University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Hope To Keep Checking Warrick
September 24, 1999 | Football
Sept. 24, 1999
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - No team has held Peter Warrick in check better than North Carolina during his sterling career. The Tar Heels wonder if it can last one more game.
The star wide receiver for No. 1 Florida State (3-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has only seven catches in three games and no touchdowns against the Tar Heels heading into Saturday's game. Warrick has at least one career TD catch against every other ACC team.
There might be a logical reason for North Carolina's success against Warrick, one of the most dangerous big-play receivers in college football.
The ACC leader this season with 26 catches spent much of his time hooked up with cornerbacks Robert Williams and Dre' Bly. But both former Tar Heels are now in the NFL. In their place are a group of young defensive backs that will try to corral the elusive and explosive Warrick.
"We look at that just like they look at us," Florida State coach Bobby owden said when asked about North Carolina's inexperienced defensive backs. "You study their personnel and see if they have someone who has problems.
"The kids play good, but they're not the same two corners they have had. We are going to look at them to see if there is anything we can capitalize on."
That's Carl Torbush's worst fear, considering the Tar Heels (1-1, 0-1) faced the running of Thomas Jones of Virginia in their opener and the option attack of Indiana two weeks ago.
"It's a concern. If we had Dre' Bly and Robert Williams back, it would be a concern," the North Carolina coach said of Florida State's passing attack.
"Right now they've got some really fast guys coming off that edge. I saw them 40 times on television last week and they looked pretty fast to me."
The Tar Heels will start two sophomore cornerbacks, and have no seniors in the secondary.
"The problem is not preparing for Florida State," Torbush said. "The problem is preparing for once the guys get on the field, that X and O that you drew up on the board that says this is a perfect defense for what they've got called, you've still got to tackle that guy."
Despite his team's success against Warrick, Torbush said the wide receiver is as tough as they come.
"He's a very physical guy and I don't think you appreciate that until you get into a physical ball game," Torbush said. "Against N.C. State last week he had a chance to run out of bounds or try to make a move on one of their defensive backs and he decided to run right over him. So I think you're dealing with a tough guy."
Sophomore safety Billy-Dee Greenwood is now the leader of the North Carolina secondary. He doesn't want his fellow defensive backs using youth as an excuse for failure.
"I just told the guys to look at the film because film doesn't lie," Greenwood said. "Back then, Robert and Dre' were young, and those guys just went out there and played ball. Mentally, we're prepared to go out there and fight."
