UNC Tarheels, Coach Andrews Reign

[Wenkinator]

Preseason Overview

With Butch Davis fired just before the beginning of the season, North Carolina has plummeted in preseason rankings and with that they have also plummeted in our projection for where they will end up at the end of the season. The ACC Coastal Division is set to be the most competitive, and we believe UNC will end up at about 4^th with a (8-4) record. ESPN has them ranked as the 53^rd best school in the nation… about middle of the pack.

UNC will need to win games with their defense. The offense, though not pedestrian, will need to prove itself to the doubters by consistently getting first downs and keeping the time of possession game close.

Team MVP – Quinton Coples – Getting anything more than a 8-4 record will be up to him. If he proves to be the terror that many believe he can be, UNC will almost be dominant. If he can’t make a huge impact, the team will sink.

Surprise of the Season – Bryn Renner – The redshirt sophomore will need to play lights out for his team to make some noise. We’ll predict that he can do it. With true freshman Marquise Williams and red shirt junior Braden Hanson pushing for the starting spot, you can bet that Renner will turn it up a notch to secure his position.


Biggest Win – @ Clemson – I know it seems crazy, but Coach Andrews is going to have to come up with his signature when at some point this season. There won't be a better time than when they play Clemson. 28-24


Biggest Loss - @ Georgia Tech – We predict that the GT will handle UNC well with their option attack. Only time will tell though. The play action should be able to keep UNC's defense honest. 42 – 31.


Preseason All Americans 2^nd Team – Quentin Coples
All-ACC 1^st Team – Dwight Jones, Quentin Coples, Casey Barth
All-ACC 2^nd Team – Donte Paige Moss, Tydreke Powell, Kevin Reddick

Recruiting

North Carolina will begin the 2011-2012 recruiting season with 20 available scholarships. With 17 graduating seniors they are expecting the possibility for 3 other players to potentially head to the NFL or transfer out.
Luckily the team has plenty of depth at their skill positions. The most crucial piece to the recruiting puzzle will be a strong safety and new center. Kicker of course will be a concern.

University of North Carolina Tarheels Depth Chart - 2011
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Dwight Jones (sr)	Jheranie Boyd (jr)	Sean Tapley (rs fr)	Reggie Wilkins (rs fr)
TE	Nelson Hurst (rs jr)	Christian Wilson (sr)	Sean Fitzpatrick (rs fr)
LT	James Hurst (so)	Nick Appel (rs fr)
LG	Jonathan Cooper (rs jr)	David Collins (rs so)
C	Cameron Holland (rs sr)	Russell Bodine (rs fr)
RG	Travis Bond (jr)	David Collins (rs so)
RT	Carl Gaskins (sr)	Brennan Williams (jr)
WR	Erik Highsmith (jr)	Jheranie Boyd (jr)	Sean Tapley (rs fr)	Reggie Wilkins (rs fr)
QB	Bryn Renner (rs so)	Braden Hanson (rs jr)	Marquise Williams (fr)
FB	Devon Ramsey (rs sr)
HB	Giovanni Bernard (rs fr)	Ryan Houston (rs sr)	AJ Blue (rs so)
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Quinton Coples (sr)	Tim Jackson (so)
LDT	Tydreke Powell (sr)	Jordan Nix (rs sr)
RDT	Sylvester Williams (jr)	Ethan Farmer (rs fr)
RDE	Donte Paige Moss (jr)	Kareem Martin (so)
WLB	Ebele Okakpu (sr)	Darius Lipford (so)
MLB	Kevin Reddick (jr)	Tommy Heffernan (rs fr)
SLB	Zach Brown (sr)	PJ Clyburn (rs fr)
CB	Charles Brown (sr)	Jabari Price (so)	Todd Harrelson (rs jr)
SS	Jonathan Smith (rs sr)	Brandon Ellerbe (fr)
FS	Matt Merletti (rs sr)	Gene Robinson (jr)
CB	Tre Boston (so)	Terry Shankle (rs so)
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Casey Barth (sr)
P	CJ Feagles (rs so)
H	Braden Hanson (rs jr)
PR	Sean Tapley (rs fr)	Todd Harrelson (rs jr)
KR	Sean Tapley (rs fr)	Charles Brown (sr)
LS	Cameron Holland (rs sr)

University of North Carolina Tarheels 2011 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 3	vs James Madison
Sep 10	vs Rutgers
Sep 17	vs Virginia
Sep 24	at Georgia Tech
Oct 1	at ECU
Oct 8	vs Louisville
Oct 15	vs Miami
Oct 22	at Clemson
Oct 29	vs Wake Forest
Nov 5	at NC State
Nov 17	at Virginia Tech
Nov 26	vs Duke

[Wenkinator]

Tarheels Announce New Head Coach

Coach David Andrews looked confident as he was introduced by UNC's athletic director. As he stepped up to the microphone he scoffed at the thoughts that he had no pedigree, no real experience, and the idea that he was just an interim coach.

