University of North Carolina Athletics
1999 UNC Spring Football Preview
June 21, 1999 | Football
February 22, 1999
Three weeks after being promoted to head coach in December 1997, Carl Torbush directed the Tar Heels to a 42-3 win over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl. Last year, after surviving an 0-3 start, Torbush led Carolina to a 20-13 win over San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
As UNC prepares for the final college football season of the 20th century, Torbush oversees a team with just three starters remaining from the 1997 squad that won 11 games and finished fourth in the final coaches' poll. All three of those starters - tight end Alge Crumpler, guard Mike Gimbol and fullback Deon Dyer - are on offense.
UNC has played in seven consecutive bowl games and is the only team in the country to have won postseason contests in each of the last four seasons. However, for the Tar Heels to extend those marks another year a number of newcomers will have to play major roles in 1999.
Linebackers Brandon Spoon and Sedrick Hodge and tackles Sherrod Peace and Ryan Sims lead a defense that has lost seven defensive starters in each of the past two offseasons. Last year, the Tar Heels were without three first-round draft picks and NFL rookie starters in Greg Ellis, Brian Simmons and Vonnie Holliday. This spring, Carolina has to overcome the losses of several more probable high-round NFL selections, including end Ebenezer Ekuban and cornerback Dre Bly.
Hodge, Spoon, safety Billy-Dee Greenwood and Peace are the only four players returning on defense among the 11 who saw the most action in 1998.
"We have to make sure that a lot of our young guys, especially on defense where we lost a lot of quality players, learn how to play this spring," says Torbush. "We have lost really the last remaining group of players from what was the best three-year defense in Carolina football history. Now we have to work with guys like Julius Peppers, Brian Norwood, Quincy Monk, Errol Hood, Anthony Anderson and Joey Evans and find out how good they are, how mature they have become and how physically ready they are to play. As coaches, we have to see how much they can handle and how versatile we can be on defense."
Spoon , a 6-2, 240-pound senior from Burlington, N.C., led the Tar Heels last fall with 138 tackles and is the returning sack leader with five for 37 yards. Spoon calls the signals for the front seven, is one of the top conditioned players on the squad and among the team's fiercest competitors.
Hodge , a 6-4, 230-pound junior from Atlanta, Ga., started every game at outside linebacker in 1998. He was fourth on the team in tackles with 89, including 11 behind the line of scrimmage. An exceptional athlete, Hodge was a sprint champion in high school and long jumped better than 23 feet this year.
Peace , a 6-3, 270-pound senior from Durham, N.C., transferred to Carolina after two years at a junior college in Mississippi. A cousin of senior wide receiver Jason Peace, Sherrod started nine games at tackle after Russell Davis was slowed by an ankle injury. He finished the year with three and one-half sacks, including one for nine yards in UNCs big first half against NC State.
Sims , a 6-3, 300-pound sophomore from Spartanburg, S.C., played in every game last year as a true freshman. He played on more than 400 snaps, the highest number of any true freshman on defense and second only to quarterback Ronald Curry. Sims had four tackles for losses, including two sacks, among his 31 tackles.
Antwon Black and Greenwood shared playing time last year at free safety. Black, a 5-11, 190-pound junior from Central, S.C., started nine times and made 63 tackles. He returned a botched field goal attempt against Georgia Tech 81 yards for a touchdown. Black was an outstanding quarterback in high school and may take snaps in the spring in case the team needs an emergency fourth quarterback next fall. Black also will shift to strong safety in the spring.
Greenwood made tremendous progress last fall and has a chance to be a fine player for the Tar Heels. A 6-1, 185-pound sophomore from Stamford, Conn., Greenwood was the sixth-leading tackler on the team last year with 78 hits and four pass break ups. He started the final two regular-season games and the Las Vegas Bowl.
Hood and Anthony Anderson are the only two cornerbacks available to practice in the spring with Bly's decision to apply for the NFL Draft after his red-shirt junior season. Tyrell Godwin may be available in the fall to play some at cornerback, but he is playing baseball this spring and might have surgery on his right knee after the conclusion of the baseball season. Godwin injured his right knee on two occasions last year.
Hood, a 5-10, 190-pound sophomore from Lenoir, N.C., saw action on more than 200 snaps last year. He broke up one pass against Pittsburgh and caused a fumble on the opening kickoff return at Wake Forest. Hood also could play some at safety, if necessary.
Anderson missed the latter part of the season due to a back injury. The 5-8, 175-pound sophomore from Thomasville, N.C., played almost 200 snaps last year. He broke up three passes late in the game against Pittsburgh and two more against Wake Forest.
The Tar Heels signed six cornerbacks to National Letters of Intent in February, but won't get a chance to see those players perform until August.
In the spring, Anderson and Hood are the teams only corners. A few of the safeties and non-scholarship players may have to step in and play some in the spring.
