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Friday, November 7, 2008
View from Chapel Hill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The ACC’s highest-ranked teams clash at noon Saturday in Chapel Hill.
Georgia Tech leads the Coastal Division at 4-2. At 2-2, UNC is one of four other teams in the division with a realistic shot of winning it.
The Tar Heels are a 4-point favorite.
Bill Cole, of the Winston-Salem Journal, answered six questions in advance of Saturday’s game.
How beneficial was the off week to UNC, in terms of injuries and preparing for the triple option?
Butch Davis and his players said the week off worked wonders for them. Davis was happy that quarterback T.J. Yates, coming back from a fractured left ankle, and tight end Zack Pianalto, out for two games because of a sprained ankle, had time for light work last week before trying full practice this week. Davis also said that UNC began work on Georgia Tech’s offense last week because it’s so unusual and difficult to defend. He believes the head start will help but we’ll see on Saturday. He is confident UNC accomplished everything it wanted in the off week.
Has UNC been able to overcome the loss of its electric return man, Brandon Tate?
Not even close. The kickoff returns are not bad but the returners do not have the play-breaking ability Tate had any time that his legs started churning. Punts are now being handled by Trase Jones, a walkon sophomore. UNC hasn’t had a big return of any description since Tate was hurt.
Tell us about the O-line and whether it can hold up against Tech’s D-line.
The offensive line has improved but isn’t great. Garrett Reynolds, a senior right tackle, is the key player up front and the unit’s leader. Alan Pelc, Aaron Stahl and Lowell Dyer have been playing musical chairs at center and the guard positions. Dyer is a walkon but is a pretty good center. Georgia Tech’s defensive line has a definite edge.
UNC is 4-1 with QB Cameron Sexton. What has he done well and in what situations has he struggled?
Cameron Sexton is this team’s most valuable player. He had two awful interceptions at Virginia but has played with confidence and poise in every game. Two weeks ago he did something that he hasn’t done regularly: he threw the ball away every time he had no receiver or the pass rush closed in on him. He’s gotten a lot smarter. He has played amazingly well for someone who hadn’t been on the field since the fourth quarter of the 2007 season opener and who started this season No. 3 on the depth chart. If not for him, UNC isn’t 6-2. Davis said Sexton will stay the starter even when Yates returns.
Tech just lost its best offensive lineman, LT Andrew Gardner, for the season. Is UNC’s D-line capable of exploiting that?
Capable, yes. Whether it will remains to be seen. The linemen are young. Sometimes they go on tears and sometimes they can’t apply pressure. One of the line’s top players is Robert Quinn, a freshman who earned a starting job in the second game of the season. He underwent an operation last year as a high-school senior for a benign brain tumor. The linebackers will be the key. Mark Paschal, Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant are some of the defense’s best athletes. They can get pressure on the quarterback and hit Jonathan Dwyer early. They can pack enough wallop to bring him down. It’s a compelling matchup that could decide the outcome.
To what extent has Butch Davis energized the fan base?
The fans are treating Butch as if he’s a basketball coach. There hasn’t been this much excitement for UNC football since 1996 and ’97 when Mack Brown had his great teams before leaving for Texas. Everyone is convinced UNC will be playing for an ACC title in the near future. The crowds are noisy and are staying for the ends of all games. The atmosphere in Kenan has improved dramatically. These folks are dang near bloodthirsty now.
Your thoughts?
