University of North Carolina Athletics
Wednesday Practice Notes (p.m.)
August 16, 2006 | Football
Aug. 16, 2006
By Adam Lucas
The Tar Heels went through a relatively brief practice Wednesday night in advance of Thursday morning's closed scrimmage...Words like "graceful" and "fluid" are usually used to describe Brooks Foster. But he showed he had a little shake during 7-on-7, putting the move of camp so far on an unsuspecting linebacker...If you want to hear good running commentary, it's usually best to hang around the defensive backs. After Shaun Draughn was picked up on a blitz by Brian Chacos, Quinton Person chirped, "Welcome to college, Draughn!"...Speaking of Chacos, the Tar Heels continue to expirement with a variety of offensive line combinations...
We'll have full scrimmage notes and photos tomorrow. In the meantime, here's the latest batch of reader questions. Because the email box is overflowing, we're going to try and address one reader question in each batch of practice notes from now until the end of camp.
Can you ask Coach Bunting where he got that "floppy" hat? Enquiring minds want to know!
If I had to rank the questions we've received here at training camp central over the past two weeks in terms of popularity, it would go something like this:
1. Bunting's floppy hat
2. Letters from foreign nationals who are ready to deposit large sums of cash directly into my bank account
3. Quarterbacks
4. When will my media guide arrive from the Rams Club?
5. You are dead right/wrong, we need louder/softer music in Kenan Stadium on game day, preferably songs by Elvis/Ice Cube/Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Let's go ahead and put to rest number one. I have in my hands one of the cherished floppy white hats. They are made by Imperial Headwear in Denver, CO. Keep in mind that the Tar Heel staff had their hats embroidered elsewhere, not at Imperial (they're not licensed to embroider the interlocking "NC").
Now, the next person to send in a hat question has to watch game film of last year's Louisville game.
I am curious about Kenton Thornton. At 6-5, 225, he has physical attributes that are in a class by themselves among our WR corps. How is he doing?
After two weeks of camp, it looks like there's a line developing among the wide receivers. In the first group of four, there's Jesse Holley, Brandon Tate, Hakeem Nicks, and Brooks Foster. Thornton would be in the second group. It's hard to remember because it seems like he's been around for a while, but he's just a redshirt freshman.
What does the LB rotation look like do you see Wesley Flagg or Logan Buchanan playing this season?
Mark Paschal, Larry Edwards, and Durell Mapp have worked with the first group in most cases. Victor Worsley is going to play this year, and so will Garrett White. Assuming there are no injuries, the Tar Heels would love to redshirt Flagg (who has made a couple head-turning plays over the past week or so) and Buchanan.
With all the attention to the Sexton-Dailey QB battle, how are the other freshman QB's looking? Will they continue to play QB? Do you think any will see action this year or redshirt? I think we were pretty thin last year.
Carolina's two freshman quarterbacks are T.J. Yates and B.J. Phillips. Again, assuming no injuries, it would be very nice to be able to redshirt both of them this season. Junior Ben Johnson has been taking most of the snaps with the third team. If it came to a situation where Carolina needed a third-string quarterback in a productive situation, they'd have to decide if it was worth removing the redshirt from Yates or Phillips. That's a decision everyone in Kenan Stadium hopes can be avoided.
So bored that I am watching old UNC games. Question- in '04 at WFU we fake a FG before halftime when Jared Hall passes to Madison Hedgecock for a 1st down. My question--Jared caught the ball from the snapper as the holder for the faked FG--his knee was on the ground when he received the snap before rolling right and throwing. How is Jared not called down due to his knee being on the ground?
Wow. That is commitment.
The holder for a place kick is not considered down when he receives the snap. He can receive the snap with his knee down and then hold the ball for a kick, pass the ball, or rise and run or pass.
What in the world are the Tar Heels going to do with Kendric Williams AKA T-37? This kid is quick and fast as a flying object. Blocking kicks and punts are great but what else can we do with him?
See, this is when paying attention during spring practice pays off. T-37 was one of the stories of spring ball. He's continued that special teams success during camp.
As for other roles he might play, he's been working out primarily with the defensive backs. That's a fairly deep position for the Tar Heels right now, but assuming Williams earns a spot "on the bus," he may find himself on the field on defense at some point.
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.
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