University of North Carolina Athletics
Extra Points Mailbag
October 6, 2006 | Football
Oct. 6, 2006
by Lee Pace, Extra Points
Today's Mailbag is a little lean on questions as most of the missives and comments submitted in the torrid wake of the loss to Clemson two weeks ago are not proper fodder for this forum. I might as well take this opportunity to present a small primer on this website and its mission.
Clearly displayed at the top of homepage of Tarheelblue.com are the words THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF TAR HEEL ATHLETICS. That means that this site is owned and operated by the University's Athletic Department and, specifically, the Athletic Communications Office. Tarheelblue is a public-relations tool of the athletic department. Its emphasis is on positive, constructive coverage of all Tar Heel teams. Its writers certainly see the world through Carolina-blue tinted lenses.
Further, Extra Points in its former printed newsletter format and current on-line format has had a working relationship with the University since 1994. The original idea when the newsletter was created in 1990 was to present an upbeat, behind-the-scenes view of Tar Heel football that would complement coverage from the mainstream media and other specialty publications. The idea worked fine when the Tar Heels were winning and there were all manner of fun stories to write as they climbed into the nation's elite.
There are opinions spanning the rainbow on why the Tar Heels have struggled out of the gate the first month of the 2006 season. There are ample forums for dissecting every angle imaginable and venting all those frustrations, from message boards to radio talk shows to letters-to-the-editor. Concerns about the state of the program are valid and I certainly understand them. Losing by a 52-7 count at Clemson is mystifying to say the least. Feel free to rail and rampage in an email directed my way if you want; but you'll save yourself a lot of frustration if you understand that this website is not the place to take shots at the coaching staff, the administration or the players. I am all for freedom of speech and wholeheartedly believe an independent press is an essential watchdog to the workings of all facets of American life. That's what the News & Observer does and The Daily Tar Heel does. And that's fine. But that's not what we do. And that's fine as well.
In the meantime, the Tar Heels still have a lot of games left to play. Some of us are interested in following them for the sake of the game, the kids, the competition and the quest to improve in one very difficult endeavor. I welcome any questions that further that constructive activity.
How difficult has Carolina's schedule been (and continues to be) during John Bunting's tenure compared to other teams in the ACC? I suspect Carolina has had one of the most difficult schedules of any of the ACC teams during this time period, and it that has contributed considerably to the won-loss record over the years. Many critics of Bunting may have forgotten that this year's schedule includes six bowl teams in the first seven games. I know that schedules are set years in advance, but it is certainly bad luck for Bunting that Rutgers (now a top 20 team) and USF have improved so much. It is frustrating to see teams like NCSU and Maryland, even UVa, play such an easy schedule out of conference. That's how NCSU got to a bowl game last year; three wins over obviously inferior teams. Why doesn't Carolina adopt a similarly easy schedule, especially early in the season, to give the team time to jell before entering the conference schedule?
Chris Larsen, Rocky Mount
Carolina's schedule is listed as the 16th most difficult this year in the Sagarin rankings, and all three Division 1-A foes are in the nation's Top 25. The Tar Heels' schedules in 2004 and 2005 were ranked as the third most-difficult in the country in the Sagarin rankings.
Football scheduling has been a hot-button issue around Carolina football for a long time. It seems like only yesterday that the Tar Heels in the early 1990s were playing Army, Navy, Furman, Cincinnati, William & Mary, Miami (Ohio), Ohio University, UTEP, TCU and Tulane, and AD John Swofford and Coach Mack Brown were being hammered by fans and the media. They made some efforts to upgrade the schedule, but games against Tennessee, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Ohio State in that time frame were scuttled when schools across the ACC, SEC and Big East had to scramble their schedules to accommodate expansion.
Carl Torbush and then Bunting both were aggressive in having AD Dick Baddour pursue high-profile games outside the ACC, and meetings with Texas, Wisconsin, Syracuse and Arizona State were scheduled. They also added Virginia Tech and Miami before those teams entered the ACC. Bunting was quick to add Oklahoma as an extra game to open the 2001 season.
There is no question that Carolina has endured miserable luck with teams scheduled years in advance developing into national powerhouses, at least for the year or two when they faced Carolina. Utah's zenith was the 2004 season, the year Carolina traveled to Provo. Louisville, nothing more than an average mid-major when the Carolina home-and-home was set in the late 1990s, is now a Top-25 program.
The administration is trying hard to achieve balance between attractive non-league games and the so-called "breather." Problem is, there aren't many easy games anywhere. Look at the challenge Wofford gave South Carolina last month and New Hampshire's win at Northwestern.
Which members of the 2006 recruiting class have been red-shirted?
Mike Mills, Advance
You can't really answer that question yet because it's possible a couple of true freshmen who have not gotten on the field yet could play this fall, thus forgoing their red-shirt season. It's easier to talk about which freshmen have played.
