University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Defense Has High Standards
October 14, 2000 | Football
By Lee Pace
Carolina has the physical attributes and enough bodies to have an excellent defense in 2000. But it's lacking two things--seasoning at a couple of positions and the development of a proper mindset at several more--to become as good as it wants.
The units of 1996 and 1997 set remarkably high standards for defensive play at Carolina. Over two years, Carolina averaged allowing 218 yards and 11.5 points a game. In 1997, exactly half of opponent's snaps went for no gain or a loss. Seventeen defensive players having significant roles with those units have played in the NFL.
It might be asking too much for the Tar Heels under first-year coordinator Kenny Browning to return to such a high level of dominance. There's no question those years were an incredible confluence of outstanding athletes with confident--even cocky, some would say--mental approaches to the game.
"That might have been a once-in-a-lifetime group," says head coach Carl Torbush, the Tar Heel defensive coordinator those years. "I'm not sure we knew how good they were until midway through 1996. That was the most confident I'd ever felt as a coach. We could almost do anything we wanted and I felt we had a chance to be successful. Not only was it an athletic group, it was a smart group, You go back and look at that group, only a few of them have not graduated. That says a lot."
The Tar Heels aren't quite as gifted athletically today as they were three years ago, but still they have potential all-stars in players like Ryan Sims, Julius Peppers, Brandon Spoon, Sedrick Hodge and Errol Hood. Walk-ons Anthony Perkins, Ross McAllister, David Bomar and Will Chapman have contributed.
Three of four positions in the secondary and one at linebacker are manned to a large degree by players getting their first significant taste of big-time competition. Sophomore DeFonte Coleman has moved into the starting role at free safety, and freshman Dexter Reid is playing more at strong safety, particularly against multi-receiver sets and on passing downs. Sophomore Michael Waddell is in his first year at cornerback, and junior Quincy Monk is playing for the injured Merceda Perry at one linebacker position.
By contrast, the 1997 defense had not one starter or key reserve new to the field.
Unfortunately, mental lapses occur when you're new to the fray. A tight end slipping out into the flat is missed in man coverage. Pass coverage technique is sloppy. A signal from the sideline is misunderstood. Sometimes all it takes is one player making one mistake to turn no gain into a big one. That's one reason Georgia Tech piled up 372 yards and 5.3 yards a snap on offense in beating Carolina last week, 42-28.
"It was frustrating because we had 10 people doing the right thing and the 11th would screw up," Peppers said. "The whole team was screwing up at one time or another. We didn't play well, so they scored 42 points."
Carolina ranks 16th among 114 Division I schools this fall in rushing defense at 87 yards allowed per game. It's 89th in pass defense with 235 yards and 39th in total defense with 322 yards.
Not bad, not outstanding.
Browning sees good things to come as the younger Heels grow up. "I try to be patient with the teaching process," says Browning. "I'd like to be more patient. I don't know that it's one of my strengths. Sometimes I'd like to see them develop sooner. But every one of them can look at game tape and see the things they need to do better--and everyone has the ability to do those things."
The Tar Heels plan to play more of their trademark bump-man coverage as the season goes along and Waddell becomes more experienced and comfortable.
"Physically, Rabbit is improving," Browning says. "What we need him to do is play with more confidence. A couple of his mistakes have been mental mistakes, things I believe a more confident player would pick up. That will come. It just takes some time."
"Rabbit is coming along," says Hood. "He's still nervous, afraid to let loose. It might be expectations. He's afraid of getting burned. But he's coming along. He'll be there."
Hood has plenty of confidence. He's a junior, has played a lot and has had success--most notably his game-saving tackle of N.C. State's Chris Coleman on the goal line of last year's 10-6 Tar Heel win in Charlotte.
That's what the young Tar Heels need today--building blocks of success that can lead to a self-assured mindset. Then maybe the defense of 2000 can set some high standards of its own.