"I know many of you don't know who I am, or did your research on me last night after you read my name on the ESPN ticker. I'm not the flashiest and I know I'm probably not anyone's number one option to lead this team, but I swear to the fans, to the players, and to this university that this will be the hardest working football team in the nation.

I remember just a month ago how high the expectations were for these boys. I realize that those expectations have been deflated. But I will not settle for less. This team is not a 7-5, 8-4 team. This team will be fighting for the Conference title. They will be in the talk of the BCS standings. I promise you that."

After his statement, Andrews bid the media a good afternoon and left the podium.

[Wenkinator]

Week 1: North Carolina vs James Madison

Matchup Preview | January 1,
	@
James Madison Dukes (0-0, 0-0 Away)		North Carolina Tar Heels (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Injury Report Game Notes It's opening Saturday for a football team that is overshadowed by the prestige of their basketball program. It doesn't mean however that the fans have come out to show their support. Only a dominating performance will suspend the fan's wishes for the start of basketball season, and Coach Andrews has assured the media and team supporters that is exactly what we are to receive from his veteran team. Expect the starters to be pulled in the second half if this team jumps out to a big enough lead.

[Wenkinator]

James Madison Dukes at North Carolina Tar Heels
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
James Madison Dukes (0-1)	0	0	0	7	7
North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0)	14	21	10	10	55

Team Stats Comparison
	JMU	UNC
Total Offense	189	439
Rushing Yards	40	219
Passing Yards	149	220
First Downs	9	16
Punt Return Yards	0	68
Kick Return Yards	162	23
Total Yards	351	530
Turnovers	5	0
3rd Down Converstion	2-10(20%)	7-11(63%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1(0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-1-0(100%)	7-6-0(85%)
Penalties	3-25	6-62
Posession Time	15:49	18:49

James Madison Dukes PASSING C/A YDS TD INT B. Renner 11/14 137 2 0 B. Hanson 5/9 83 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD G. Bernard 10 95 9.5 2 R. Houston 10 35 3.5 1 A. Blue 8 118 14.7 0 D. Ramsey 1 6 6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Boyd 4 30 7.5 0 D. Jones 3 27 9.0 2 C. Wilson 2 21 10.5 1 N. Hurst 2 18 9.0 0 E. Highsmith 2 62 31.0 0 R. Wilkins 1 2 2.0 0 S. Tapley 1 12 12.0 0 R. Houston 1 48 48.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD J. Smith 6 0 0 0 G. Robinson 4 0 2 0 T. Boston 2 1 0 0 M. Merletti 2 0 1 1 J. Price 1 0 1 0 C. Brown 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG C. Barth 2/2 7/7 13 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Feagles 1 36 36 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD S. Tapley 1 23 23.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD S. Tapley 3 68 22.6 0

North Carolina Tar Heels

It was exactly what everyone wanted to see, unless you were a James Madison fan. Bernard was unstoppable in the half of football that he played.

Dwight Jones, though only limited to 27 yards made a huge impact on the game with his two touchdown catches. Renner zipped a ball over the middle into the endzone with Jones in double coverage, and he somehow came down with it despite taking a big hit.


Tapely had a great day returning the football. Unfortunately his blockers kept bringing his returns back.


Overall it was a dominating performance during all three phases of the ball. The North Carolina defense was draped over the James Madison receivers all game long which led to numerous picks, and the whole 1st string was pulled by the second half except for Quinton Coples.

When asked why his star defensive end was left in the game Coach Andrews smiled and said, "We wanted everyone to give a full half of effort today. It just took Quinton a whole game to do so."

The new coach has said over the past couple of weeks that this team will not be soft no matter the opponent and it seemed like picking on a star player was a way to get his message across.

Coaches Post Game Words

I felt like the guys played hard today. They limited mistakes and had a big win. I couldn't ask for much more. Hopefully we can ride the momentum into next week and play hard against Rutgers.

I felt like we could have done things better. Our pass rush didn't pick up any sacks, but the pressure led to some picks. Our running game was great, but I felt like we missed some holes and ran East/West too often. The quarterback play was great. They showed a lot of poise in the pocket. I just couldn't ask for more from those guys.

I know it wasn't Virginia Tech or anything, but I'm thrilled by how we played today. I hope you guys are looking forward to watching some more.

[Wenkinator]

Week 2: UNC vs Rutgers

Matchup Preview | September 10, 2011
	@
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0, 0-0 Away)		North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0, 0-0 Home)
Game Notes Both teams are coming off of wins against inferior FCS teams. UNC is favored in this match up, but it will take a strong defense and efficient ball control offense to assure victory. Coach Andrews has expressed to his players throughout the week that no one can afford to overlook any opponent on game day, and that attitude has been taken to the practice field and film study. With this being the last game before their conference schedule takes off, UNC needs to take care of business like they did the week before. Our prediction: 35-17 UNC.

