University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: No Surprises
October 27, 2007 | Football
Oct. 27, 2007
By Adam Lucas
WINSTON-SALEM--With apologies to Denny Green, Wake Forest was exactly what Carolina thought they were.
The Tar Heels have lost some games recently--especially on the road, as Carolina has now lost 20 of its past 25 games away from Kenan Stadium--when they were stunned by the opposition. Sometimes, the other side unveils a wrinkle that could not have been anticipated and it turns the game.
That was not the case on Saturday. Wake Forest won the game in three simple and predictable ways.
The Demon Deacons were unforgiving to the Carolina offense:
"Wake is an experienced, good football team," Butch Davis said after the 37-10 defeat. "We talked about it all week with our football team. They are not going to give you anything. Anything you want you have to earn, and today we didn't do a good job."
The Demon Deacons were opportunistic on offense, pilfering two interceptions and a fumble and turning the trio of turnovers into 13 points:
"We knew they were a very opportunistic team," Scott Lenahan said. "And they showed that today with their interceptions and turnovers. We knew they were a sound team and that any mistake we made, they would capitalize."
The Demon Deacons were fast and crafty on defense, using a stemming defensive front and plenty of pre-snap movement to coax Carolina into a staggering five first-half procedure penalties:
"That was very frustrating," T.J. Yates said. "We knew they were going to do that. We knew they were going to stem with their defensive line and they still got us. We had to go to some different counts and the penalties put us in a lot of bad positions. We had to get out of a lot of holes."
See the common thread? Pick a big play or an important trend, and the Tar Heel players and coaches had a similar response: we knew they were going to do that.
Combine those factors with a pair of Carolina breakdowns on kickoff coverage--Matt Merletti explained that the Tar Heel wedge-busters went to the wrong side of the wedge, opening a huge hole for Kevin Marion--and it was perhaps the most demoralizing beating of the season. It was certainly the most visibly disappointed the Tar Heel head coach has been during his postgame session with the media.
On the way to a 2-6 record, Davis has been perpetually patient with his young team. His message has been consistent and it has been firm: this will get turned around. Maybe not a complete turnaround today. But what's done today is the foundation for a more productive program.
Saturday those elements were not present.
"We didn't play very well and I personally take responsibility for that," said the head coach, who went on to say that he wanted to spend more time focusing on what his team did poorly than what Wake did well.
For the most part, the Deacons did what everyone expected. But there is one part of their team that you don't appreciate until you see them in person. They have a reputation as a crafty, scheme-oriented team. Sometimes that can obscure the fact that they also have some impressive athletes. Aaron Curry is a quality linebacker. Josh Adams is a promising tailback. Marion has sprinter's speed.
Jim Grobe is one of the nation's best coaches. But he's also built a talent base that is experienced and understands exactly what it is being asked to do.
The Deacs simply aren't fooled very easily. Every time Carolina tried some misdirection or trickery on offense, Wake was there. What looked like a well-conceived reverse to Brooks Foster was snuffed by a host of Deacon defenders. A handoff to Brandon Tate cracked a seam once but then wasn't as productive when it was tried again.
Grobe's team is physical, they are smart, and they are talented.
In other words, exactly what Carolina expected.
Adam Lucas most recently collaborated on a behind-the-scenes look at Carolina Basketball with Wes Miller. The Road To Blue Heaven will be released on October 1. Lucas's other books on Carolina basketball include The Best Game Ever, which chronicles the 1957 national championship season, Going Home Again, which focuses on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team.
