University of North Carolina Athletics
Extra Points: Heels Make A Stand, Edge Wolfpack In Thriller
October 11, 2004 | Football
Oct. 11, 2004
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by Lee Pace
The defensive front line burrowed in with the football resting just six inches from the goal line. From left-to-right were Melik Brown (sophomore, first year playing the line), Khalif Mitchell (true freshman), Jonas Seawright (fifth-year senior), Isiah Thomas (sophomore), Kyndraus Guy (freshman) and Tommy Davis (junior). For one month, since Carolina's horrendous experience at Virginia, the Tar Heels had gone live in practice for at least 10 minutes two days a week in these goal-line situations -- fur-flying, dust-clouding, mano-a-mano, hide-the-women-and-kids tackling.
"We had to get tougher," Tar Heel coach John Bunting said. "We had to change our mindset."
"We've had to do some things you don't normally do during the season," defensive line coach Brad Lawing added. "You usually try to protect your kids once the season starts. But we had to develop some tackling skills. We thought, `If someone gets hurt, so be it.'"
Fourteen seconds remained on the clock. Carolina clung to a 30-24 lead. It was third down. The Wolfpack's star tailback, T.A. McLendon, had been stopped on the previous down, his knee clearly touching the ground as he was wrapped up by Davis before the ball crossed the goal line. One official had prematurely signaled a score, but another with a different vantage point decisively ruled the play down. Lost amidst all the hue and cry from State's coaches and fans in the game's aftermath was the fact that the scoreboard operator had no business posting six Wolfpack points in the first place until the linesman and line judge, watching from opposite sides of the field, confirmed the touchdown. On top of that, the clock would not have stopped had one official not erred with the premature TD call. So now with no time outs remaining, the Wolfpack needed to score on this snap or throw an incomplete pass to stop the clock and give it one more shot on fourth down.
The Tar Heel defense huddled around Bunting, Lawing and defensive co-coordinator Marvin Sanders at the boundary during the time out called by the Carolina staff to get its defense set. The coaches expected McLendon up the gut or, if State decided not to run, to line up in a "bunch set" with three or four receivers clustered to one side and one attempting to break free from the clutter to receive a pass.
"We knew they'd give it to T.A.," Melik Brown said. "All week, we watched film and saw that he was their `go-to' guy when they needed a play."
Make-or-break downs had given Bunting and the Tar Heels fits for two years. Rarely could they keep anyone out of the end zone or short of the first-down chains on key snaps. But over the last month, something different was happening -- touchdowns were becoming fewer, field goals were becoming more frequent. Twice against Georgia Tech, once against Louisville and once against Florida State, the Tar Heels had steeled themselves and turned seven potential points into three.
"I've been saying all year this defense is going to get better," Bunting said.
Now 60,000 sets of eyes were riveted on the field. Bragging rights and recruiting mojo were at stake. Memories of classic finishes in this old rivalry popped up -- Damon Hartman's 56-yard field goal in 1990, for example, and the Errol Hood/David Bomar tackle of Chris Coleman in 1999 -- the former providing a State victory, the latter preserving a Carolina win.
The Wolfpack showed run coming out of the huddle, its "hammer" personnel group featuring two tight ends, a fullback and a wingback for blocking purposes. Be honest -- what would you have bet that Carolina's Kiddie Korp defense could keep a steamroller like McLendon out of the end zone from six inches? Standing 12 yards away at the base of the end zone, I was hoping for a delay of game penalty .... a false start .... a bobbled snap .... anything to help the Tar Heels.
Over on the sideline, Madison Hedgecock said he was praying -- "Praying hard." Carolina needed to win if only to validate the unselfish, tireless, brute-force mindset that Hedgecock has brought to the program for two years -- playing defensive end to help the team, thriving on special teams because he loves contact, and on this night helping spark the offense with 69 yards on 10 carries from tailback.
"You can always, always, count on Madison Hedgecock to dominate whoever's in front of him," center Jason Brown said.
Receiver Jesse Holley, a leader on offense Saturday with one score on a 23-yard pass from Darian Durant, believed in his mates on the other side of the ball. "For some reason, I had no doubt," he said.
As the State offense approached the line of scrimmage, Mitchell eyed Wolfpack tackle Derek Morris. Mitchell's mind fluttered with several thoughts: Penetration. Speed off the ball. Look for the runner bull-dozing low or leaping over the pile. A prize recruit twice for the Tar Heels -- once out of high school in 2003 and then again out of prep school last December -- Mitchell brought enormous physical tools to the game. But he spent four weeks out of position at tackle following Chase Page's injury and was still learning to play with his hands and with his mind -- important complements to his 6-6 size and 4.9 speed.
