Lucas: Rapid Reactions

December 28, 2013 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

1. Sometimes a bowl game is simply a nice reward for a good season. But sometimes a bowl game is a game a program really needs to win, and that was the case for Carolina in the 2013 Belk Bowl. After dropping the season finale, the Tar Heels couldn't afford to lose to Cincinnati and finish the season 6-7. They played with that kind of urgency in Charlotte, putting 16 fast points on the board in the first quarter and generally outclassing the Bearcats on the way to the 39-17 victory.

"We stayed positive throughout the whole year," Larry Fedora told Jones Angell after the game. "Our seniors did a really good job. You have 125 guys in that room and if they listen to the things outside the program, there are plenty of reasons not to be successful. But they found a way and we got it done."

2. Carolina's 16 first quarter points came in three different phases of the game, as Romar Morris plunged in for an early score, Kareem Martin's sack in the end zone created a safety, and then T.J. Logan hauled the ensuing kickoff back 78 yards for a touchdown.

But such diverse scoring displays actually aren't unusual in Carolina bowl history. In the 1998 Gator Bowl demolition of Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels got a blocked punt for a score, plus a Greg Ellis fumble recovery for a touchdown on the way to a 42-3 win. And in the 1993 Peach Bowl, Bracey Walker toted a blocked punt back 41 yards for a score, and then Walker's hit separated the Mississippi State receiver from the ball, allowing Cliff Baskerville to pick off the pass and return it 44 yards for a touchdown.

Because they never get old, here are the highlights from that game:

3. In the days to come, there will be some discussion of the UNC coaching staff on offense, as the Tar Heels must replace offensive coordinator Blake Anderson. It's nice to have that discussion when knowing two key facts:

A. As was made clear on Friday, Larry Fedora has a major hand in the offense.

B. No matter who gets that job, they will inherit one of the most loaded sets of skill position players in recent program history. The riches include a returning dual-threat quarterback in Marquise Williams (171 yards passing, 46 yards rushing in the Belk Bowl), redshirt quarterback Mitch Trubisky, special teams ace Ryan Switzer, tailback T.J. Logan and a host of young receivers that includes Switzer, Quinshad Davis and Bug Howard.

"Logan and Switzer are two true freshmen," Fedora said. "They're only going to get better and better as we go."

Switzer, who tied the NCAA single season record with his fifth punt return for a touchdown (the career record is eight, which appears to be in trouble and is held by Texas Tech's Wes Welker and Oklahoma's Antonio Perkins), will get most of the attention going into 2014. But Logan, now healthy, rushed for 77 yards and had the kickoff return for a score, and could be poised for a breakout sophomore campaign.

4. One of the periodic concerns about the UNC offense has been the inability to burn clock when necessary. But after playing uptempo for most of the game, Carolina went to the four-minute offense and squeezed 9:19 off the clock. Just the grinding nature of the drive itself was enough to essentially end the game, and it became even more decisive when it was capped by a Thomas Moore field goal that made it 39-17.

5. Injuries plagued the Carolina defense, forcing the Tar Heels to start Nathan Staub and Tre Boston at linebacker. But the real story on that side of the ball was the pressure applied by the UNC front four against a Cincinnati offense that allowed only 12 sacks all season. The Bearcat offensive line was likewise troubled by injury, as they were missing their starting guards, and the Tar Heels took advantage to notch five sacks and multiple pressures.