Tar Heels lose THE GAME THEY SHOULD HAVE WON!Rutgers v. UNC Sept. 2 , 2006 Great day for football in Chapel Hill. Disappointing performance by the football Tar Heels considering most fans had expectations of a return to dominating defense. We have good talent....we have good coaches so the coming weeks could put the Heels back on track. Close doesn't count in football! We will find out a lot about this years team next weekend against Va Tech. Can they get tougher, sharper and play mistake free football against a solid program? Could be one heck of a weekend if they respond well. Add your info to the TAR HEEL FAN list !Only takes a minute....click here for the list Great Rutgers game analysis by Dave Glenn ACC (UNC-Rutgers) Film Session Since taking over as the editor of the ACC Sports Journal about 10 years ago, and making it part of my job description to watch every ACC football game at least twice, I have come to appreciate football coaches' common line about "waiting to see the film." Of course, it's all video now -- and thank goodness for DVRs/TiVos -- but the point is well-taken. It's nearly impossible to appreciate exactly what's happening on the field while watching the game live, whether in person or on television. It's easy to see the big picture as a game unfolds -- e.g. Rutgers is opening Hummer-sized holes against North Carolina in the running game -- but it's often very difficult to understand how or why, and it's nearly impossible to evaluate more than a few individual players without "going to the tape." With that in mind, and considering that UNC-Rutgers was the only Big Four matchup deemed worthy of regular TV over the weekend, here are some random observations (some "hidden") about the Scarlet Knights' 21-16 victory over the Tar Heels. 1. UNC's primary problems are at linebacker and defensive end. This conclusion didn't exactly require a NASA-like IQ, or even Tony Kornheiser-level gridiron credentials, but not all 200-yard rushing performances are built alike. Sometimes, cornerbacks and outside linebackers fail to force plays inside. Sometimes, safeties miss tackles in one-on-one situations. Sometimes, the battle is lost in the trenches. Against Rutgers, the Tar Heels gave up enormous chunks of yardage on the ground mainly because one of its end positions offered absolutely no resistance and two of its linebackers were completely overwhelmed by Rutgers' blockers. At one end, the rotating pair of seniors Brian Rackley and Melik Brown was absolutely manhandled by the Knights' tackles, pulling guards and/or lumbering fullbacks. At linebacker, first-time starters Mark Paschal and Chase Rice made all sorts of mistakes -- lining up incorrectly, approaching running plays tentatively, failing to shed blockers, missing tackles, etc. The overwhelming majority of Rutgers' rushing yards went directly at Paschal and/or Rice, who lacked both the strength to deal with the Knights' blockers and the speed to keep up with their tailbacks. That proved to be an extremely ugly combination for Carolina. 2. Bad defense doesn't mean 11 bad performances. As we like to say at Sports Radio 850 The Buzz in Raleigh, you should never throw the Buzz Babe (doesn't sound familiar? see 850thebuzz.com for details) out with the bathwater. It's hard to imagine UNC defensive coordinator Marvin Sanders handing out a lot of passing grades this week, but at least two of his defenders played extremely well, and several others showed promising signs. It's just that every defense, on any given weekend, is only as strong as its weakest link. Unlike most of their teammates, UNC's Larry Edwards and Kareen Taylor would have looked right at home this weekend if they were taking part in, say, the Florida State-Miami matchup. They're really that good. Wisely, Rutgers didn't aim at Edwards' side of the field very often. The senior linebacker, who provided by far the Tar Heels' best pass rush all afternoon, (a) displayed a sense of urgency and emotion that eluded most of his teammates, (b) caused a fumble/turnover by hitting the Rutgers QB on a key third-down play in UNC territory, (c) caused other early throws for incompletions, (d) while being blocked, forced numerous running plays to the inside, where others had nice tackle opportunities, and (e) made a bunch of tackles himself, including one with one arm while being blocked. That's a pretty good day of work. Taylor, another senior, made a handful of sure-handed, touchdown-saving tackles downfield, recovered and returned a fumble, and also helped with an occasional blitz. Senior safety D.J. Walker also prevented several long gains from being TDs. Junior end Hilee Taylor contributed a picture-perfect sack and correctly sniffed out and disrupted two inside running plays. Tackles Shelton Bynum and Kyndraus Guy certainly didn't have a banner day, but they kept fighting. Bynum drew a key holding penalty in the fourth quarter, and Guy made a few plays against the run, giving the Tar Heels a chance to pull the game out late. It didn't happen, obviously, but they didn't stop working, and they gave their team a chance to win. 3. Several seniors let Heels down. The above-mentioned Brown and Rackley weren't the only UNC seniors who let their team down against Rutgers. Tailback Ronnie McGill ran very well (14-94) overall, but his continued problems with leg cramps left him ineffective for much of the second half. Tight end Jon Hamlett blocked OK but was a non-factor in the passing