"I didn't get a chance to hit T.A. all game," Mitchell remembered later. "I didn't get a chance to hit him all night. I was like, `When I get my hands on him, I'm going to get him.'"
The Wolfpack ran a basic lead play behind guard John McKeon and Morris.
Mitchell fought off his block. Brown shucked two blocks -- the tight end and then the fullback. Linebacker Fred Sparkman crashed from behind. McLendon went airborne from the two yard-line.
Mitchell popped him and knocked the ball loose. Brown was there to finish up. Sparkman wasn't far behind.
"We focused on T.A. and as soon as he got the ball, we attacked," Brown said.
"He jumped pretty high," Mitchell said. "When I got him, I was fully extended. I even had his legs. I said, `Don't let him go.'"
"Khalif had great pad level and great explosion," Lawing said. "And if he hadn't made the play, Melik was right there. He had nowhere to go."
The ball squirted from McLendon's grasp and into the arms of Kareen Taylor, who'd sprinted in from the right side. Following one perfunctory offensive snap, the Carolina students stormed the field and Bunting and Co. enjoyed their most significant victory in three years.
"I'm on cloud nine," Jason Brown said.
"It proves all the doubters wrong," Durant added.
"It was one of the very, very best team victories I've ever been around as a player or a coach," Bunting said.
Team victory, indeed.
The Tar Heel offense was consistent and probed an aggressive State defense for five big plays totaling 50 percent of its 356 yards total. The Heels lost no turnovers. The line blocked well, as did tight ends Jon Hamlett, Jocques Dumas and Justin Phillips. Jacque Lewis and Hedgecock ran hard, the latter behind the blocking of reserve fullback Rikki Cook. Durant and his receivers were efficient, the former on target for the most part and the latter sure-handed. There were none of the teeth-gnashing errant passes or ham-handed drops seen all too often this fall.
"We didn't have the ball much," offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill said, noting State's advantage in time of possession (33 minutes to 27) and total snaps (78 to 53). "But the biggest thing was, we answered the call when we had to. We made some big plays."
The defense looked bad on the statistics sheet, yielding 577 yards and a 7.4 yards-per-snap average. But it held firm on three State thrusts inside the 20, limiting the Wolfpack to field goals on each. Lots of players contributed big hits -- from reserves Doug Justice and Tommy Richardson to starters Davis, Guy, Taylor and Jacoby Watkins. Sophomore linebacker Larry Edwards, banished to a reserve role after a high-profile debut as a freshman last fall, worked his way back into the coaches' good graces and earned a starting role. He delivered eight tackles and had one interception on a tipped ball with a 54-yard return. The all-important front line continues to get better with maturity.
"I'm most pleased with the defensive line at this point," Bunting says. "We have some kids who are going to be really, really good players -- given some time."
And the kicking game was solid. Connor Barth gunned a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter that might have been good from 60 yards. David Wooldridge had three punts for 45 yards with no returns. The punt and kickoff cover teams blanketed Wolfpack threat Tramain Hall.
"The speed of our future is on special teams," Bunting said, referring to players like Del Roberts, Quinton Person, Hilee Taylor, Tremain Goddard, D.J. Walker and Martel Thatch. "They're really competing."
Amid the raucous celebration from midfield in Kenan Stadium to Franklin Street and beyond, Bunting remained in character, allowing himself a few smiles and backslaps but then noting there's a difficult trip to Utah in the offing. He saw more good things and potential in the loss to Louisville than the mercurial media or fans who booed and left early. And he doesn't see a six-point win over State as any sign the Tar Heels have turned the corner. He and Tranquill are immensely relieved that Durant has rebounded to play reasonably well against Florida State and very well against State. They know the offense has to carry more than its share of the load on a team that still has 12 freshmen and sophomores on its defensive two-deep. And while Bunting is delighted with his defense's goal-line stand to win the game, it doesn't mean he can yield on the pressure on his staff or players to get better.
"I'd love to say [the end-of-the-game stand] would have a pronounced effect for the rest of the year, but that's going too far," said Bunting, ever the realist. "We're still taking baby steps on defense. We're not even close. We're giving up way too many explosive plays, and most are traceable to mistakes of execution from a mental standpoint. We have to be more mentally prepared. I'm very unsatisfied with where the defense is right now. We have to get better."
That's for certain. But in the meantime, a win over the Wolfpack after two straight defeats salves a lot of wounds.
Send your questions about Tar Heel football to Lee Pace at lpace@nc.rr.com . Please include your first and last names and hometown. His Q&A column will appear each Friday during the season.
