University of North Carolina Athletics
Saturday Scrimmage Notes
August 12, 2006 | Football
Aug. 12, 2006
By Adam Lucas
Carolina went through a surprisingly quick scrimmage Saturday afternoon in Kenan Stadium. The script was designed for breaks for hot weather, but a gorgeous spring-like day eliminated the need for any stoppages. John Bunting rotated quarterbacks Joe Dailey and Cam Sexton, with both players getting equal snaps with the first team. "I'm still excited about our quarterbacks," Bunting said. "They might not have played as well as they wanted but that's not a surprise. They still had those red (non-contact) shirts on."...The scrimmage included a mixture of live 1st and 10 action, red zone drills, and third down plays. The offenses started slowly in the 1st and 10 portion but clicked more efficiently as the scrimmage progressed...Sexton connected with Brooks Foster for a touchdown during red zone drills...
Jacoby Watkins, who had a big hit closing on a short pass and also had some of the best coverage of camp on a deep ball, was pleased with the defense's effort. "I think we played pretty well," he said. "We did a lot of zone blitzing and threw a lot of 3-deep coverages at them."...Watkins was working with Quinton Person, Cooter Arnold (filling in for D.J. Walker, who missed some practice time this week), and Kareen Taylor in the first-team secondary. "Our communication was great," Watkins said. "The first group was solid. We've been doing this for a long time now so we were on the same page."...
Last year at this time, there was a lot of buzz about tailback Barrington Edwards, who had dominated the scout team in 2004 and seemed poised for a productive season. He finished the year with 397 yards on 114 carries. Quietly, though, that buzz is building again--and this time it's based off of on-field results rather than just potential. Edwards ran hard and broke some tackles on Saturday. In red zone drills, Bunting came across the field to pat him on the helmet after a particularly hard-nosed run. "When we get down to the goal line, it's crunch time and it's time to put up or shut up," Edwards said. "Coach Bunting wants me to work hard on that, and I spent a lot of time with Coach Connors this winter getting stronger in my lower body. They wanted me to add that to my game. And if that's what it takes to win, that's what I'm going to do." The head coach is also pleased with Edwards's off-field changes. "I think he's matured some," Bunting said. "If that continues, I think he has a chance to be a very good football player. And deep down I think Barrington has a good heart. I see evidence of it frequently, especially when he's around kids. I want him to continue to grow up. I see evidence it's happening."...
Interesting comparison from Edwards, who transferred to Carolina from LSU. "I was at LSU and remember what it was like when we won a national championship," he said. "I remember the tempo and attitude we had. The way everyone is coming together here, we should contend for being one of the top teams in the ACC."
Kendric Williams's kick-blocking proficiency is rapidly moving from the remarkable to the spooky. He blocked a punt and a field goal Saturday. If you want to look like the smartest fan in your Kenan Stadium section this season, go ahead and file away the name and story of "T-37." He's going to make a play at some point this year...The Tar Heels have the makings of a dynamic field goal block unit. They'd like to pair Williams's speed outside with Cam Thomas's strength in the middle of the line. "He's really strong at the point of attack," Bunting said. "You see evidence of that when he rushes on field goals."...Kendric Burney had a couple big kickoff returns. Brandon Tate, a known quantity, did not return punts or kickoffs...
Tommy Davis was on hand for the scrimmage. Davis, who had signed a free agent contract with the Saints, suffered a hairline fracture in his wrist in camp this week. New Orleans will waive him in a couple days, and he expects a six to eight week recovery period. Once that's over, he can work out for other teams and potentially sign another free agent contract...If you're on the fence about coming to Meet the Heels, consider this: there will never be better weather for a Meet the Heels event. This morning's rain is gone, the sun is shining, and temperatures this afternoon were in the low 80s.
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.