Five have played - receiver Hakeem Nicks, tight end Vince Jacobs, defensive tackle Tavares Brown and special teams players Ryan Taylor and Wesley Flagg. If the Tar Heels can hold the line there, it would be the fewest number of true freshmen to have played in years. Carolina played seven last year, 13 in 2004 and 12 in 2003.
Two other true freshmen who appear to be poised for potential game action are defensive backs - cornerback Kendric Burney and safety Shaun Draughn. Both were on the traveling squad at Clemson and will be for the Miami trip as well. Draughn in particular could play if D.J. Walker and Bryan Dixon continue to have injury issues coming out of the Clemson game.
I do not believe in giving up on any student or player, but, when our players are playing flat, missing assignments, missing tackles, etc, why don't we bench them and maybe even play walk-ons or wannabes? Sometimes "paid" players are not the best or do not give the effort every play or every practice or every class or wherever. I have seen it and you have seen it in starters at every level. I clearly support our Tar Heels and coaches but sometimes you have to shake it up.
Sonny Jackson, Charlotte
I think Bunting essentially agrees with you and has talked throughout the first month about opening positions up for competition.
"Competition always seems to bring out the best in players," he says.
The trainers will tell you that a player who once had a position sewn up is more prone to nagging injuries during the practice week, then is healthy come Saturday. But if a younger player behind him starts making some noise, those injuries go away. The starter knows he'll lose his job if he's not healthy during practice.
Still, though, a potential walk-on starter or player deep on the depth chart has to have a minimal skill level to get that opportunity. The desire to play isn't enough. Opposing offenses and defenses will find the weak link quickly and exploit them for all they are worth.
You have to pick your spots to work the challengers into the lineup. Two weeks ago, the defensive staff talked about opening the secondary up to competition. They gave one red-shirt freshman playing time at Clemson at safety and he got a quick indoctrination into the speed of the college game, missing consecutive tackles on one Clemson first-quarter scoring drive. He'll be a good player in time but wasn't Saturday. What Mack Brown did so well in building the Tar Heel program in the 1990s was recruit and develop enough players that the Tar Heels were junior and senior laden by the time they evolved into Top 10 teams in 1996 and '97. They could work a young player into the lineup for spot duty while having plenty of ability and experience around him to make up for his mistakes.
The Clemson team that beat us Saturday was certainly better that day, and might beat us 9 out of 10. But where did Tommy Bowden's team come from? Just how did the Tiger juggernaut that smoked our Heels and beat Florida State two years in a row (this time in Tallahassee) come to be?
* 2002 / 7-6, with a 38-6 loss to NCSU and 30-12 to Maryland at home, plus a 55-15 loss to Texas Tech in the Tangerine Bowl, all on national TV.
* 2003 / 9-4, with an opening 30-0 loss to Georgia and 45-17 debacle at WFU.
* 2004 / 6-5, including a 1-4 start, a 30-10 loss at UVA, and a 16-13 loss at Duke. Duke. * 2005 / 8-4, including a 2-3 start and a 31-27 loss at WFU.
In the last four years, Tommy's teams have endured shaky starts, mediocre records, and embarrassing losses, including blow outs and flops against "lesser" teams like Wake and Duke. In 2004, after the 1-4 start and the big facilities upgrade for Death Valley, everyone wanted Bowden's head.
Steve Foster, Charlotte
Thanks for an interesting perspective. Bowden recalled this week how the rumors were flying after losing to Wake Forest in 2003 that he had been fired. He was asked Tuesday if it was difficult to get his team "back" after that loss. "[It was] to stay employed," he said. "It wasn't to get my team back. It was to get me back."
If Carolina finishes with at least six wins, what kind of bowl would we be looking at, if any bowl at all? Would the slow start affect us in getting to a bowl or what bowl would we play in?
Sammy Hobgood, Cedar Grove, N.C.
That's a long way off, but for the record, here is the ACC's arrangement with the bowl industry for 2006:
After the BCS takes the ACC Champion and any potential at-large teams, the ACC will go in this order: Chick-fil-A, Toyota Gator and Champs Sports Bowl. The next tier of bowls - Music City, Meineke Car Care and Emerald - will come to an agreement about which teams they will select. The MPC Computers has the eighth pick among the ACC schools.
The odds are good any team with six wins will receive a bowl bid. And a strong finish is far more important than a slow start.
Send your questions about Tar Heel football to Lee Pace at leepace@nc.rr.com. Please include your first and last names and hometown. Individual replies are not possible because of volume of mail received, and names of recruiting prospects and commitments cannot be published on a school-sponsored site until the national signing day in February . The Q&A column will appear each Friday during the season.
Players Mentioned
