ability. The problem is he did not practice in the spring. Mogridge is a solid player who gives great effort. He really made big strides in the spring. The two freshmen, Peppers and Hilton, may be able to come in and help right away."
Backing up Davenport at quarterback are Kevin Carty, a 6-4, 218-pound sophomore from Branchburg, N.J., and Phillip Deas, a 6-1, 205-pound red-shirt freshman from Bossier City, La. Carty saw very limited action last year in three games and completed both his pass attempts for 52 yards.
"Deas and Carty both improved a lot in the spring," says Torbush. "Unfortunately, we didn't have a clear cut winner. Both had excellent days followed by inconsistent days. I can't say one is second and one is third going into camp, although I wanted to do that. The first few weeks of practice will be very important because going into the Miami of Ohio game I want to have a No. 2 quarterback established."
Defensively, the Tar Heels return four starters, including Bly, end Mike Pringley, tackle Russell Davis and linebacker Keith Newman. Linebacker Brandon Spoon was the first reserve at linebacker last year and would have been a starter as a freshmen were it not for Mays, a two-time all-conference middle linebacker. Spoon and Newman are so highly thought of, even with the loss of Simmons and Mays, The Sporting News ranks UNC's linebackers among the 10 best in the country.
Newman will likely begin the year on the Butkus Award watch list, a spot he earned last year after a fast start that included a blockbuster game against Virginia. The 6-3, 245-pound senior from Tampa, Fla., had 10 tackles, including a sack, and two fumble recoveries in the big win over the Cavaliers. That game was one of four last season in which Newman made 10 or more tackles. He had a career-high 13 at Florida State in 1996 and a season-high 11 against the Seminoles last fall.
Davis started in 1996 at defensive end, but moved inside and started all but one game last year at tackle. The 6-4, 295-pound senior from Fayetteville, N.C., had a career-high 60 tackles last season, including nine tackles for losses and three quarterback sacks. He had two tackles behind the line of scrimmage in Carolina's 16-13 win at Georgia Tech and made eight hits in the win at Clemson.
Pringley, a 6-5, 270-pound senior from Linden, N.J., started 11 games at end and made 45 tackles last year. Pringley had eight and one-half tackles for losses, including three and one-half quarterback sacks and pressured the quarterback another 29 times. He played his best game of the season in the Gator Bowl win against Virginia Tech.
Spoon, a 6-3, 235-pound junior from Burlington, N.C., made the Butkus Award watch list as a sophomore and should again be among the best linebackers in the country in 1997. Spoon made 65 tackles, including seven and one-half for losses, last year. He played his best football down the stretch as he made 10 tackles against both Florida State and Clemson.
"I never in the world thought that statistically we could match in 1997 what we did in 1996," says Torbush. "Not with today's high powered offenses. If not for that shoestring play (Indiana's 53-yard trick play in the season opener) we would have led the nation in defense. But, I like the fact this group of players uses the 1996-1997 group as the standard to reach. That will make them better. These kids have an enormous amount of self pride. They want to be better than last year's group. But I don't want them to get caught up in stats. They have to remember that the name of the game is wins and losses.
"I think athletically this year's defense is really close to last year's team. They just have to be productive on the field. The players we lost were good athletes and they got it done on the field. Athletically, this year's team is every bit as good as last group, but they have not done it yet. Very few programs could lose what we did on offense and defense and still feel like they can be competitive and I think we really can."
One of the players who will step in for a departed All-America and top draft pick is Ekuban, who will replace Greg Ellis, projected to be a starter this fall for the Dallas Cowboys. Ekuban has a chance to be a standout at rush end. The 6-4, 265-pound Riverdale, Md., senior played as a true freshman and sophomore at tight end, but moved to defense last year and responded with a productive season. Ekuban had four quarterback sacks in the first three games, but was slowed by a shoulder injury that held him out of action for several weeks. He had nine tackles, four of them for losses, including three sacks, and caused a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the win at Maryland. He finished the year with 40 tackles, nine of them for negative yardage, and five sacks. Last year he just bull-rushed past blockers and should only get better with experience.
Ekuban and Pringley will start at defensive end and will be backed up by Teto Simpson, a 6-4, 265-pound junior from Greenville. Simpson played a lot of football in 1995 and 1996, but requested a red-shirt season a year ago to catch up to the majority of his incoming classmates. The year off has really improved Simpson's confidence and understanding of the nuances of the game. Simpson worked hard to get bigger and stronger, as well. He has a chance to play a lot of snaps this year and will be an anchor on defense next season.
Three younger players - sophomore Ross McAllister, sophomore Stephon McQueen and red-shirt freshman Joey Evans - will compete for the fourth slot at end.
