Saturday's game was extremely important for the North Carolina Tar Heels. The things that I thought had to happen did happen. The offense clicked. The running game came to life. I was worried going into the game that the Heels would fold. They didn't. The perfect opportunity to hang their heads would have been with N.C. State's quick strike opening the second half. The manned up and played football. And won.
To gloat, I'll point to a post I made on Inside Carolina Saturday morning before the game.
I predict...
1. Carolina strikes early, surprising the Pack.
2. The OL decides to strap in and play big.
3. Jarwarski Pollock and Jesse Holley each make big plays.
4. Toney Baker has a good game on the ground.
5. Barrington Edwards is the star of the Heels' ground game.
6. Heels win by 10.
7. A meltdown on the State boards unlike any other.
Optimism, folks! It'll keep you sane.
To think I was one missed Connor Barth field goal away from going 7 for 7!
Toney Baker is going to be a great ACC back. On Saturday, the Heels stopped him. Jay Davis was sacked six times. The Heels gave up two big plays the entire game (The T.J. Williams catch and the Tramaine Hall return).
Mistakes were made, sure, but the Heels didn't let them cost them the game. Those mistakes ought to be corrected.
It's easy for me to sit here and tell you that we saw something special started on Saturday. I have no accountability. If I'm right, great. If I'm wrong, I'm just an anonymous voice on the internet.
IF the Heels correct the small things (the big corrections were made last week), they have the potential to win 7 games this season. But they cannot rest on a win over an overrated N.C. State team.
John Bunting is not the type to rest on a big win or dwell on a heartbreaking loss. State is over. We are 1-2. On to a warm homecoming against Utah...
By now you realize I can't dwell on losses long. From Sunday to Saturday, I have a pretty good schedule.
Let's see:
Saturday: the game
Sunday-Monday: Celebrating a win or dwelling on a loss.
Tuesday-Friday: Looking ahead to next week.
Which leads me back to Saturday. Tomorrow.
The Tar Heels take the field at N.C. State to take on a hungry Wolfpack team.
A team that hasn't forgotten the game in Kenan last year.
A team that feels it was cheated.
A team that is dwelling on a loss.
The Pack have a good team this year. I won't take anything away from them.
They're fast on defense. They get to opposing quarterbacks. They won't go easy
on Matt Baker just because he's a first-year starter.
The Pack are pretty good on offense, too. Jay Davis has a year under his belt post-Philip.
I guess you would call this 2 A.P. (After Philip). T.A. McLendon is gone, but his successors are
capable. The immortal Tramaine Hall still lines up at wide receiver.
So they've got weapons.
So what about the Tar Heels?
The defense is improved, as we've seen so far.
In fact, the defense has not lost a game yet for the Heels. The offense just hasn't won one.
Doug Justice is out for the season. It's a big loss, sure, but there are backups capable of stepping in.
Matt Baker has looked alright so far in his appearances under center.
The key to this game and to every game this season for Carolina is simple.
The offensive line has to protect Matt Baker. Give him time to throw to his dangerous receivers.
For Carolina to be competitive, this has to happen.
Will it happen Saturday? I hope so.
The intangibles appear to swing to the Tar Heels.
N.C. State hasn't played a division 1-A opponent in three weeks. They looked good in a home loss to
Virginia Tech, sure, but they weren't challenged by the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
Carolina has studied film this week and knows what they have to do to improve.
They also must prove last year wasn't a fluke (although Pack fans will say so no matter what the outcome in 2005).
So here's hoping the Heels hit on all cylinders Saturday in Carter-Finley. Because if it doesn't happen now, it's not likely to all season.
Ted Enarson checks in with an interesting take on how the performance on the field directly affects the support in the stands.
Carolina’s 14-5 loss on Saturday may have done more harm than just adding another loss to the team’s record. As many people know, fan support fluctuates with a team’s success or failure. Tar Heel fans are not unfamiliar with this concept, witnessing the same pattern in Kenan Stadium over the past 4 seasons.
After last year’s success, Carolina fans anxiously anticipated the start of the 2005 season. This was evident in Kenan Stadium Saturday night as it was packed with 60,000 fans. So full was the stadium that many students were left without seats or were barred from entry. However, as soon as the Tar Heel offense stagnated and it became apparent that a win was unlikely, the stands emptied like a classroom when the bell rings. Although many loyal fans stayed until the end, the vast majority left after Wisconsin’s second touchdown.
The poor play of Carolina’s offense on Saturday will surely have ramifications on attendance for the rest of the season. As evidenced in the past, many fans will not bother making the trip to Chapel Hill to watch another “loss”. However, the Tar Heels do have a chance to redeem themselves. Saturday, Carolina will travel to Raleigh and take on the hated Wolfpack. The rivalry has intensified significantly since last year’s controversial goal-line series gave the Heels an upset victory. If John Bunting can take his team into Carter-Finley Stadium and come home with a win, it could be the moral boost necessary to ensure a packed house at the Utah game.