Quinton Savage, a 5-10, 195-pound junior from Denver, Colo., and David Bomar, a 5-11, 185-pound senior from Durham, N.C. have seen playing time in reserve roles at safety and on special teams. Savage made a name for himself in the Carolina history books by blocking punts that UNC recovered for touchdowns in the 1998 Gator Bowl win over Virginia Tech and the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl triumph over San Diego State. Savage backed up Jomo Legins last year at strong safety and broke up four passes.
omar recovered the blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown in the Las Vegas Bowl. In addition to strong safety, Bomar is a regular on most special team units and can hold on field goals and extra points.
Nathan Sutton and Marcus Jones will also be in the hunt for playing time at safety. Sutton, a 5-10, 175-pound sophomore from Waynesville, N.C., tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee a year ago in spring practice and missed the entire season. Jones is a 6-1, 200-pound red-shirt freshman from Lufkin, Texas.
Hodge and Spoon are two certain starters at linebacker and should be joined in the regular rotation by Merceda Perry, a 6-4, 250-pound junior from Asheboro, N.C., and Quincy Monk, a 6-3, 235-pound sophomore from Jacksonville, N.C.
Perry and Hodge both played as true freshmen in reserve roles behind Simmons and Butkus Award finalist Kivuusama Mays. Last year, Perry was the first linebacker off the bench and saw action on almost 300 snaps. He made 41 tackles, none bigger than when he charged into the Virginia backfield and caused a fumble the Tar Heels recovered deep in UNC territory.
Monk, senior Shawn Woodard, junior Tim Burgess and red-shirt fresman Richard Moore will get a chance this spring to earn playing time.
Sherrod Peace, Sims and Teto Simpson, a 6-4, 260-pound senior from Greenville, N.C., are experienced players who should start or see extensive action along the defensive front, but behind them is an array of largely inexperienced players.
That group will compete in the spring and preseason practice for spots on the depth chart at tackle and end. It includes Stephon McQueen, a 6-4, 260-pound junior from Raleigh, N.C.; Ross McAllister , a 6-5, 255-pound junior from Dunwoody, Ga.; Anthony Perkins , a 6-4, 245-pound junior from Holly Springs, N.C.; Joey Evans , a 6-4, 255-pound sophomore from Fayetteville, N.C.; Norwood , a 6-4, 290-pound red-shirt freshman from Hamlet, N.C.; Peppers , a 6-6, 280-pound red-shirt freshman from Bailey, N.C.; Eric Davis , a 6-3, 255-pound red-shirt freshman from Rockingham, N.C.; and Willie Quick , a 6-3, 265-pound red-shirt freshman from Rockingham, N.C.
Simpson played as a true freshman and sophomore, but red-shirted in 1997. Last year, he fractured his ankle in the first preseason scrimmage and was hampered by the injury through the first half of the season. He finished the year with three tackles for losses, including his third career quarterback sack.
Offensively, the Tar Heels go into the spring with plenty of question marks concerning the health of a number of their top players. Tight end Alge Crumpler, wide receiver Jason Peace, offensive lineman Bryan Malloy and tailback Domonique Williams missed all or nearly all of 1998 with injuries. Offensive linemen Cam Holland and Ryan Carfley and wide receiver Bosley Allen were injured during the season. How much action, if any at all, they get this spring will be determined when practice begins.
Crumpler , a 6-3, 260-pound junior from Wilmington, N.C., earned second-team All-ACC honors in 1997 after he caught 24 passes and scored four touchdowns. Last March, a defender bounced off the pile in a spring running drill and rolled into Crumpler, causing torn ligaments and cartilage in his left knee. That injury knocked one of Carolina's best offensive threats off the field for the entire season. Crumpler is on schedule to play again this fall.
Jason Peace caught 32 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns in 1997 and led UNC in the season opener against Miami with four catches. However, he tore his right ACL in practice the week of the Stanford game and missed the rest of the season. His return to the lineup is critical with the departure of seniors Na Brown and L.C. Stevens (285 career combined catches) and the injury to Allen. A speedster from Sarasota, Fla., Allen would have been one of the ACC's top young threats this year, but he tore ligaments in his left knee returning a kickoff against NC State in the final regular-season game and is likely lost for the upcoming season.
Williams , a sophomore from Upper Marlboro, Md., was the favorite to start at tailback heading into preseason practice, but he suffered a stress fracture of his right tibia in the first preseason practice and was also later declared academically ineligible for the season. Williams had 15 carries for 50 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run, as a true freshman in 1997. He should give the Tar Heels a little depth at the position in the spring with returning starter Rufus Brown and combo-back Anthony Saunders.
Malloy , a 6-3, 300-pound red-shirt freshman from Shelby, N.C., enrolled at UNC in January 1998 and earned a spot on the depth chart at center and guard before suffering an ACL injury in August that knocked him out for the year.
