University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Mikey Likes It
October 31, 2013 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
On their first drive of the fourth quarter last Saturday, Boston College faced 4th and 1 at midfield. Down 27-7, the Eagles would need to convert to try and score and keep the game close. Chase Rettig took the snap and faked a handoff to tailback Andre Williams and looked downfield. He never saw Mikey Bart coming. The freshman Tar Heel bandit trucked past the blocking of tight end Louie Addazio (son of BC head coach Steve) and wrapped up Rettig for the sack.
Bart got the start at bandit against the Eagles because Darius Lipford missed the game with an injury and regular starter Norkeithus Otis nursing an injury that limited his availability. Bart finished the day with three tackles, including the sack, and pressured the BC pass game, helping hold them to just 59 yards through the air.
“It was pretty awesome,” Bart said of getting the call to start last weekend. “I was never going to expect to start coming into the season. I've been working hard at practice, so the coaches felt like I deserved it and with Otis banged up a little bit, I definitely deserved it. Once I got that sack, I just got a lot more confidence.”
A native of Buford, Georgia, Bart was a bit of a late addition to the 2013 Tar Heel recruiting class. Former defensive line coach Deke Adams offered him a scholarship in the summer before his senior high school season, but Bart was still feeling out the process. By the time he'd made up his mind on the Tar Heels, it looked as though the class had filled up at his position. Bart made a verbal commitment to South Florida, but when the Bulls had a coaching change, Bart re-evaluated his options. Carolina re-offered, and Bart opted to come to Chapel Hill. “I jumped on that, and I'm glad I'm here.”
Bart's high school program produced players like fellow Tar Heel Nathan Staub, Georgia's Josh Cardiello and UCF's Dontravious Wilson. He had a feeling that the weight training program instituted at Buford would help him with the transition to college. “I knew coming in that I was going to be physically tougher than a lot of the players in our recruiting class,” he said. “I already knew I would have that advantage, and just learned the plays and gave it my all during training camp. With people getting injured, it just helped me keep going up the depth chart.”
Carolina lost promising sophomore bandit Shakeel Rashad early in training camp, but Bart still had Lipford and Otis battling at the position. Rather than focus on the competition, Bart said both players had helped him improve his own play. “Norkeithus definitely did, because he's been banged up a lot and he really needs me out there [to spell him],” Bart said. “Darius helped me with pass rushing. He's got some sick moves there, and I've just been learning from him. It's been going well.”
Bart played primarily defensive end in high school, and he likes the hybrid aspect of the bandit in the Tar Heels' 4-2-5 system. “I think it's a lot more fun,” he said. “You never know what could happen. You're like the leader of the defense pretty much, because you do so much stuff and whenever a bandit's not playing well, our defense isn't (playing well).”
Getting the start against Boston College as a true freshman, Bart tried not to get overwhelmed. Instead of letting the moment get to him, he focused on his attitude. “The one thing I focused on, I just play mean just not giving up any ground,” he said. “Whatever I do just make sure that it's not hurting the defense, it's only improving and I did my job.”
Indeed. Though he's only appeared in two games thus far, Bart has wedged his way into the mix at bandit and should continue to make an impact.
Tar Heel head coach Larry Fedora said Bart is a part of a group of young players that continue to improve their play from week to week. “You watch Mikey and T.J. (Logan) and Bug and Switzer and Des Lawrence and Brian Walker, you watch all those kids, it's just each week they get a little better, a little more confidence in what they're doing and the speed of the game. It's a difference from what they were doing last year at this time, so each one of them's getting a little bit better and they're able to help us more and more. With the way Mikey played last week he definitely warrants more playing time.”
Players Mentioned