Last night was one of the worst displays of American football I've ever seen. It's been several years since the Carolina defense outplayed the offense, but it happened against Wisconsin.
And the defense didn't play great. We couldn't stop Calhoun, they always threw to the same receiver, and we couldn't get to Stocco. But they gave up 14 points to a team that had scored 56 and 65 in previous weeks.
The offense looked terrible. Could not run, could not pass, could not get anything done without a penalty flag. The offensive line of this team is supposed to be a strength. They aren't pushing people off the line. They must improve.
The crowd was into the game (at least before an untimely weather delay), it was Kenan at night.
We did our part - it's time for the Heels to man up.
Kory Bailey, former UNC receiver and currently #6 on the all-time receptions and receiving yards list, spoke to HeelsBlog last week about what he's up to now. He keeps busy with an interest in the Chapel Hill nightlife scene, marketing a fitness club, and not giving up on professional football just yet. Kory's still in the area, working in marketing and promotions for O2 fitness. He primarily works at the Cary location.
"I was working out here and knew that they were getting ready to expand the gym," Bailey says. "I started doing some great things out here as far as marketing and promotion."
Kory is a minority owner in Avalon nightclub, Carolina Blue Bar, and W.B. Yeats Irish Pub in Chapel Hill as part of HC Bar Group. "November 2003 is when I got involved with that," he says. "Myself, Danny Davis (who's an ex-football player and is involved with that too), and one of my friends from high school, Greg Boone." There are a lot of ties to UNC, Bailey says. "It's actually a group of about 7 of us and 6 of us went to Carolina."
Playing in the Canadian Football League gave Kory some capital to invest in the bar group.
He says each bar has a different atmosphere. I mentioned to Kory that I played open-mic nights at W.B. Yeats during my time in school.
"We haven't done open mic nights in a few months, but we have live music at least twice a week," he says. "We do an 80s night on Fridays." He says Yeats hosts mixers and events for greek organizations, and sometimes musicians bring their instruments to jam. "You pretty much play for free." In addition, Yeats has hosted comedy nights. "There are soem pretty funny comics," he says. "There are a number of different things that we're trying to do."
"Avalon is an 18 and up club and it's a dance club," Bailey says. "You get a younger crowd." He says some of the basketball players frequent the 21 and up VIP lounge upstairs at Avalon. "It's a pop culture crowd." "At Yeats we have a number of regular customers that are older," he says. There is an after-dinner crowd and after-hours bar crowd. "And for a game of bar golf - they always hit Yeats."
"Carolina Blue Bar is beer only," he says. "There are 8 TVs in there; it's kind of a sports bar. It was absolutely packed for the national championship."
Next time - Kory's experiences with reality television. After that - reflections on football and what's next.
Ted Enarson returns with what will be a weekly feature - a look at how the freshman football players contribute week to week.
For the first time in several years, Carolina opened its season without playing a significant number of true freshmen. Due to a lack of depth at almost every position, Tar Heel newcomers have been thrust into immediate action for several years now. The 2005 season marked a noticeable change as only six true freshmen saw the field in the 21-27 loss to Georgia Tech.
Most notable of the freshmen was James Arnold from Mocksville, NC. Arnold, a 5-10 185 pound halfback, was recruited as an athlete. In high school, he played a variety of positions including quarterback, halfback, and cornerback. Coming into camp, Arnold did not receive as much attention as fellow freshman Richard Rich. Rich, a more highly touted recruit from Marietta, GA was expected to challenge for immediate playing time while Arnold was expected to redshirt and eventually end up at cornerback. However, Arnold impressed the coaching staff enough in camp that he earned the starting halfback spot for the opener at Georgia Tech, beating out highly regarded transfer Barrington Edwards from LSU. Although Arnold only managed 28 yards on 9 carries, he showed flashes of brilliance and should be more comfortable on the field in the Tar Heels’ second game against Wisconsin.
In addition to Arnold, another freshman who will play a significant role for Carolina in the 2005 season is Brandon Tate. Tate, a 6-1 185 pound wide receiver from Burlington, NC earned a spot as the team’s primary punt returner. Although not as highly touted coming out of high school as several of his fellow freshmen, Tate was very impressive in camp and beat out veteran players like Jarwarski Pollock, Quinton Person, and Del Roberts for the spot. Despite the fact that he did not break any big plays against Georgia Tech, Tate should have ample opportunity to “take one to the house” against Wisconsin.
