University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Andy Mead
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
November 18, 2017 | Football
Quick takeaways from the win over Western Carolina.
By Adam Lucas
1. After falling behind 7-0, Carolina did almost everything correctly in scoring 65 straight points on the way to a 65-10 win over Western Carolina.
2. On a day when almost everything went right, it was fitting to have receiver Austin Proehl back on the field. The senior has worked hard to come back from what was thought to be a season-ending collarbone injury. Proehl had three catches for 52 yards in his return.
3. That was the highlight of a big win on senior day for a class that has earned much praise from Larry Fedora. "It's been a struggle for this team this entire year," Fedora told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network after the game. "The seniors are the ones who deserve the credit that these guys fought and battled and scratched and clawed all year. That's a tribute to the seniors. They're the ones who kept this thing together, and I'm really proud they were able to go out on a winning note in their stadium."
4. Nathan Elliott continues to do nothing spectacular but most everything correctly. The quarterback did not turn the ball over and threw for 240 yards on 18-for-28 passing. His four touchdown passes went to three different receivers. Playing in front of an offensive line that allowed just one sack, a couple of those scores were nicely thrown balls with good touch to a corner of the end zone where only Elliott's receiver could snag the ball. And while rushing the ball won't be his main strength, Elliott did run for 42 yards on ten attempts, and the threat of him running is another option for which opposing defenses must prepare. A small detail, but Elliott's game awareness is also impressive; on a couple of occasions, after checking into a specific play, he made sure the Tar Heels got the snap off before the play clock elapsed.
"If you don't turn it over, you give yourself a chance," Fedora said. "He threw the ball where it should've gone. He didn't throw into coverage problems and he made good decisions."
5. The Tar Heel defense continued to play well on third down (Western Carolina converted just 4-of-15) and created a pair of turnovers. While Carolina had just one sack, the defense had eight tackles for loss. If the secondary had grabbed a couple of would-be interceptions that fell to the ground, it would have been a near-spotless performance for the defense.
6. It was heartwarming and also a little heartbreaking to watch the sideline when Jonathan Smith scooped up a Western fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the first half. One of the first players off the sideline was the man Smith replaced, junior linebacker Andre Smith, who hobbled onto the field waving a towel to greet Jonathan Smith with a big bear hug. Andre Smith has been out since the Louisville game after suffering a knee injury.
7. One aspect of college football that needs to be addressed during the offseason is the significant delay caused by instant replay. Sometimes, it's understandable. But Saturday's officiating crew spent nearly five minutes reviewing an out of bounds/inbounds reception call that was obvious, and the three reviews in the first half combined to make the first 30 minutes of game action consume an hour and 45 minutes on the clock. Of course, you want to get the call right. But there has to be a middle ground.
8. The win over WCU also highlighted the importance of the win over Pittsburgh. Put those two victories together, and now the Tar Heels have the opportunity to go to Raleigh with some momentum. A win there, and all of a sudden Carolina would go into the offseason feeling very different than they did a month ago. That game at NC State could be an interesting one—the Tar Heels have solved their quarterback issues, have Proehl back, and have found a rhythm on defense.
9. A key question for this week—what about the health of Cayson Collins and Cole Holcomb? Both defensive stalwarts were injured against the Catamounts and did not return. The Tar Heels will need them against a much more potent offense next week.
1. After falling behind 7-0, Carolina did almost everything correctly in scoring 65 straight points on the way to a 65-10 win over Western Carolina.
2. On a day when almost everything went right, it was fitting to have receiver Austin Proehl back on the field. The senior has worked hard to come back from what was thought to be a season-ending collarbone injury. Proehl had three catches for 52 yards in his return.
3. That was the highlight of a big win on senior day for a class that has earned much praise from Larry Fedora. "It's been a struggle for this team this entire year," Fedora told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network after the game. "The seniors are the ones who deserve the credit that these guys fought and battled and scratched and clawed all year. That's a tribute to the seniors. They're the ones who kept this thing together, and I'm really proud they were able to go out on a winning note in their stadium."
4. Nathan Elliott continues to do nothing spectacular but most everything correctly. The quarterback did not turn the ball over and threw for 240 yards on 18-for-28 passing. His four touchdown passes went to three different receivers. Playing in front of an offensive line that allowed just one sack, a couple of those scores were nicely thrown balls with good touch to a corner of the end zone where only Elliott's receiver could snag the ball. And while rushing the ball won't be his main strength, Elliott did run for 42 yards on ten attempts, and the threat of him running is another option for which opposing defenses must prepare. A small detail, but Elliott's game awareness is also impressive; on a couple of occasions, after checking into a specific play, he made sure the Tar Heels got the snap off before the play clock elapsed.
"If you don't turn it over, you give yourself a chance," Fedora said. "He threw the ball where it should've gone. He didn't throw into coverage problems and he made good decisions."
5. The Tar Heel defense continued to play well on third down (Western Carolina converted just 4-of-15) and created a pair of turnovers. While Carolina had just one sack, the defense had eight tackles for loss. If the secondary had grabbed a couple of would-be interceptions that fell to the ground, it would have been a near-spotless performance for the defense.
6. It was heartwarming and also a little heartbreaking to watch the sideline when Jonathan Smith scooped up a Western fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the first half. One of the first players off the sideline was the man Smith replaced, junior linebacker Andre Smith, who hobbled onto the field waving a towel to greet Jonathan Smith with a big bear hug. Andre Smith has been out since the Louisville game after suffering a knee injury.
7. One aspect of college football that needs to be addressed during the offseason is the significant delay caused by instant replay. Sometimes, it's understandable. But Saturday's officiating crew spent nearly five minutes reviewing an out of bounds/inbounds reception call that was obvious, and the three reviews in the first half combined to make the first 30 minutes of game action consume an hour and 45 minutes on the clock. Of course, you want to get the call right. But there has to be a middle ground.
8. The win over WCU also highlighted the importance of the win over Pittsburgh. Put those two victories together, and now the Tar Heels have the opportunity to go to Raleigh with some momentum. A win there, and all of a sudden Carolina would go into the offseason feeling very different than they did a month ago. That game at NC State could be an interesting one—the Tar Heels have solved their quarterback issues, have Proehl back, and have found a rhythm on defense.
9. A key question for this week—what about the health of Cayson Collins and Cole Holcomb? Both defensive stalwarts were injured against the Catamounts and did not return. The Tar Heels will need them against a much more potent offense next week.
Players Mentioned
Linebacker
/ Football
Quarterback
/ Football
Linebacker
/ Football
Wide Receiver
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Linebacker
/ Football
Linebacker
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