University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Firsts
September 3, 2011 | Football
Sept. 3, 2011
Saturday was a day of firsts for Carolina football. The 42-10 victory over James Madison was the first win of the 2011 season, and the first under interim head coach Everett Withers.
•It was the first start for quarterback Bryn Renner. Like T.J. Yates before him, Renner's first start came in a season opener at home against James Madison. Whereas Yates hit Brooks Foster for a 65-yard touchdown on his first collegiate pass, Renner's first throw was rather pedestrian, going to Ryan Houston for eight yards and a first down. That was all that was pedestrian about Renner's game. The sophomore went 22-23 for 277 yards passing, completing 95.7 percent of his passes, an ACC record for a passer with at least 20 attempts. In his debut. Renner's lone miscue was a deep pass picked off by JMU's Dean Marlowe.
Renner didn't just dink-and-dunk down the field to get his feet under him. His touchdown passes, both to Dwight Jones, were of 34 and 21 yards, respectively, and half of his completions went. 11 yards or greater. “My receivers just did a great job,” Renner said afterward. “My receiving corps is one of the best in the country. I really believe that and Dwight proved that, and so did Erik Highsmith. You've got to give all the credit to the tight ends. We worked really hard over the summer to build a rapport, and I have 100 percent confidence that they're going to catch it every time I throw it.”
•It was a day of firsts for three Tar Heel running backs:
Redshirt freshman Giovani Bernard missed the 2010 season after suffering a torn ACL early in training camp. He debuted 13 months later with runs of 10 and 12 yards, the second for a score. A 14-yard run late in the first half went for a second touchdown. Bernard finished with nine runs for 64 yards.
Senior Ryan Houston played in his first game since the 2009 season. Houston was held out during the first half of the 2010 season as the university worked to determine his eligibility. He was cleared in October, but elected to redshirt and play a full season in 2011. The bruiser got the call atop the depth chart at running back, and looked as if he had not missed a beat. Houston's nine rushes went for 59 yards and a score, and he gained 36 yards on three receptions.
Sophomore A.J. Blue tore three ligaments in his knee in a game against Georgia Southern in 2009. He took 2010 off to rehab, and was back at full strength on Saturday. Blue had five rushes for 35 yards in the fourth quarter, and Withers took notice, saying Blue has earned the opportunity to see the field earlier in games.
•Devon Ramsay played his first game back since being declared permanently ineligible last fall, then cleared in February. Ramsay started at fullback and had an 18-yard reception. He was helped off the field with a sprained knee in the third quarter.
•It was a day of first for a host of young Tar Heels. According to Withers, 21 true freshmen made their collegiate debuts, ten of them true freshmen. “We're trying to build this program, and we felt like we needed to get those guys on the field and play them,” he said. One of them was T.J. Thorpe. The Durham native was the first Tar Heel to touch the ball in the 2011 season, returning the opening kick 18 yards. Thorpe had 59 yards on three returns on the day. Defensively, seven freshmen combined for 19 total tackles. Tim Scott started at cornerback and had five stops.
•Asked if the win over James Madison exceeded expectations, Withers said that while he was proud of the result, there is still room to improve. “Hopefully we can continue to get better. We'll talk about meeting an exceeding when this thing is over. I want to get better each week. That's all I care about.”
For the first time in 24 years of coaching, Withers shook the hand of an opponent as a head coach. “I'm looking forward to the next time I get to run off and shake someone's hand that loses against us,” he said.
Saturday featured a dominating display defensively, a dazzling debut for a quarterback, and a powerful opening statement by an interim head coach. Most importantly, however, it was a win to open the 2011 season. The first.
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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