University of North Carolina Athletics
Football Notebook
October 19, 2010 | Football
Oct. 19, 2010
By Lauren Brownlow
-Special teams have been a concern for Carolina all season, and it showed itself last week at Virginia. Carolina is 8th in the ACC in kickoff coverage, netting 41.8 yards per kickoff. Casey Barth averaged 62.7 yards per kickoff but two went out of bounds, giving Virginia the ball at its own 40 twice. Virginia's average starting field position was its own 35-yard line and it started five of its 12 drives at its own 40 or better. Miami has demonstrated that it is capable of big special teams plays. "With the explosiveness of (Miami's) returners, we have got to do a much better job of kicking the football," Butch Davis said. "It starts there, the actual kicking of the football, both on kickoffs and on punts. It really puts your coverage units behind the eight-ball, so to speak, because of the hang time, the direction of the kick, how long it stays in the air, giving the guys that are going down there the best opportunity."
-Junior defensive end Linwan Euwell returned to action after being cleared right before Saturday's game, and he provided some much-needed depth to the line. In limited snaps, Euwell had four tackles (one solo). "We didn't really know it was going to transpire and so it was easier to plug him in just from the standpoint that we knew he could do it because of having been here for four years," Davis said. "He could go in in a limited role,. He didn't have a total grasp of the entire game plan that we had put in for the entire thing, so hopefully with a week's worth of work, we'll be able to get a little bit more out of him."
-Sophomore linebacker Kevin Reddick is a big part of the reason this defense has played well beyond its years. Davis said he is a film buff, and Reddick credited the preparation by the coaching staff for the defense's success. But one area where the defense has been particularly stingy is the red zone; Carolina is fourth nationally in red zone defense and held Virginia to just 2-of-6. All season, opponents have scored just 13-of-21 times. "Just somebody go in there and make a play, not letting them score no matter how they get down there," Reddick said. "Obviously, we want to keep them from getting down there but if they ever get down there, don't let them score. It tenses up for us. Now, we have to step up, become man and go ahead and stop them from getting in."
-The news on Zack Pianalto is official - he is out for at least the regular season with a fractured fibula. The starting tight end on the depth chart is now senior Ed Barham, who caught three passes for 27 yards last week, and then sophomore Nelson Hurst. Ryan Taylor is the starting h-back, and Davis said his role in the offense is pretty well-established. It will be up to the other tight ends to fill the massive void left by Pianalto. "(Hurst has) some very good hands for a big, strong guy. He's a very good blocker," T.J. Yates said. "We haven't had to use him this season because of the three guys that we had, but him and Ed (Barham) are going to do a good job blocking a lot. Ryan (Taylor) is going to be that versatile guy for us in between. Those three guys will have to work hard and do some things to make up for losing (Pianalto)."
-Davis was scheduled to meet with Ryan Houston on Monday afternoon to discuss the option of redshirting. But like many young players on this team, plans to redshirt might get scrapped if injuries start to happen. "He's already missed six games and if he has an opportunity to play a full 12-13 games next season, that's probably the best thing," Davis said. "But I think that Ryan, as in the case of a lot of kids on this football team, realizes that how can you play for the future like that? You don't know what would happen with Johnny White and Shaun Draughn. If they all stay healthy, then that's a perfect plan. If something should happen and we've got to try to win games, would he take a bullet for the team and say, `Look, I've got to play. My teammates need me.' Most of the kids this year, that's kind of the approach that they've all taken."
Lauren Brownlow is the executive editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
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