game. Left tackle Brian Chacos, by far the Tar Heels' best lineman, played solidly (most of UNC's rushing yards went left) but incurred both holding and false-start penalties for an offense with little margin for error. Cornerback Jacoby Watkins made a few outstanding tackles, but he also gave up several easy catches, dropped a would-be interception, drew a flag for pass interference, and made one enormous (letting a receiver behind him for a first down on third-and-long) mental mistake. By far the ringleader of the Sad Seniors in Chapel Hill last week, however, was receiver Jesse Holley. I've been accused on my radio show of being the president of the Jesse Holley Fan Club -- like everyone else, I have a few favorite players on each team -- but it may be time to switch memberships. Before the Rutgers game, Holley stoked the Knights' passions by speaking about how he was disrespected by his home-state school on the recruiting trail. During the game, he drew a holding flag to disallow a UNC run for a first down, and he dropped a slant pass right in his hands, while young receivers Brooks Foster (11-120) and Hakeem Nicks (7-63) turned in impressive, sure-handed performances. Finally, after the game, Holley complained about not getting the ball enough. Senior leadership? 4. With two huge exceptions, QB Joe Dailey played well. This compliment obviously has a hollow ring to it. (E.g., Other than his ax-murderer habit and crack cocaine problem, so-and-so seems like a really good guy.) But Dailey, a junior transfer from Nebraska, showed a skill set that should give his team a chance to win this season -- AS LONG AS he can stay away from major mental errors and other avoidable mistakes. Against Rutgers, Dailey showed poise and composure, patience in the pocket, an ability to scramble for positive yardage, and a surprisingly accurate arm on most short- and medium-range passes. (UNC didn't throw long.) He finished 24-of-36 for 234 yards against the Scarlet Knights. The problem is, Dailey's two interceptions against Rutgers contributed more to UNC's loss than anything other than the Tar Heels' inability to stop the run. Nobody wants interceptions, of course, but sometimes they come because of pressure in the pocket, or an amazing play by a defender, or a tipped ball at the line, or a wrong route from a receiver, or a deflection in the secondary, or on a last-minute Hail Mary. In stark contrast, Dailey's interceptions were HIS interceptions, and good quarterbacks simply don't throw those very often. On the first one, Dailey locked in on Holley and threw to him despite the nearby presence of three defenders. On the second, after leading UNC on a 40-yard drive to the Rutgers 30 with less than two minutes remaining, Dailey threw past a receiver who wasn't looking, directly into the hands of a defender. Again, good quarterbacks simply don't make that throw, especially not on third-and-six while under minimal pressure. Other "Upon Further Review" Items: UNC looks as if it will have a chance to win a game this season (see the Boston College game from 2005) via its special teams. The kick coverage was very strong, Brandon Tate again looked dangerous on returns, senior David Wooldridge had a nice coffin-corner punt, and kicker Connor Barth booted a 47-yard field goal. ... Generally speaking, good things happen when UNC runs behind the combination of Chacos, left guard Charlston Gray, Hamlett and fullback Nick Starcevic. ... Nicks, who was most dangerous on quick, one-step-back throws at the line of scrimmage, looks as hard to tackle as any receiver in the ACC. After the catch, he dragged individual tacklers for four or five yards on several plays. ... UNC gets very little pressure on the quarterback from its front four on passing plays. Taylor's sack was the lone exception against Rutgers. ... Redshirt freshman defensive end E.J. Wilson had one superb effort, bolting upfield to disrupt a wide running play, but he killed his opportunity to make a big play by getting a piece of the runner's facemask and drawing a five-yard penalty. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Cam Thomas also had one impressive burst into the backfield, but the runner plowed right through his arm tackle. ... First-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti didn't get the points he wanted, but he definitely put his team in position to succeed. UNC actually snapped the ball several times before Rutgers' defense was set, the Tar Heels protected Dailey extremely well with a rebuilt (three new starters) line, they showed some creativity (inside handoffs, etc.) in the running game, and they put the ball in the hands of their playmakers. Several of the coach's third-down play calls proved to be perfect for the defensive alignment. ... Cignetti also likely surprised most fans in Kenan Stadium with his decision to call a timeout with 1:14 remaining in the first half. UNC trailed 14-7 at the time, Rutgers didn't have enough timeouts left to stop the clock, and the Tar Heels were at their own 30-yard line. (Any guesses about what Gary Tranquill would have done?) UNC ended up moving down the field and getting a field goal, cutting the halftime deficit to 14-10. That reinforced the message that Cignetti always wants his guys to be aggressive and have fun. In the second half, with the game on the line, the Tar Heels had an 89-yard drive for a touchdown, then the 40-yard drive that ended with Dailey's second interception. |