Besides the aforementioned players, four other freshmen also contributed on Saturday. Richard Quinn, a 6-4 242 pound tight end, was brought into the game after Jon Hamlett struggled on several plays. Although Quinn failed to catch a ball, he should be an important player for the Tar Heels in years to come. Garrett White is a 6-2 230 pound player from Miami, FL. Although White was expected to redshirt and later play the middle linebacker position, he found the field on Saturday at defensive end. Carolina struggled all game getting pressure on Reggie Ball despite rotating a number of players at the end position. The coaching staff had experimented with White at the rush end spot in practice and decided to bring him into the game. Although he did not record a tackle, White was able to pressure Ball on a play. Additionally, 6-2 235 pound fullback Nick Starcevic saw a limited amount on action in the game. Starcevic reminds many people of former Tar Heel Madison Hedgecock who is now with the St. Louis Rams. He is currently listed on the two-deep behind Senior Rikki Cook and is the most likely option to replace Cook next season. Another player that may not have been noticed by many is 6-0 220 pound linebacker Mark Paschal. Paschal worked his way on the field Saturday with the special teams. He was a highly regarded recruit out of Charlotte, NC who is expected to have a major impact in the future.
HeelsBlog is pleased to announced the addition of contributor Ted Enarson, whose as-yet-untitled column begins today. His first entry focuses on the Tar Heel offense.
The biggest question mark coming into Carolina’s season opener at Georgia Tech on Saturday had to be Matt Baker. Every news outlet imaginable seemed to doubt the fifth year senior, especially after poor performances by new quarterbacks at Oklahoma, Auburn, Miami, and Florida State the week before. However, I never had any reservations about Baker and how he would handle the offense. With the exception of two plays, he played very well throughout the game.
However, the statistics do not tell the entire tale. Baker went 18-39 with many of those incompletions coming at the fault of his receivers. In order for the Tar Heels to succeed this season, he will need his veteran receiving corps to play much better. Derrele Mitchell showed his playmaking ability on an 87 yard touchdown reception, but was underutilized throughout the rest of the game. Baker looked most comfortable throwing to Senior Jarwarski Pollock who caught 4 balls for 65 yards and a touchdown. Of his three interceptions, two were on desperation throws and should be overlooked.
However, passing to the tight ends was a huge problem all day and could have led to more turnovers. Nearly all the short passes over the middle to Jon Hamlett were intercepted. Freshman Richard Quinn subbed in for Hamlett but also had problems catching the ball.
The brightest spot for the Carolina receivers came when Mike Mason reeled in a long throw from Baker and held onto the ball after taking a bone jarring hit. Mason, who broke his jaw in spring practice 2 years ago, was considered to be traumatized by the injury and a little timid last season.
Baker seemed very poised in the pocket all day long and never overreacted to the barrage of blitzes from Georgia Tech. The senior knew when to take off running and when to take the sack rather than throwing an arrant pass. Baker also proved many wrong who had criticized his mobility, rushing for a touchdown on the day.
However, to take more pressure off the pass and help move the ball downfield, the Tar Heels will need to get the running game going. Both James Arnold and Barrington Edwards showed flashes of greatness, but neither could consistently gain yardage. Arnold is a little undersized as a true freshman and could be a dominant back in the coming years once he adds some size and strength. Rikki Cook saw some action at tailback, but has added a lot of weight since his last time at the position and looked a bit slow and
immobile. Since John Bunting prefers to rotate his halfbacks, Carolina
will need to find a solid third player at the position before the
Wisconsin game. Candidates include Antwain Carey, Richard Rich, Kennedy
Tinsley, as well as Justin Warren who held the third spot last week but
didn’t see the field. Now that Matt Baker has removed the question mark
from his head, I believe it rests firmly on the backfield going into
the Wisconsin game.
The Tar Heels lost
yesterday, 27-21, to Georgia Tech. This was a heartbreaking game to
watch, as it was full of missed opportunities. There were several
chances for the Heels to win this game. There were 3rd downs that we
should have held on, passes we should have caught, blocks and tackles
we should have made.
But who expected the Heels to have a shot in this game at all? After
coming off a win at Auburn, the Jackets were riding high. The Heels got
hit in the mouth early, falling behind 14-0, but were able to tie by
halftime. They held the Jackets to field goals in the third quarter
(which ended up being the difference). Matt Baker looked like an ACC
quarterback. There are things that must improve, but, more importantly,
there are things that have improved.
I'm not suggesting we as fans should be content with losing this game.
We shouldn't. But it's lost, and we have to learn from it and move on.
It would be nice to win every game. The problem, as I see it, is there
is always another team that is trying to win that same game.
So let's look over the game tape, find those missed opportunities, and
correct them. Wisconsin is a big-time opponent coming in to Kenan
Saturday. We need to support our team. This team showed us what they
can be. Let's turn it into a W.
Welcome Back Player of the Game: Derrele Mitchell took an 87 yard TD pass from Matt Baker in the first half.
