University of North Carolina Athletics
What We Learned In 2014
December 31, 2014 | Football
By Turner Walston
The 2014 season was an eventful one for Carolina football. As they did in 2013, the Tar Heels had early success before enduring adversity, then rallied in the season's latter half. The 2014 slate ended in disappointment with losses to NC State and Rutgers. Here are some of the things we learned from the year.
1. Marquise Williams is the quarterback
Carolina tried a two-quarterback system early in the year before Larry Fedora determined that Marquise Williams gave his team the best chance to win. It appeared as though the offense struggled to find consistency not knowing who would be behind center. Mitch Trubisky did some nice things with the football, and it's clear he's a capable college quarterback, but Williams, who was named second-team All-ACC, made the offense go.
2. Defensive woes
The Tar Heel defense was among the nation's worst in 2014, allowing more than 6.5 yards per play and 240 rushing yards per game. Without a veteran pass-rusher on the defensive line, opposing quarterbacks had too much time to make plays against a suspect secondary. That led to opponents scoring 39 points per game against the Tar Heels, while the high-powered offense averaged 33.2. The Tar Heels allowed an eye-popping 50 points in three of four games in September and October, beginning with the 70 East Carolina scored in Greenville. That's too much. Carolina will have a new defensive coordinator in 2015 as Vic Koenning and the school parting ways after the regular season. Larry Fedora still believes in the 4-2-5 scheme, but he's open to new ideas and the strengths of the new hire.
3. An up-and-down offense
Carolina scored at least 31 points in eight of the team's first eleven games but sputtered to the finish line. The youthful Tar Heel offensive line showed improvement from week to week early before getting hammered in the regular season finale against NC State and then in the Quick Lane Bowl. Carolina has a boatload of playmakers, and several emerged this season, most notably former walk-on wide receiver Mack Hollins and freshman tailback Elijah Hood. But Williams has to have time on his feet to set up those playmakers.
4. Energy shortage
Several times after losses this season, players would say that the opponent wanted it more, or that they weren't prepared for the energy of the opponent. It's one thing to get beaten by a more talented opponent, but it's another entirely to not be prepared to play on Saturdays. Schemes and play calls don't matter if players aren't committed and ready to expend maximum effort toward team goals. There is a lot of work to be done in Kenan Football Center, certainly, but this is the area that most needs improvement.
Players Mentioned
