University of North Carolina Athletics
Clemson Game Guide
September 19, 2006 | Football
Sept. 19, 2006
By Lauren Brownlow
Carolina goes on the road for the first time this weekend with a trip to Clemson. This week's Game Guide has all the basics you need--whether you're planning to be there in person or on television--to get ready for the Tar Heels' first trip to Death Valley since 2003.
The Basics
After a narrow win last week, Carolina looks for their first ACC win in Death Valley this weekend when they face No. 19 (AP) Clemson. It's the first road game after a 1-2 home game stretch, and the Heels are looking to make it two in a row and gain some momentum. But they're facing a raucous crowd and a team that beat Florida State 27-20 last week.
Game Time: North Carolina at Clemson, 12:00 PM, Raycom/LF
Carolina's game notes can be here.
Last Time: Carolina lost 36-28 to the Tigers in Clemson on October 25, 2003. The Heels took a 28-23 lead in the third quarter on a Darian Durant 63-yard touchdown run, but wide receiver Derrick Hamilton returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Carolina still had a chance at the end, down 36-28 and in scoring position, but Durant fumbled at the goal line with 42 seconds to go, and Clemson recovered. The loss was Carolina's 10th in their last 11 conference games and dropped them to 1-7 overall on the year.
Gameday Weather: Check the local weather forecast before heading to the game.
Injury Report: Backup tight end Richard Quinn broke his shoulder blade in practice the Tuesday before the Rutgers game and will be out 8-12 weeks. Trimane Goddard re-fractured his surgically repaired foot in the fall and was lost for the season. Kentwan Balmer (sprained ankle) should be back this week. Kareen Taylor (sprained ankle) saw limited action last week, and should be back at full strength this week. Offensive lineman Ben Lemming missed the last two weeks with illness, but he will be back this week.
Clemson linebackers Anthony Waters (torn ACL) and Tramaine Billie (broken foot) are out for the season. Safety Michael Hamlin broke his foot during the Boston College game and is out for four more weeks.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 11 a.m. The radio broadcast is also available on XM Channel 191 at 12:00. Since it's an away game, the Clemson broadcasters will be heard instead of the Tar Heel Sports Network crew.
TV Coverage: The game will be shown on Raycom/LF.
Game week TV/radio coverage: John Bunting Live airs Thursday night at 6 and the John Bunting TV show airs Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on FOX Sports. Check TarHeelBlue.com on Wednesday and Friday for the latest editions of Lee Pace's Extra Points. On Thursday, we'll have a story on Carolina's improving special teams.
Storylines
Special Teams: Brandon Tate is a constant threat to go the distance, and with the addition of burners like Kendric Williams and Dirk Engram, the kickoff and kickoff coverage units have played very well for Carolina. Carolina ranks second in the ACC in kickoff returns, third in punt returns, and the kickoff coverage unit is ranked No. 1 in the ACC.
"Basically, if your entire kickoff coverage unit is inside the thirty from when the ball is first handled, you're running well," Coach Bunting said. "Last year, probably 50% of the time or less we had guys beyond the thirty. Now our entire group is down inside the thirty-yard line when they catch the ball."
By contrast, Clemson's special teams appear to be a bit of a weak point. They rank 11th in the ACC in kickoff coverage and 7th in kickoff returns, both of which should play right into Carolina's biggest strengths.
Connor Barth is perfect on both field goals (3-3) and extra points (8-8). Clemson's field goal kicker Jad Dean is only 4 of 7 on field goals and has missed two extra points.
Carolina's big question mark would have to be punting. Citing problems with his timing, John Bunting benched senior David Wooldridge in favor of senior John Choate. Choate had two punts for an average of 41 yards, which is better than Wooldridge's 35.4 yard average. The staff will continue to work on timing issues and hang time for both punters this week and see what develops.
Clemson ranks No. 1 in punt returns, so if one of the two punters can't significantly improve their timing, distance and hang time, that could prove to be a problem. C.J. Spiller is tied for eighth in all-purpose yardage with 87.3 yards a game and has amassed 118 return yards on both kicks and punts.
Defense: After a good game last week against Virginia Tech, the Carolina defense fell into disarray yet again, falling from second to seventh in pass defense in the ACC and maintaining its position at dead last in run defense. Carolina allowed more pass yards against Furman (310) than it had against Rutgers (145) and Virginia Tech (110) combined.
"The thing that disappoints me the most is the competitiveness of our back end players on some of those deep throws," Bunting said. "I just don't think we did a very good job in the secondary finding deep throws, jump balls, interference penalty, all of those things, and a couple of busted assignments."
Against Furman, while the Tar Heel offense capitalized on countless big plays, the Furman offense managed to steadily grind out drive after drive, ending up with 10 more first downs than Carolina and 11-of-13 on third-down conversions.
"We got after their quarterback pretty doggone well. We hit him a lot, both with pressure and without pressure," Bunting said.
This week, they will face the No. 1 total offense in the ACC, including the league's best rusher, wide receiver and second-best passer. More importantly, however, Clemson's offensive line allowed no sacks and guided the way for tailback James Davis to rush for 95 yards against a very stout Florida State defense last week.
With the return of senior leaders Kareen Taylor and Kyndraus Guy from injury, Bunting is hoping some much-needed leadership will materialize on the defensive side of the ball.
"Tommy (Richardson) was a very, very smart football player, and if we miss one guy the most it might be him right now," Bunting said. "But I'm really looking for Kyndraus Guy, Durell Mapp, and Kareen, who gets back on the field this week, to lead this defense better than its been lead this last three weeks."
