University of North Carolina Athletics
RAMblings - Cusp of A New Year - Rams Club
RAMblings 9.2.09- Cusp of A New Year
by Lee Pace
It seems like only yesterday that West Virginia's Pat White was dissecting the Tar Heel defense for 387 yards in the Charlotte bowl game, that Tyler Hansbrough & Co. were surgically decapitating Michigan State in the Final Four in Detroit, that the baseball Heels were headed west for their annual Omaha sojourn.
But that remarkable trifecta-bowl game, Final Four, College World Series, never before accomplished by an ACC school in the same academic year-is quickly fading into the rear-view mirror. The dog days of August are now giving way to another college football season.
What to expect from Carolina in Butch Davis's third season?
Following are a few educated guesses as the Tar Heels return home to Chapel Hill to christen the 2009-10 athletic season:
T.J. Yates' maturity and game savvy will translate into a break-through year. His ability to release the ball quickly and accurately and to elude the rush is better than ever. When Yates went down with an injury last year, he was playing as well as any QB in the ACC. He had a little rust when he returned in November, but in the final two games Yates was showing an improved ability to improvise when his protection broke down, converting five third downs on the move against Duke and West Virginia. Yates just needs, of course, to stay healthy.
The first team offensive line will be good, and the guard tandem of Alan Pelc and freshman Jonathan Cooper will be Carolina's best in many years. But only three of the Tar Heels' top seven O-linemen have seen appreciable playing time. This is a position where the Heels cannot afford injuries. Yates will throw more quick passes than in recent years to the running backs, tight ends and H-backs as coordinator John Shoop attempts to give the line a chance to develop some pass protection stability.
Shaun Draughn will emerge into one of the ACC's best backs. He's gained about eight pounds of muscle but hasn't lost any speed. He'll be better protecting the ball, catching it and helping in pass blocking. He showed tremendous innate quickness and ability to find the hole last year; those kills will only be better this year in only his second as a college tailback.
Freshman tailback A.J. Blue looks like Leon Johnson, the Tar Heel great of the mid-1990s, and runs like him as well. A year at Hargrave Military Academy has helped his focus, discipline and maturity and, as the year evolves, will give the Tar Heels an extra weapon in the backfield. And fans will enjoy watching the debuts and evolution of a cadre of young receivers, notably Dwight Jones and Josh Adams at split end.
The defense will be more aggressive than it was a year ago. The Tar Heels will have more stick and more sting at cornerback, allowing coordinator Everett Withers to roll the nice more often. And the Heels will generate more heat when any one or combination of two linebackers bolts toward the quarterback. Having two good corners and four fast linebackers are luxuries the Heels lacked a year ago. The inside tandem of tackles Cam Thomas and Marvin Austin has immense potential, and the backups, Aleric Mullins and Tydreke Powell, could start for some teams. The talent is deep on defense: the Tar Heels have two of the top young defensive ends in the nation in Robert Quinn and Quinton Coples.
Carolina is navigating uncharted waters to some degree in the kicking game. Casey Barth takes over all kicking duties-placements and kick-offs-and his range will be tested on longer field goals and on kick-off depth and hang time. Grant Schallock and freshman C.J. Feagles were locked in a battle for the punting job as game week opened. And the return/cover units lost two established and dependable leaders when Ryan Taylor and Matt Merletti fell to knee injuries.
The program under Davis's leadership is making excellent progress through three seasons. The talent level is better, team speed is very good and the football intelligence quotient is impressive. The schedule for 2009 is not overly difficult. Matching 8-4 from a year ago should be the default expectation for this year. Bettering it is certainly possible. But much revolves around the health and depth of the offensive line and the reconstruction of the kicking game.