University of North Carolina Athletics
Pace: A Learning Experience
October 12, 2002 | Football
Oct. 12, 2002
By Lee Pace
The Tar Heels are nearly halfway through their 2002 season and sport a 2-3 record. Two games were solid wins on the road against quality competition -- Syracuse and Arizona State. One was a mismatch loss against one of the nation's top-ranked teams, Texas. The other two were frustrating defeats to Miami (Ohio) and Georgia Tech, games in which turnovers were murderous to the Tar Heels' chances.
Where from here? It depends on whether the strengths of John Bunting's second team at Carolina can continue to shine and if the soft spots can develop some calluses. Following is a quick overview of where the Tar Heels stand entering today's key ACC contest against NC State.
On offense:
* It took some adjustment time for QB Darian Durant to move from the relative comfort of sharing time with Ronald Curry last season to having the bright spotlight of being No. 1 shining this year. He's more relaxed as the season progresses, is making better decisions and has worked through ball-exchange problems with new center Jason Brown. There's no question he can make plays and move the chains -- witness his record setting performance of 417 yards passing at ASU.
* Jacque Lewis has emerged as the Tar Heels' No. 1 tailback. He finds openings quickly, breaks tackles and blocks very well for Durant in passing situations.
* Sam Aiken is playing as expected as a senior wide receiver. When opponents focus on stopping him, as Arizona State did, fellow senior Chesley Borders seized his opportunity with a record-setting, four-TD performance. Jarwarski Pollock is the Heels' newest big-play threat.
* Tight end is a productive position. Zach Hilton and Bobby Blizzard have combined for 19 catches, 276 yards and three touchdowns. Both are good blockers in the running game, and Blizzard offers better-than-average speed for a tight end.
* The offensive line has remained reasonably healthy and gets better each week. Bunting lauded its performance against Texas as the best he's seen so far in his one-plus seasons at Carolina.
On defense:
* The Tar Heels' line and linebacking corps are works in progress. Only defensive end Will Chapman and linebacker Malcolm Stewart, a junior and a senior, have had enough time to develop physically in the weight room and learn the speed of the game. Across the board the Heels are playing freshmen and sophomores -- Chase Page, Kendall High, Jocques Dumas, Tommy Davis, Jonas Seawright and Doug Justice among them. They'll get better, in time. For now they're doing a reasonable job stopping the run but are not putting near enough pressure on the quarterback. The Tar Heels have only seven sacks through five games, last in the ACC.
* The secondary, thought to be the strength of the defense, has been beset by coverage and tackling problems. Michael "Rabbit" Waddell was benched for the second half of the Georgia Tech game but bounced back with a crucial interception and break-up in the fourth quarter against Arizona State. Kevin Knight made a game-saving pick in the last minute as well.
"Rabbit's been through the wars," secondary coach Jim Fleming said. "He was a focal point of all media last week. Was that fair? Probably not. There's a million things involved. But the bottom line is the kid responded and worked hard. His interception on the post-corner route was a huge play. He played it absolutely perfect. Rabbit has unbelievable ability. If he'll master his technique, you'll see a lot more of what you saw tonight."
The kicking game:
* Dan Orner has been the major surprise on this year's squad, kicking three 50-yard-plus field goals against Syracuse and adding a 47-yarder at Arizona State. He's now made six-of-seven field goals and has been awarded a scholarship.
* Fellow kicker Topher Roberts nailed his first five kick-offs into the end zone against ASU, guaranteeing the Sun Devils a start at the 20 yard-line. That makes for pretty good kick-off coverage, something the Tar Heels have not done well this season. "Danny Orner's been coming on strong, and last week was the first week we had them competing against each other since camp for that job," Bunting said of the division of duties. "Topher earned the right in practice to keep his job. He responded very well."
* The return game in both punts and kick-offs remains spotty, but Bunting liked the contribution of freshman Wallace Wright on kick-off returns (two for 59 yards). "I've liked him since the day he stepped on the field," Bunting says. "He hits the opening hard." Waddell remains the No. 1 guy in punt returns, but Aiken has been groomed to step in at a moment's notice.
The balance of the year depends on the Tar Heels continuing to play well on offense and finding a way to improve quickly on defense.
"We obviously showed we can make plays on offense. We've known that all along," Bunting said after the win at Arizona State. "We made enough on defense. That's a young group fighting to get better on defense. We will get better."
Lee Pace is the editor of the Extra Points newsletter that appears each Monday morning and Extra Points Friday, which runs exclusively on TarHeelBlue.com on Fridays during the football season. Email Pace with comments or questions about UNC football at lpace@nc.rr.com, and include your first and last names and your hometown.
