University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Welcome Spring
April 16, 2012 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
April 16, 2012
Spring is a time of new beginnings. It's a time to step out into the yard and see what blooms. Everything is green; everything is new. The same could be said about Carolina football. The past is done, and with a new season, the program tends to new growth.
It has been four months since Larry Fedora was introduced as head coach. In that time, a staff was hired and a recruiting class was put together. That wasn't all that happened off the field this spring. By the time Saturday's scrimmage kicked off, 32 days had passed since the NCAA levied sanctions, including a one-year postseason ban, against the Tar Heel football program. In little more than a month, the players and coaches processed the information and had to decide how to move forward. But they did move forward.
On the field Saturday, Romar Morris scored three second-quarter touchdowns to lead the Blue team to a 44-21 victory. A redshirt freshman from Salisbury, Morris watched and learned from Giovani Bernard and Ryan Houston a year ago. He said the redshirt year helped him get stronger and smarter for the game. When Bernard was removed from the scrimmage with a cut on his head, Morris seized the opportunity. He senses that in Fedora's new offense, more opportunities will come. "I get excited every time Coach puts in a new play," Morris said afterward. "It involves tempo and speed, so I get happy about that."
Senior receiver Jheranie Boyd provided some early highlights, scoring White's only touchdown (14 points were doled out at halftime to keep the game competitive) on a pass from Marquise Williams. Boyd has made highlight-reel plays in the past but has struggled with consistency. He thinks that if he keeps himself ready, the catches will come. "In this offense, you're going to get touches," he said. "I want to stay at a consistent level and just make plays every day. We're constantly going to be running 80 plays a game, and I want to make big plays, every game."
Fedora said for him, there were three objectives to be accomplished during the spring: get the players to understand the base offense and defense, learn how to practice, and identify playmakers. It's going to take time, but it appears as though the Tar Heels are well on their way. By the time the fall rolls around, that tempo that has so tested the players in the spring will be forced upon opponents. "The first day killed us," Todd Harrelson said. "But we started getting the hang of the tempo. After every practice, you're still tired, you're still exhausted, but its' going to be bad for the teams that we play in the season. They're going to be extremely tired and that's when we're going to to take advantage of it."
Saturday, the on-field action was complemented by the Stadium Drive StreetFest, with live music, food vendors, merchandise tents and games. An estimated 17,000 fans took in the festivities. But adding to the sights, sounds and smells, there was something else in the air, something that had been sorely missing from football Saturdays in Chapel Hill: excitement. There were smiles on faces and a genuine curiosity about the future of Tar Heel football under Fedora.
"The fans have always been loyal to us, and it was a great showing out there today," quarterback Bryn Renner said. "We kind of just wanted to put on a good show, and I think we did that, for the most part."
The sanctions have come down. The punishment is known, and Carolina won't play in a bowl game in 2012. But with the investigation completed, the fear of the unknown has passed. In Chapel Hill, it's a time of new beginnings. Welcome spring.
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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