Offense continuing to click: A Carolina offense that performed terribly against Virginia Tech appears to have found a rhythm. Cam Sexton, in his first start, found six different receivers for 14 completions on his way to 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
"He (Sexton) had the early pick, but he bounced back from that," Jesse Holley said. "He ran the offense efficiently, he did what he had to do, he delivered the ball, and he was poised. That's what we need in this offense."
The offensive line blocked well, allowing no sacks for the first time all year and paving the way for Ronnie McGill's 114 yards and three touchdowns. His 24 rush attempts equaled the total amount of carries he had in the season's first two games combined. If McGill can continue to get the ball, the Tar Heel offense will continue to run smoothly. His eight points a game (fourth in the ACC) have been crucial for the Heels.
"I don't like getting tackled by just one person; it just ruins my whole day. If I get tackled by one guy, then the next time I'm going to try to make four or five guys bring me down," McGill said. "Jesse said he doesn't even like blocking for me because sometimes he thinks I'm down, so he stops, and then I take off running again. Everybody (on the team) likes me out there, running like a mad man."
This week, the offense will face a Clemson defense that has been plagued by injuries. They are 8th in the league in opponent first downs and 11th in opponent third-down conversions, ahead of only Carolina's defense. The key number is +2, which is their turnover margin. If a young offensive line can handle a hostile environment, and the Heels take care of the ball and stay penalty-free, they could put the Heels in a position to win.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency for the Tar Heel Sports Network broadcast will be 91.9 FM.
Carolina team hotel: The team is staying in Greenville.
Tickets: The game is sold out.
How to get to the game: Portions of the lots around Clemson are reserved, but there are some open lots. The parking lot map can be found here. If you're driving from the north, there's only one way to get in and out of Clemson, and the road gets extremely congested, especially for games early in the day. Budget significant extra time for your trip for the portion of the journey between the time you get off I-85 and actually making it to the stadium.
What to do in Clemson: The Esso Club is one of the more famous places to watch a game. ESPN.com said of the bar: "If they had a national championship for college sports bars, The Esso Club would be our pick to win it all."
Watching At Home
Turn down the sound: If you're watching at home while listening to the radio or over the computer via Carolina All-Access, there will inevitably be some delay. For the reason - and a possible solution - click here.
A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.
Raycom/LF coverage: The game will be available on Raycom/LF.
Names To Know
Cam Sexton: The redshirt freshman and co-ACC rookie of the week played very well in his starting debut, and the quarterback controversy looks to be over for now. If his numbers were counted in the rankings, he would be the 5th-best passer in the league at 194 yards a game and the third most efficient one with a 145.3 rating. He averaged 18.9 yards per completion against Furman and was not sacked. With two of his top three receivers ranking in the top 10 in catches (Foster and Nicks) and two in yards per game (Foster and Holley), he has reliable targets and seems to have gained the confidence - and respect - of his teammates.
"Cam really stepped up today. This could be the turning point in the season," McGill said after the Furman game. "Although we didn't win like we wanted to, he came in, he kept his composure, he kept the leadership going on the sideline, and he never let anybody down. He made some big plays."
But his first career ACC road game will be in Death Valley, one of the toughest places to play in the country. This will be a big test for the young signal-caller.
Kareen Taylor: With the senior free safety back on defense, the Carolina secondary will likely be a lot stronger than it was last week. The preseason All-ACC pick is in his third year as a starter, but sprained his ankle against Virginia Tech and saw only limited action against Furman. Against Rutgers in the opener, he had four tackles and returned a fumble 19 yards. His experience and skill should help fill some of the gaping holes the Carolina defense left open last week.
Brooks Foster: Foster is No. 2 in receptions and No. 3 in receiving yards per game in the ACC and No. 1 in both categories for Carolina, despite not officially starting. The sophomore has 17 receptions for 186 yards and a touchdown. His 11 catches for 120 yards marked the first time a Carolina sophomore in a game, and the first time since 2003 any Carolina receiver had more than 10 catches in a game. Foster's smooth speed and athleticism provides the perfect complement to the strength of Jesse Holley and the speed of Hakeem Nicks.
James Davis: Opposing running backs will stop being mentioned when Carolina has stopped one of them. However, sophomore James Davis would be an important name regardless, seeing as he leads the ACC in rushing (91.3 yards a game and five touchdowns), ranks second in scoring (10 ppg) and third in all-purpose yards with 109.3 a game. Considering Davis penetrated Florida State's run defense for 95 yards, which allowed only two rushing yards to Miami in the first week, Clemson will run Davis until - and unless - Carolina is able to stop him.
Will Proctor: The senior quarterback finally has his chance to start after sitting behind Charlie Whitehurst, and he probably the best quarterback Carolina has faced this year. He is No. 2 in the ACC in both passing and pass efficiency, and ranks second in total offense with 239.3 yards per game.
Last week, Proctor went 16-of-30 for 194 yards and a touchdown. While those aren't especially impressive statistics, he kept calm and turnover-free against one of the best defenses in the ACC, in Tallahassee.
The Heels have been able to get a good pass rush going. Larry Edwards and Hilee Taylor have two sacks apiece, which is the second-highest total in the ACC. If the pass rush is steady, the secondary will have to hold its own with a good wide-receiving corps, led by the ACC's No. 1 receiver Chansi Stuckey.
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