Davis is a tremendous athlete who Torbush says could go from playing tackle in college to linebacker in the NFL. He and Marcus Dow, a 6-0, 295-pound senior from Thomasville, will be asked to stop the run and provide more of an inside pass rush. Last August, Dow fell on a teammate's foot when making a tackle in a preseason scrimmage and suffered a fractured kidney. That serious injury kept him out of action in the regular season, but he returned to practice in early December and played in the Gator Bowl. This spring, Dow was voted the Most Outstanding Defensive Performer.
Sherrod Peace, a 6-4, 280-pound junior from Durham, transferred to Carolina in January from Gulf Coast Junior College in Mississippi. A cousin of wide receiver Jason Peace, he was a highly recruited defensive standout out of Northern High School where he played for current UNC tackles coach Ken Browning. Peace should be the third tackle in a rotation with Davis and Dow. McAllister, who walked on at UNC and has since earned a scholarship, is also expected to see some action at tackle.
"Of course we lost some experience on the line with Ellis, Holliday and (Nate) Hobgood-Chittick, but still have lot of experienced players coming back," says Torbush. "Davis and Pringley have played a lot of football and been starters for several years. Ekuban, Simpson and Dow have played and I feel good about their abilities, but we have to stay healthy.
"Davis is the most athletic tackle we have ever had here. He just needs to be more consistent. We could play him at linebacker, he has that kind of skills. Sherrod Peace is such a physical athlete, he will jump out and play a lot."
Sophomores Sedrick Hodge and Merceda Perry join Newman and Spoon as the top four linebackers. Hodge, a 6-4, 235-pound speedster from Atlanta, Ga., had one tackle for a loss among his 15 hits last year. Perry, a 6-4, 245-pounder from Asheboro, added 18 tackles. Behind the first four at linebacker are Tim Burgess, a sophomore from Cary, Quincy Monk, a red-shirt freshman from Jacksonville, and Shawn Woodard, a junior from Wilson.
"We have good depth at linebacker," says Torbush, who relinquishes his role as linebackers coach to Rucker. "It reminds me of 1995 when we lost Kerry Mock, Eddie Mason and Mike Morton and Brian Simmons and Kivuusama Mays were young sophomore starters. Newman and Spoon bring a lot of snaps to the table. They are consistently sound players. Keith is very solid and faster than he looks. Physically, he was the strongest of last year's linebackers and was the best in taking on blockers. With a really good year I think he could be a high round pick in the NFL Draft.
"Spoon is physical and, like Keith, a real student of the game. He is real tough on himself because he prides himself on always making the right call and the correct play. He will call the signals for the front seven.
"The three kids we brought in last year have a chance to be special. Hodge made tremendous strides in the spring. He has good height, weighs 230-plus and can fly. Hodge could be a Brian Simmons-type player, but he will be bigger than Brian."
If there is a defensive question mark it likely rests in the secondary, where UNC must replace five of the top six players from a year ago. Bly returns at one cornerback, but UNC is without Robert Williams, who broke up 36 passes the last two years, at the other corner. Williams opted to enter the NFL Draft after his junior season. Also departed are safeties Omar Brown, a fourth round pick by Atlanta, and Greg Williams, who signed with Chicago. Brown was a three-year starter and Williams started 19 times over the last two years. Reggie Love and Terry Billups (who signed with New England) were key reserves at corner and safety and also were seniors in 1997.
Steve Fisher, a 5-10, 190-pound senior from New Bern, should start at cornerback. Fisher earned a scholarship last year after making a name for himself on special teams. He returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the win over Wake Forest and also had an interception against Indiana. Fisher will be pushed for playing time by a pair of impressive red-shirt freshmen, Thomasville's Anthony Anderson and Lenoir's Errol Hood. Both Anderson and Hood had good showings in the spring.
Tyrell Godwin, a 5-10, 190-pound sophomore from Council, moved from tailback/wide receiver to cornerback in the spring. Carolina's starting left fielder, Godwin split his time between spring practice and the baseball field so it is hard to judge at this time just how much of an impact he will have this fall. In terms of athletic ability, Godwin has a chance to be an exceptional player.
The two safety positions will be manned by one player with plenty of experience, two with limited experience and a newcomer. Jomo Legins, a 5-11, 190-pound senior from Winston-Salem, has started four games in the last two years at strong safety and played extensively in nickel situations and on special teams. He is very adept at blocking kicks.
Sophomores Antwon Black and Quinton Savage saw some action in reserve roles last year, but will be on the field a lot this fall. Black, a 5-10, 200-pou
