Saturday's Scrimmage Notes

August 21, 2004 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Aug. 21, 2004

By Adam Lucas Carolina simulated gameday right down to the details on Saturday afternoon at Kenan Stadium, running through the tunnel to the sounds of the jumbotron and then going through a two-hour scrimmage. The session wasn't long on offensive fireworks, as it wasn't a straight two-hour offense vs. defense battle. Instead, the coaches took the opportunity to work on a variety of situations, including goal-line offense, third-down conversions, and executing in the shadow of the goal-line. Ronnie McGill, who did not practice on Friday, returned and ran hard, scoring the first team offense's lone touchdown to cap an impressive grinding drive on the afternoon's first series. The other score notched during head-to-head offense/defense work was by freshman cornerback Trimane Goddard, who picked off a Roger Heinz pass and sprinted down the left sideline for a touchdown. Goddard's pick was one of two turnovers caused by the defense, as Mahlon Carey also picked off a pass from his new linebacker spot. "The secondary is reacting faster," John Bunting said. "Their footwork is very sound. They've got their eyes on the receiver first and the quarterback second and they're getting breaks on the ball." McGill appeared to have no ill effects from the heat, getting work throughout the scrimmage in a variety of situations. "I felt pretty good," the sophomore said. "Yesterday they let me get a little break to make sure going into today I could play 100 percent. It worked, because I felt fine." Scrimmage notes: As with any scrimmage, the news was mixed. "It's kind of a hard deal," John Bunting said. "I want to see turnovers but I don't want to see turnovers."...The head coach singled out two position groups as the most pleasing aspect of the scrimmage. "What pleased me most was the running of our three backs and the opportunistic play of the defensive backfield."...A full set of officials was on hand but had very little cause to throw many flags. That's good news for the Heels, as the coaching staff consistently emphasizes the importance of avoiding costly penalties...McGill has gotten most of the preseason attention, but Carolina also got solid contributions Saturday from tailbacks Jacque Lewis and Chad Scott. "I'm satisfied with all our tailbacks," offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill said. "Jacque Lewis and Chad Scott and McGill all give us a little something different. One's a better pass receiver than the other two, one has a little more power, and one is quicker. We plan on playing them all."... The offensive line was missing a pair of players in the scrimmage: Skip Seagraves and Steven Bell both sat out with injuries. Joe Kedra remains sidelined with a knee injury...One freshman who has been continuously impressive is Hilee Taylor, who looks undersized at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds, but always seems to be around the ball. He did it again during the scrimmage, getting several quarterback pressures and playing both linebacker and the third-down position Brad Lawing calls the "DPR," or Designated Pass Rusher. Even Taylor's teammates have been surprised with his progress. "When I first saw him, I thought, `Who is this tall, skinny kid?'" defensive lineman Jonas Seawright said. "When they said he played linebacker, I was like, `Whoa.' But he is very fast. Looks are deceiving with him."...Speaking of fast, fellow freshman Del Roberts had a couple nice catches and showed some considerable shake on special teams...Bunting was pleased with his defense's effort against the perimeter ground game but said the interior of the line still needs work. "We had a couple holes in the middle," he said. "We'll keep working those guys inside and see if we can get that squared away."...The coaching staff will meet after tomorrow night's practice (Sunday is the last day of two-a-days) for their second personnel meeting of the preseason, one that could include discussing the playing status of some freshmen and any necessary juggling of the depth chart. Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.