Recap: UNC 31, ECU 17

Big win for the Tar Heels this week as they go to 3-0 to start the season. This is the first time since Mack Brown was the head football coach in Chapel Hill that the Heels have gotten off to this kind of a start, and Carolina certainly demonstrated some of the trademarks of successful UNC teams of the past against the Pirates yesterday.

The offense finally seemed able to move the ball with some regularity, with QB T.J. Yates completing 19 of his 24 passes on the day for 227 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs. Each TD went to a different receiver, with freshmen WRs Erik Highsmith (6 catches, 113 yards) and Jheranie Boyd (1 catch, 59 yards) reaping the benefits from terrific Yates strikes. RB Shaun Draughn was solid on the ground gaining 84 yards on 19 carries, while Ryan Houston ran for 41 yards and 2 TDs.

The defense was less consistent than in Carolina's previous two victories over the Citadel and UConn, but still had some big plays when the Heels needed them the most. CB Charles Brown continued his stellar 2009 campaign by leading the Heels with 9 tackles, while also recovering a fumble and breaking up two passes. DE Robert Quinn had 2 sacks on the day, while LB Quan Sturdivant was solid with 7 tackles including one for a 5-yard loss.

Overall the Heels definitely looked more balanced for this game. The offense finally started to play to their potential, and really helped the defense out by moving the ball and putting it into the end zone four times on the day. ECU was a quality opponent, and it showed with a shootout in the first half which saw the Heels go into the locker room up 21-14. Carolina really exercised their will on the Pirates as they outscored their opponent 10-3 for the final half. The last three games have seen UNC grow dramatically, and they will definitely need to call upon every lesson learned thus far if they want to beat a talented, angry, and potent Georgia Tech team in Atlanta this week.

Recap: UNC 40, Citadel 6

Note: As the football season gets underway, I think it's only right for me as a UNC fan to give my take on how the Tar Heel Football Team does throughout the 2009 season. I'll be doing this for every game as the season goes on, discussing the positives and negatives of the Heels' performance. This is a recap of their first game against the Citadel, which took place last night in Chapel Hill.

Great win for the Tar Heels last night as they crushed the Citadel 40-6 behind a great effort from RB Shaun Draughn, who rushed for 118 yards on 20 carries. Carolina rushed for over 250 against an over-matched Citadel squad who physically could not keep up with the more talented UNC team.

A few impressions from being at the game last night in Chapel Hill. First, the crowd was absolutely great. This is probably the first time I could actually say this about the crowd since I first started going to UNC football games my freshman year in 2004. The crowd knew when to cheer, when to be quiet, was well-organized on a few chants throughout the game, and was attentive throughout most of the game, leaving only when the game was 37-0 in the 4th quarter (which is more than I could say in years past). Kudos to those in attendance last night who made the atmosphere in Kenan Stadium one of the best in a long time.

Second, the offense has to start playing better. The running game was there all night, and Draughn, Ryan Houston, A.J. Blue, and Jamal Womble were very impressive running the football all over the field last night. But the passing game has to get in gear if the Heels are going to have a legitimate shot at winning the ACC this year. Too many dropped passes and poor reads led to unnecessary turnovers and missed opportunities all night. These problems will fix themselves as time goes on, but there had better be an added emphasis on pass-catching in practice this week as the team prepares for the Connecticut Huskies on September 12th.

One other thing I'd like to quickly note for people to watch as time goes on is the prevent defense played in the final two minutes of each half. Only when this scheme was employed by defensive coordinator Everett Withers was the Citadel able to move the football with some level of consistency. This was a common problem for the Heels last year (see games against Virginia Tech, Miami, Notre Dame, and Virginia in 2008) and it was the same story yesterday. It did produce a turnover (an interception by junior CB Charles Brown), but better teams will be able to exploit this scheme with more frequency if the prevent continues to be executed the way it has been for the last 14 games by the Heels.