Holland , a 6-2, 305-pound junior from Franklin, N.C., started five of the first six games last year at center, but dislocated his kneecap against Wake Forest and missed the final six games.
Carfley , a 6-1, 300-pound senior from Ridgewood, N.J., took over as the starter at center after Holland's injury. He was injured in the first quarter of the Las Vegas Bowl and had surgery in January to repair torn cartilage.
Despite the injuries to Carfley, Holland and Malloy, the lines experience is one of the offenses strengths. "I feel good about our offensive line coming back," says Torbush. "We have a lot of experience returning so that should help us be a better football team. A key this spring is to continue to develop our offensive philosophy. We have to develop a more consistent running game and still be able to throw the ball downfield."
Crumpler's expected return lets Allen Mogridge move to offensive tackle. Mogridge, a 6-4, 280-pound senior from Sevierville, Tenn., caught four passes for 32 yards and one touchdown as the Tar Heels' starting tight end in all 12 games last year. Mogridge has played tight end, fullback, linebacker and defensive end in previous collegiate seasons. He should challenge for a starting role at tackle this fall. Other returning offensive linemen include guard Bryan Jones , a 6-4, 285-pound senior from Valparaiso, Fla., guard James Wagstaff, a 6-4, 360-pound junior from Charlotte, N.C.; guard Mike Gimbol , a 6-4, 310-pound senior from Doylestown, Pa.; guard Joe Ellison , a 6-3, 290-pound senior from Winston-Salem, N.C.; tackle Kareem Ellis , a 6-5, 312-pound senior from Jacksonville, N.C.; tackle Louis Marchetti , a 6-6, 280-pound junior from Nashville, Tenn.; center Adam Metts , a 6-1, 270-pound sophomore from Burlington, N.C.; center/tackle Isaac Morford , a 6-3, 295-pound red-shirt freshman from Melrose, Fla.; and guard Don Peters , a 6-1, 305-pound red-shirt freshman from Mattawan, Mich.
Jones had the most consistent season of the offensive linemen. He started the first four games last fall at right tackle, then shifted to right guard for the final eight starts. He played more than 750 snaps, more than any other player on offense.
Wagstaff and Gimbol shared playing time at left guard. Gimbol started every game at that position in 1997 and Wagstaff started all 12 games there in 1998.
Ellison played a great deal in 1996 and 1997, but missed most of the season a year ago after he broke his leg in the fourth week. His experience gives him a shot at the starting lineup again this fall. He made three starts at right guard in 1997.
Ellis made the first seven starts of his career in 1998. He started six games at right tackle and one at left tackle. The Tar Heels won four of the six games he started at right tackle.
Ideally, Metts would not have played at all last year, but with the injuries to Malloy and Holland, he came out of a red-shirt season in the seventh game and played 18 snaps over the final five regular-season contests.
Some reshuffling takes place at tight end with Crumpler's return and Mogridge's shift to tackle. Dauntae Finger , a 6-4, 260-pound junior from Newton, N.C.; and Zach Hilton , a 6-7, 255-pound red-shirt freshman from Silver Spring, Md., will battle for the first spot off the bench. Finger made a 25-yard reception last year against Clemson that led to a touchdown.
Doug Brown , a 6-4, 250-pound sophomore from Winston-Salem, N.C., spent his first two seasons as a defensive end, but is now competing at tight end. Bryan Griffin , a 6-4, 240-pound senior walkon from Clinton, N.C., had a 23-yard catch last year against Maryland.
Carolina's quarterbacks are talented, but sophomore Ronald Curry, red-shirt freshman Luke Huard and junior Kevin Carty are the only scholarship signal-callers on the roster. Curry, a guard on the UNC men's basketball team, will not join spring drills until Carolina's season is completed.
Curry , a Hampton, Va., native, earned Most Valuable Offensive Player honors in the Las Vegas Bowl victory. He scored on a 48-yard run in the first quarter and finished as the game's leading rusher with 93 yards on 10 carries. Curry started four games and set Carolina freshman records for most total offense yards (1,394), pass completions (66), passing yards (975) and touchdown passes (six). In his first start at Stanford, he was 19 for 34 for 304 yards and two touchdowns; at Wake Forest, he threw for 230 yards and a touchdown; he engineered a brilliant fourth-quarter drive at Florida State that he capped with a touchdown pass. Curry was Carolina's second-leading rusher for the season with 419 yards and two touchdowns.
Huard , a 6-4, 215-pound native of Puyallup, Wash., was the Player of the Year in Washington in 1997 as he threw for 2,650 yards and 39 touchdowns. His brothers, Damon and Brock, played quarterback at the University of Washington. Carty , 6-3, 215 pounds from Branchburg, N.J., has seen limited action his first two years at UNC.