[Wenkinator]

Shocker

UNC is downed by Rutgers on Home Turf

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at North Carolina Tar Heels
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0)	10	14	3	13	40
North Carolina Tar Heels (1-1)	7	7	7	15	36

Team Stats Comparison
	RUTG	UNC
Total Offense	337	516
Rushing Yards	148	75
Passing Yards	189	441
First Downs	13	18
Punt Return Yards	4	18
Kick Return Yards	153	214
Total Yards	494	748
Turnovers	0	4
3rd Down Converstion	7-15(46%)	8-12(66%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1(100%)	0-1(0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-1(0%0	1-1(100%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-1(100%)	2-2-0(100%)
Penalties	1-10	2-26
Posession Time	14:07	17:53

Rutgers Scarlet Knights PASSING C/A YDS TD INT G. Nova 18/32 189 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Jamison 19 131 6.8 1 S. Huggins 3 24 8.0 0 J. Deering 1 8 8.0 0 M. Sanu 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Harrison 7 85 12.1 2 T. Wright 5 51 10.2 0 M. Sanu 3 20 6.6 0 J. Jamison 2 22 11.0 0 D. Jefferson 1 11 11.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD K. Greene 6 0 1 0 S. Beauharnais 14 0 0 0 D. Harmon 6 0 0 0 S. Vallone 3 1 0 0 M. Abreu 1 0 1 1 M. Cooper 9 0 1 0 L. Ryan 4 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Te 2/2 4/4 10 50 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 J. Doerner 4 151 37.7 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J. Thomas 6 153 25.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD M. Sanu 1 4 4.0 0

North Carolina Tar Heels PASSING C/A YDS TD INT B. Renner 18/28 332 3 3 B. Hanson 5/10 109 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD G. Bernard 18 58 3.2 0 R. Houston 5 18 3.6 0 D. Ramsey 2 7 3.5 0 B. Renner 1 1 1.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Jones 7 148 21.1 1 N. Hurst 7 112 16.0 1 J. Boyd 6 152 25.3 2 E. Highsmith 3 29 9.6 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD D. Paige Moss 6 1 0 0 T. Boston 10 0 0 0 Q. Coples 1 0 0 0 T. Powell 6 0 0 0 C. Brown 6 0 0 0 J. Price 5 0 0 0 K. Reddick 5 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG C. Barth 0/1 4/4 4 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 C. Feagles 1 43 43.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD S. Tapley 8 214 26.7 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD S. Tapley 2 18 9.0 0

Well the rematch next year has just gotten more exciting. Though the stat sheet suggests that UNC should have won that game, the turnover department was leaning heavily in Rutgers favor.

Renner was lost in the second half from a concussion, but the game was already out of hand long before then. In the second quarter, Renner threw his second of three picks to Abreu on a half back screen play. The linebacker then waltzed into the endzone untouched for a backbreaking play that had UNC reeling.

Coach Andrews was disgusted during his post game interview. "We could have one today, but we didn't. On paper, on the stat sheet, until you look at the turnover column you are sitting there thinking "Man Rutgers got killed." No. A handful of plays define the winner and loser of a football game. In those handful of plays, we lost every single one of them. I hope this is a rude awakening to the players. We have a lot of work to do folks.

Our secondary got shredded. Our pass rush was nonexistent. We couldn't complete drives consistently. It was rough, you know? I have faith that next week we'll be a different team."

[Wenkinator]

Recruiting Update

Coach Andrews stated in his second press conference that he wanted UNC to be a national recruiting powerhouse. He said that he realized stuff like that didn't happen overnight, and he thanked Coach Davis for making UNC a power in Florida.

Here is how many recruits by state UNC is targeting:

North Carolina (3)

1. HB - Brian Brown - 5'10" 192 lbs. 3 star prospect. "He's an elusive back that will wow you with his speed. He was born and bred in Tarheel country, so you can expect him to be on campus next fall."
2. OLB - Randy Brooks 6'3" 218 lbs. 3 star prospect. "Randy is too light to play college football as a linebacker, but he lacks the speed to convert to safety. He's a solid tackler with high motor. Expect him to redshirt his freshman year to put on the weight he'll need to hold up for a full season.
3. MLB - Scott Gordon 6'1" 245 lbs. 2 star prospect. "Scott has the prototypical size to man the MLB position. He accelerates to the ball carrier like the best of them. He's an intriguing athlete but will need to work on his tackling mechanics.

