University of North Carolina Athletics
Walston: Playmakers
October 2, 2010 | Football
Oct. 2, 2010
The nature of the 2010 Carolina football season dictates that in order to be competitive in games and remain relevant in the Atlantic Coast Conference race, the Tar Heels are going to have to find players to make big plays. With so many presumed playmakers sitting in the stands just beyond the home bench on Saturday, someone (or someones) was going to have to step up.
They did. Carolina found a way to come back from a 17-14 deficit to score the game's final 28 points, and put together their must complete performance of the season against East Carolina.
"Everybody has a role on the team, for sure, whether it's a small one or a different one, a play here, a play there," senior offensive lineman Alan Pelc said after the game. Pelc himself played on every single offensive snap, on a line that was key in wearing down the Pirate defensive front in the game's latter half. "Guys have stepped up to the different roles. We need guys here and there, and they have definitely stepped up to the roles to make things successful," Pelc said.
Da'Norris Searcy played his role well on Saturday. The senior defensive back returned from being held out of the season's first three games due to the academic probe. Searcy played both cornerback and safety against East Carolina, and his pick-six of Pirate quarterback Dominique Davis changed the game. "I drove it, and I guess the receiver gave up on the route," Searcy said of the play. "The quarterback threw it and I was right there."
Searcy was chomping at the bit to make plays, but careful not to step outside of himself and try to do too much. In the days since he'd been cleared to play, his teammates repeatedly asked him if he was ready to hit the field. "I was like, `Come on, man. This is what I do. This is what I got recruited for.'"
Kevin Reddick was recruited for his speed and hitting ability. Both were on display against East Carolina. With the Tar Heels up 21-17 in the third quarter, Reddick tipped a Davis pass high into the air and secured the ball at the Pirate 26. The sophomore said given the circumstances surrounding the team, it's important for young players to make an impact. "Other guys have got to step up," Reddick said. "Other guys on the d-line, other guys on the secondary have got to step up in those places where older guys were."
Reddick's interception gave the Tar Heel offense great field position, and five plays later, Shaun Draughn's first touchdown run put Carolina up 11. Draughn would find the end zone twice more on Saturday. "I pray every week, `Allow me to have a better game than I did last game, and for us to go out and play mistake-free football, play fast and physical,' and I feel like that allowed us to win the game," Draughn said.
Draughn's 137 yards were impressive, however they were bested by classmate Johnny White's 140. For the first time since 2004, Carolina had two backs rush for more than 100 yards each. The Asheville senior was deferential after the game. "The o-line, they just blocked their tails off for us, and wide receivers blocked pretty good on the boundary, and the tight ends blocked," White said. "I just ran through holes that were there, try to break tackles and try to just run as hard as you could."
If Searcy's interception return prior to intermission changed the tone of the game, White's 54 yard burst to open the third seemed to herald the change's permanence. Still, White gave way to Draughn for the rushing touchdowns. "I told him to go out there and get me another one, make it for me, and he did," White said of Draughn. "He said the third one was for me."
Quarterback T.J. Yates continues to impress in 2010. He missed on some early deep attempts to receivers like Dwight Jones and Erik Highsmith, but settled in and was an efficient 18-26 with two touchdowns. For the season, Yates has completed 86 passes for seven touchdowns against a single interception.
Even as players like Draughn and Searcy return from being held out, the young players that got early opportunities continue to improve and impact the play on the field. Freshman Tre Boston, for example, led the team with five tackles. Gene Robinson had a late interception at safety. "Playing in games is the best way to get better, and the more they play, I think the better they can get," White said of his young teammates. "The sky's the limit for some of those guys. Those are our future stars here."
Saturday's win was sweet, but Sunday, the Tar Heels will face the reality of a new opponent. The Tar Heels' record is even at 2-2, and seven of the team's eight remaining games will be played in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Clemson Tigers await.
"These are one-game seasons for us," Butch Davis said Saturday. "If you put too much added pressure on your players by the magnitude of this game that's coming up, I think it's unrealistic for your kids to be able to handle that. We just try to capsulize it, say just do the best you can this week and then every week try to improve."
Turner Walston is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly. Turner's weekly Tar Heel football podcast, The Walkthrough, is available on iTunes.
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