2010 Rivals ACC Preview – #17 North Carolina
From Rivals.
Coach: Butch Davis (20-18, fourth season; 71-38, 10th season overall)
Last season: 8-5, 4-4 (4th in ACC Coastal); lost to Pittsburgh in Meineke Car Care Bowl
Returning starters: Offense-9. Defense-9. Specialists-2
Final Rivals.com ranking last season: 30th
If not now, when?
This certainly seems like the ideal season for North Carolina to win its first ACC championship since 1980.
North Carolina boasts a veteran defense stocked with NFL talent. The past two ACC champions – Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech – must travel to Chapel Hill. The ACC championship game has even left Florida for Charlotte.
All those factors have North Carolina fans imagining the possibility of an Orange Bowl berth. The optimism is justified, but questions surrounding the offense – and a recent NCAA probe regarding illegal benefits – should temper that excitement.
Here’s a look at how North Carolina stands heading into the 2010 season.
OFFENSE
THE SCHEME: North Carolina runs a pro-style offense and incorporates the tight end in its passing game quite a bit. The Tar Heels might go to more three-receiver sets this season now that their receiving corps has gained more experience.
STAR POWER: When he’s healthy, Zach Pianalto is one of the nation’s top pass-receiving tight ends. Pianalto caught 33 passes last season to set a school record for receptions by a tight end, even though he missed five games with a dislocated right foot. WR Greg Little is an All-ACC contender who caught 62 passes for 724 yards and five touchdowns last season, though the NCAA is investigating whether he had improper contact with an agent. Jonathan Cooper may have as much upside as anyone on North Carolina’s offense. After starting 10 games at left guard as a freshman last season, Cooper will move to center this season.
IMPACT NEWCOMER: Redshirt freshman QB Bryn Renner has a legitimate chance of cracking the starting lineup, particularly if incumbent T.J. Yates doesn’t rebound from his poor 2009 season. It’s difficult to imagine Davis handing the reins to a redshirt freshman for the hugely anticipated season opener against LSU, but Renner could win the job at some point in the season if Yates continues to slump.
STRONGEST AREA: The receiving corps features plenty of talent, particularly if you throw Pianalto into the mix. Little clearly is the most proven playmaker in the group, but sophomores Jheranie Boyd (12 catches, 214 yards, four TDs) and Erik Highsmith (37-425-2) also offer plenty of upside.
BIGGEST PROBLEM: North Carolina’s quarterback issues could keep the Tar Heels from living up to expectations. Yates showed plenty of promise earlier in his career, but he threw more interceptions (15) than touchdown passes (14) last season while ranking just 97th in the nation in passing efficiency. Left tackle also is a major concern as UNC attempts to replace three-year starter Kyle Jolly. The likely starter is Carl Gaskins, who missed the 2009 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The Tar Heels need Gaskins to stay healthy because his backup is true freshman James Hurst. Although Hurst is a five-star prospect, his problems in the spring game suggest he needs more time to develop.
DEFENSE
THE SCHEME: North Carolina runs a 4-3 defense, and coordinator Everett Withers likes to be in attack mode.
STAR POWER: Take your pick. T Marvin Austin, CB Kendric Burney, LB Bruce Carter, E Robert Quinn, LB Quan Sturdivant and FS Deunta Williams have been mentioned as possible first-round picks. Burney, Quinn, Sturdivant and Williams were first-team All-ACC selections last year. Quinn is the best of the bunch, at least on the college level. He led the ACC with 19 tackles for loss and ranked second in the conference with 11 sacks last season. He ranked among the nation’s top 16 players in both categories. And he also forced six fumbles. Regardless, this is a loaded defense.
IMPACT NEWCOMER: Redshirt freshman T Jared McAdoo exited spring practice second on the depth chart, so he figures to earn a decent amount of playing time. McAdoo’s role could get even bigger if the NCAA investigation into Austin’s possible contact with an agent results in a suspension.
STRONGEST AREA: UNC is absolutely loaded at linebacker and safety. The linebacker corps features two All-America candidates in Sturdivant and Carter. The other starter is Kevin Reddick, who played well enough as a freshman to start the last seven games of the 2009 season at middle linebacker. The secondary returns all four starters from last year in Burney, Williams, CB Charles Brown and SS Da’Norris Searcy. That secondary helped the Tar Heels rank 14th in the nation in pass efficiency defense last season.
BIGGEST PROBLEM: North Carolina must find a pass rusher to complement Quinn now that E.J. Wilson has completed his college career. Quinton Coples is the most likely candidate to fill the void. North Carolina averaged more than 2.5 sacks per game last season, but the relative lack of a pass rush has hurt the Tar Heels at times. North Carolina State has beaten North Carolina each of the last two years in part because of the Tar Heels’ inability to put pressure on Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson, who continually has poked holes in this defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Casey Barth has gone a combined 31-of-40 on field-goal attempts in the past two seasons. He went 21-of-25 last season to earn second-team All-ACC honors, though his range was rarely tested. Barth’s longest field goal last season was 42 yards, and he didn’t attempt a kick from beyond 45. Former walk-on Grant Schallock returns as North Carolina’s punter after averaging 40.3 yards per attempt last season. The Tar Heels ranked just 70th in the nation in net punting last season. Searcy averaged 14.6 yards per punt return last year to rank fifth in the nation. UNC’s punt coverage was excellent and the kickoff coverage OK last season.
SCHEDULE
North Carolina’s high expectations for this season were evident when the Tar Heels agreed to open against LSU at the Georgia Dome. The schedule doesn’t get much easier from there. The Heels get a week off after the LSU game, then open their conference slate by playing host to defending ACC champion Georgia Tech. North Carolina follows that up with a trip to Rutgers and home games with defending Atlantic Division champion Clemson and two-time defending Conference USA champion East Carolina. A five-week stretch late in the season could define North Carolina’s season. The Heels travel to Miami on Oct. 23, get a breather against William & Mary the following week, then visit Florida State before playing host to Virginia Tech and North Carolina State.
OVERALL OUTLOOK
The Tar Heels are hoping the Oct. 23 game at Miami will mark the first of two trips to south Florida this season, but North Carolina fans shouldn’t rush to buy Orange Bowl tickets just yet. North Carolina may have a championship-caliber defense, but the offense might not be good enough to get the Heels to Charlotte, let alone Miami. And it doesn’t help matters that UNC plays in the Coastal, clearly the stronger of the ACC’s divisions. The best bet is that the Tar Heels settle for second or third in the Coastal and finish 10-3 or 9-4. That wouldn’t mark the dramatic leap into BCS contention that’s being predicted elsewhere, but it at least represents a small measure of improvement after back-to-back 8-5 seasons.
- Steve Megargee
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