Virginia (3)

1. QB - Greg Burnett - 6'4" 234 lbs. 4 star prospect. "Coach Andrews has stated that he would like to recruit one quarterback a year to keep his signal callers competitive. Burnett has a decent arm, and can be somewhat mobile. Hopefully the competition will turn him into a future starter by his Junior or Senior year.
2. OLB - Will Gray - 6'4" 223 lbs. 3 star prospect. "He has great speed and tackling ability. Really, he is a solid linebacker for this UNC class. He is being pursued heavily by Marshall, and Navy with offers from both schools. Any team would be lucky to have him.
3. OLB - Scott Charles - 6'5" 235 lbs 2 star prospect. "He's a solid player. He does nothing outstanding, but there is no glaring weakness in his game. He could be developed into a great player.

Florida (7)

1. FS - Maurice Rodriguez - 6'0 166 lbs. 3 star prospect. "A rangy safety that can lay the wood. He's got the frame to put on more mass. He'll probably redshirt in his first year. Maurice has received offers from Miami and Florida State."
2. SS - Kyle McKinley - 6'2" 200 lbs. 3 star prospect. "He's a solid tackler and great in coverage. He'll develop into a solid collegiate athlete. Expect him to be a starter by his junior year. Kyle has receiver offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Miami."
3. FS - Tony Hall - 6'0 180 lbs. 3 star prospect. "Tony is the type of prospect that coaches love. He's a coachable kid that has room to grow. The best part for Coach Andrews is that Hall has said he would love to play for UNC."
4. SS - Drew Coker - 6'1" 210 lbs. 2 star prospect. "Coker is more suited for the FS position. He is fast, able to break on the ball as it leaves the quarterbacks hand. He'll most likely be redshirted in his first year so he can refine some of his skills before seeing the field."
5. DE - O.J. White - 6'7" 242 lbs. 2 star prospect. "White is a JUCO Sophomore with a lot of room to grow. He'll need to put on more weight before he can battle ACC opponents in the trenches, but he has great pass rushing skills."
6. K - Scott Ray - 5'10" 187 lbs. 1 star prospect. "Ray is also a JUCO Sophomore. He's got a great leg on him, and he'll be depended on from the beginning of his time stepping on the playing field. He is currently only holding offers from UNC and is reportedly leaning heavily to joining the Tarheels.
7. G - Jamey West - 6'1" 305 lbs. 2 star prospect. "Jamey shows great footwork in run blocking, but his pass blocking will need some work. He'll most likely turn into a solid back up."

Pennsylvania (2)

1. DE - Ryan Prince - 6'2" 237 lbs. 2 star prospect. "He's a JUCO Junior, that really lacks the weight to be an every down player. His pass rushing ability is good enough for schools like Georgia Tech and West Virginia to pursue him however."
2. FB - Nick Anderson - 5'11" 252 lbs. 1 star prospect. "He has the ability to be a weapon out of the backfield. He can run for a big guy and has good enough hands. His blocking ability will need some work though."

Georgia (1)

1. DE - Steve High - 6'2" 273 lbs. 3 star prospect. "He's big enough for the college game and scouts like his ability to get to the passer. He'll need to refine his techniques to make them work in the college game however. A possible future starter, but he'll be a redshirt as a freshman. He is being pursued by Vandy and Marshall.

Michigan (2)

1. CB - Greg Matthews - 6'2" 180 lbs. 3 star prospect. "He's one heck of an athlete. He may project better at receiver, but with time he'll turn into a great corner as well. Maryland and UNC are bidding for his services (is bidding an appropriate word?) and either team will be glad to have him.
2. CB - Jermaine Anderson - 6'3" 186 lbs. 3 star prospect. "His size is outstanding for a corner but his speed is lacking. He shows great technique in coverage, and could possible work the slot on the FBS level since he does show a great burst of quickness. He might also be a good prospect to convert to safety. Maryland and UNC are battling for him as well.

Kentucky (1)

1. C - David Powers - 6'2" 297 lbs. 3 star prospect. "He isn't great at anything. Maybe he isn't even worthy of being considered good. He'll have to really work to see the field, but he fills a position of need for UNC. He has received offers from UNC, WVU, and Ohio.

[Wenkinator]

Week 3: UNC vs Virginia

Matchup Preview | September 17, 2011
	@
Virginia Cavaliers (2-0, 1-0 Away)		North Carolina Tar Heels (1-1, 1-1 Home)
Injury Report B. Renner Concussion (Doubtful) Game Notes After the shocking loss to Rutgers last week UNC Head Coach David Andrews has been very quiet. The only thing Andrews has cared to say since the post game show has been "Bring on Virginia." With B. Renner unable to practice all week, it will be up to B. Hanson, the redshirt junior, to lead this team to victory. UNC fans can only hope that his focus has worked its way down to his team. Anything can happen, but we expect UNC to wake up and defeat their rivals. 21-7 Tarheels.