The Long Hard Way

 
The Carolina offense had 25 first downs in each of the last two games against the Blue Devils.  On one hand these can be viewed as good stats, but on the other it’s cause for concern because we couldn’t score on big plays.  The tailback position of the Heels carried the ball 66 times for 340 yards against Duke in their last two meetings. Over those two games, Dwight Jones had 21 catches but for only 222 yards.  Any Tar Heel fan knows that Dwight was capable of a 200 yard receiving day with only seven catches. 
 
Coach Knowles and the Duke staff limited our quick strike ability and made us play a patient, grind it out style of football.  Sometimes commentators refer to this as a “bend but don’t break” style of defense.  I think that has negative connotations.  Aggressive zone schemes that don’t give up big plays and force an offense to have mental and physical endurance while going the “long hard way” is sound football.  
 
Last week against Virginia Tech I was surprised that the Blue Devils gave up four touchdowns of 40 yards or more.  This is highly uncharacteristic for their style.  In fact the Duke defense hadn’t given up a scoring play of more than 40 yards since the second play of the season, on September 1, against FIU.  Good coaching staffs have a way of correcting problems from week to week.  I imagine Duke spent a great deal of time this week on eliminating big plays. 
 
The good news is that UNC appears to have the mental and physical endurance to put drives together.  They also have the talent.  Gio is an uncommon back running behind an uncommon group of offensive linemen.  I had dinner with an NFL scout recently and he remarked that the three most talented lines he has seen in the country this year are Alabama, Texas A&M, and North Carolina.  James Hurst, Jonathan Cooper, Russell Bodine, Travis Bond, Landon Turner, and Brennan Williams are fully capable of maintaining long sustained drives again this year. 
 

‹

Deems May reply to Dr. Harmon

Dear Dr. Harmon, Your August 12 opinion published by Chapelboro.com in response to my feelings of Coach Davis’ firing, indicated that my letter “could not have hit further from the intended mark.” I must respectfully disagree by saying that if my letter elicited  combative responses from you and Mr. Chansky of Chapelboro fame, then the […]

Another T.W.O Cents Response to: "A Letter to Deems May"

This T.W.O. Cents column is in response to “A Letter to Deems May.” Dear Dr. Harmon:   You first make the argument that “Reasonable People” care about the University and not what Deems does or who he is. By making that argument that way, you assume that anyone that has a different point of view must […]

A Letter to Deems May

Dear Deems,   Your August 01 letter published by InsideCarolina.com could not have been further from the intended mark. The subject should have been the University of North Carolina, but it was Deems May.   Your letter included the pronouns “I” 37 times, “my” 11 times and “me” 7 times, for a total of 55 self-references […]

Davis Should Go -- Now

UNC can still begin moving beyond its regrettable football scandal of the last year, regardless of its final fate from the NCAA. Ohio State has conveniently provided Carolina with the model it should use in order to separate a scandalous past from a brighter future.   The Buckeyes, whose transgressions aren’t nearly as severe as […]

Election Officials Brace for Confrontational Poll Watchers

Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and NICHOLAS RICCARDI The situation with the poll watcher had gotten so bad that Anne Risku, the election director in North Carolina’s Wayne County, had to intervene via speakerphone. “You need to back off!” Risku recalled hollering after the woman wedged herself between a voter and the machine where the voter […]

South Emerges as Flashpoint of Brewing Redistricting Battle

Written by NICHOLAS RICCARDI The partisan showdown over redistricting has hardly begun, but already both sides agree on one thing: It largely comes down to the South. The states from North Carolina to Texas are set to be premier battlegrounds for the once-a-decade fight over redrawing political boundaries. That’s thanks to a population boom, mostly one-party […]

The 2014 Inter-City Visit, As Told By Aaron Keck: Tuesday Evening

The second and final day of the 2014 ICV has wrapped up the nearly 100 Orange County residents, including WCHL’s Aaron Keck, who is making his second-consecutive trip with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce.

The 2014 Inter-City Visit, As Told By Aaron Keck: Monday Morning

This year's journey is to Athens, Georgia--the home of the University of Georgia. But, first, the journey stopped off in Greenville, South Carolina--the home of Furman University.

Heel, Ram, Gym, Java

OK, for our game against football arch-rival NC State, stories about a Heel, a ram, a gym and java.  First, the timeless question, “What’s a Tar Heel?” Well, there are several versions but, for the one I’ve heard most, let’s return to NC’s colonial history. We have a lot of pine trees and, along […]

The Long Hard Way

When UNC played Duke while I was offensive coordinator, our staff talked a lot about “going the long hard way” versus their defense.  Duke plays a very aggressive and disciplined form of zone that prevents many big plays.  If we just took what they gave us and made every play work, we could go the […]

›