University of North Carolina Athletics
Countdown to Kickoff: Game Week Guide
September 6, 2005 | Football
Sept. 6, 2005
By Adam Lucas
Finally, it's game week. As always, TarHeelBlue.com will be your home for exclusive stories and photos throughout the next seven days. To start you off, we've put together a comprehensive Georgia Tech game guide packed with all the information you need to get ready for the Yellow Jackets. In the days to come, we'll have reports from John Bunting's Tuesday press conference, Lee Pace's Friday mailbag, and much more.
Until then, we've broken down the game guide into four sections: the basics, storylines, at the game, and watching the game on TV.
The Basics
Game Time: North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 3:30, ABC.
Carolina's game notes can be are here.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 2:30.
Game week TV/radio coverage: John Bunting Live airs Thursday night at 7. It's a radio doubleheader on Thursday night, as Tar Heel Talk with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas airs on 1090/1490 AM Thursday night at 6 p.m., live from Bub O'Malley's (the show will return to its normal Monday at noon time slot beginning Sept. 12). And the John Bunting TV show airs Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on FOX Sports.
Storylines
Jon Tenuta's defense against Carolina's offense.
Tenuta is back in the spotlight after last weekend's standout defensive performance against Auburn. The former Tar Heel coordinator--who never particularly enjoyed his stay in Chapel Hill and left for greener pastures after just one season--was the architect of Tech's 21-13 victory in 2002 and 41-24 win in 2003. But he was also the coordinator for last season's 34-13 Carolina victory as the Tar Heels rolled up 284 rushing yards.
Tenuta favors a zone blitz scheme that is likely to be in the news all week. How do the Tar Heels beat it?
"If you try to man block it you're in trouble," Carolina guard Charlston Gray says. "You have to use zone blocking--the tackle has the C gap, the guard has the B gap, and the center has the A gap. If you're in your gap, you should be OK."
Carolina in season openers
The Tar Heels have lost three of their last four season openers and didn't have one of their best performances in the lone victory, a 49-38 win over William and Mary last year. Coming off a training camp described as the best in John Bunting's tenure, better results are expected.
"I think we're way ahead of where we've been at the start of past seasons," cornerback Cedrick Holt said. "I would expect us to have more intensity and that to translate to playing faster on the field."
Stopping the run
Tech dominated time of possession against Auburn, holding the ball for nearly 10 minutes more than the Tigers. That's a familiar formula against the Tar Heels, as the Jackets have run the ball well against Carolina in years past--P.J. Daniels, who ran for 111 yards against Auburn, rumbled to 240 yards the last time the Heels were in Atlanta.
The Tar Heel rushing defense was uneven over the final month of 2004, posting a 73-yard performance against powerful Miami but giving up 270 yards to Virginia Tech, then limiting Duke to just 53 rushing yards but coughing up 228 to Boston College.
John Bunting says yards rushing is one of the most telling stats in football. It's likely to play an important role on Saturday.
At the Game
Team headquarters: Marriott Marquis
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: Woody, Rick and Jones usually broadcast their in-stadium feed from the lowest free frequency available. 88.1 is always a good bet to check--if there's an Atlanta station on that frequency, try the other frequencies low on the dial. If that doesn't work, they'll be on the very top end of the dial (around 107.9).
Best pregame atmosphere spot: Stop by The Varsity, which is an Atlanta institution and will be a hub of Yellow Jacket activity. Don't expect a refined meal or white tablecloth service. Do expect a good hot dog and a tasty orange freeze.
How to get to the game: Parking a car can be a pain. If you absolutely must drive your car, call the Georgia Tech parking office at 404-894-9645 or visit their parking website in advance to get some ideas. Driving in Atlanta can be extremely confusing if you're new to the city--over 60 streets have some variation of "Peachtree" in their name.
The most painless way to get to the game is the MARTA, Atlanta's mass transportation system. The best stop for the stadium is N3, North Ave. That also happens to be the same stop as The Varsity.
Other Atlanta activities: The World of Coca-Cola Pavilion (404-676-5151) can kill a couple of hours, and Buckhead shopping can usually satisfy even the most discriminating non-football lover. When Carolina played in the Peach Bowl in 2001, the team spent two hours the day of the game at the Martin Luther King Center (404-526-8900).
Watching at Home
Turn down the sound: If you're in the Triangle area, don't forget that the local Tar Heel Sports Network affiliate has changed. And yes, you'll probably encounter some delay. For the Cliffs Notes version on why that's happening and one possible solution, click here and scroll down to the last answer.
A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.
ABC coverage: If you're not in the Southeast, you can get the game on television by purchasing ABC's GamePlan pay-per-view option. More information on that alternative can be found here.
Names to Know
Whether you're at the game or watching it with your buddies at home, it helps to have a few names to throw out to cement your status as the Tar Heel guru. A few to remember:
Andrew Wasserman: He's the new holder (as Clemson found out Saturday, holders are important) and he has a very unique story.
Joey Bozich: Meet the man the Tar Heels hope will be holding a clipboard all year. Bozich is the new backup quarterback, and while he's talented, he's not as well versed in the Gary Tranquill offense as Matt Baker.
Jacoby Watkins: He's likely to be the corner matched up against Tech's very talented Calvin Johnson. Watkins played very well against Johnson last year and says he relishes the matchup. "I love playing against bigger receivers," Watkins said. "Reggie Ball is going to scramble and when he gets out of the pocket he's going to see that 6-4 man downfield and throw it up and let him go get it. I have to be ready to be the receiver when the ball is in the air and go get it with him. I want to be aggressive with him."
Steven Bell/Ben Lemming: The battle to replace Jason Brown at center may continue until the morning of the game. Both players will see action against Tech and both have strengths and weaknesses.
Of course, to get a complete crash course in Tar Heel football, you'll want to check out the complete preseason football story index, which includes over 50 stories and photo galleries from the last three weeks. And if you love to throw out interesting stats, check the Tuesday Talking Points for a few possibilities.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