How healthy Jason Peace is will go a long way toward solving the puzzle at wide receiver. The coaches were looking for Peace to have a breakout season a year ago and will count on his veteran leadership and experience this fall. When he went down early in the season, that created playing time for Kory Bailey , a 6-1, 190-pound sophomore from Durham, N.C. Bailey was one of the seasons most pleasant surprises. He set UNC freshman records with 38 receptions (for 363 yards) and four touchdowns. The latter broke the mark set by Art Weiner in 1946 and Octavus Barnes in 1994.
ailey had at least one reception in all 11 regular-season games and caught touchdown passes against Stanford, Clemson, Wake Forest and Florida State. His spectacular, 19-yard touchdown catch on fourth down late in the game at Stanford tied the game at 34-34. Bailey also had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Georgia Tech.
Peace's status and Allen's injury opens the door for others to make an impact this spring at wide receiver. Greg Harris , a 6-2, 215-pound senior from Mebane, N.C., and Danny Davis , a 6-0, 185-pound sophomore from Manteo, N.C., will challenge for extensive playing time in the spring. DeFonte Coleman , a 6-1, 210-pound red-shirt freshman from Kinston, N.C., and Chesley Borders , a 5-11, 180-pound red-shirt freshman from Shelby, N.C., also have a chance to play this fall, especially when the Tar Heels go into their three- and four-wide sets.
The Tar Heels have experience at both running back positions led by senior fullback Deon Dyer . The 5-11, 255-pound Chesapeake, Va., native has been one of the most productive players on offense the past two seasons, although he plays a position that gets little notice. A bruising blocker and ballcarrier, Dyer spent much of 1997 opening holes through which Jonathan Linton raced for more than 1,000 yards. Last year, Dyer led Carolina with six rushing touchdowns and added another on a game-winning catch against Clemson. Dyer rushed 84 times for 258 yards last year. He scored touchdowns in all six of UNCs regular-season victories.
Dyer's highlight game came in Charlotte against NC State when he rushed for 58 yards and two scores in the 37-34 win over the Pack. His 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the longest touchdown dash of his career.
Ronnie Robinson , a 6-1, 235-pound junior from Atlanta, Ga., backs up Dyer. Robinson started the first two games at tailback before moving back to fullback. He had 61 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries last year.
Saunders , a 6-0, 225-pound sophomore from Greensboro, N.C., can play tailback or fullback. He spent much of 1998 at fullback, but earned the start at tailback in the Las Vegas Bowl. He carried a season-high 17 times for 39 yards against the Aztecs. Per the coaches request, he was up near 240 pounds early last fall, but has dropped back to 225 so that he can play both positions.
Rufus Brown , a 6-1, 215-pound sophomore from Belzoni, Miss., started the final eight regular-season games at tailback and became the first freshman to lead the team in rushing yards since Natrone Means in 1990. Brown gained 534 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground and was fourth on the team in receptions with 12 for 87 yards.
rown had a season-high 143 yards and one touchdown in the 38-31 win at Wake Forest. He added 83 yards and a score at Duke, 66 yards against NC State and 64 yards at Florida State. On August 15th, Brown injured his left knee in a scrimmage and was forced to play with a knee brace for the first five games. He averaged 23 yards per game with the brace and 70 yards per game after he shed the brace. He was limited to just three snaps in the Las Vegas Bowl due to a bruised sternum, an injury he suffered against NC State.
The Tar Heels return almost all of their special team performers. Senior punter Brian Schmitz was Sports Illustrated's All-Bowl Team Punter after his game-saving performance in blustery conditions in Las Vegas. He earned second-team All-ACC honors last fall averaging 44.8 yards per punt, the third-highest average in Tar Heel history.
Senior place-kicker Josh McGee has a chance to set several career marks at Carolina. The Pearl, Miss., native is 35 for 51 in field goals in his career and is 10th at UNC in career scoring with 205 points. He is third among kickers in scoring and needs just 27 points to break Tripp Pignetti's scoring record for kickers. McGee is fourth in field goals at UNC and needs only nine to break Clint Gwaltneys record of 43. Last year, McGee tied the UNC single-season record by connecting on all 30 point after attempts. He underwent reconstructive knee surgery just after the Las Vegas Bowl. Last October, the left-footed kicker tore his right ACL, an injury that did not cause him to miss a single game.
ecause of the team's remarkable youth and inexperience as well as the injury bug that plagued the team last season, Torbush says he plans to conduct spring ball a little different this year. "We will use a great deal of individual time," says Torbush. "There will probably be less 11-on-11 situations this year because of injuries and the amount of time we have to spend teaching technique, alignment, assignment, skills and drills. Plus, we are so young, we can't afford to lose guys in the spring with injuries like we did last year."
The Tar Heels open spring practice on March 15th and conclude on April 10th.
by Steve Kirschner, Director of Media Relations
