https://northcarolina.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1796250
CHAPEL HILL - With the opener versus South Carolina one week away, Larry Fedora was asked how his team and program are different compared to when they opened with a loss at the Gamecocks two years ago.
“We’ve got more pieces of the puzzle put together,” the head coach said Wednesday. “We’ve got some more depth at some positions that we didn’t have. We’ve got a little bit more experience than we had then, and I think most of our guys are comfortable. We’ve got a total defensive scheme change that guys are still learning. Those would be the major differences.”
*Littrell Excited About The O: Among the things Littrell is excited about with this offense is “the way they’ve worked, their mindset, their maturity. I’m very excited where they’re at.”
Ten starters are back, though there’s technically been shuffling at two positons: Bentley Spain at left tackle and Elijah Hood is now the clear No. 1 tailback, supplanting T.J. Logan, who was the main starter a year ago.
Maybe “supplanted” isn’t the right word there, as Logan is still going to get a lot of touches, and his play has been as strong if not stronger than a year ago. But it’s more that Hood is healthy, has a significantly better understanding of his position and everything going on out there on the field, and he’s a much improved pass blocker.
He took advantage of his down time due to an injury last season and became a student of the game.
“The injury let me take a step back and let me go over the offense more and slow things down,” Hood said. “I went over the installs, I went over all the plays, I went over all of my runs from earlier in the year before I got hurt learned what I was doing wrong.
“It was a learning experience. I wasn’t able to go out there and physically do those things but I was able to get a whole bunch of mental reps and just get into the playbook and learn the offense as a whole.”
That’s a big reason Littrell is so excited about the offense. An explosive group a year ago, it wasn’t consistent. But as a smarter and more mature collective unit, the expectation is it will be more consistent, and that means the numbers should increase, and that should lead to more victories, especially if the defense shows measurable improvement, which is also expected.
*Experience Matters: South Carolina has a new defensive coordinator, John Hoke, who has spent recent seasons coaching in the NFL. Both teams next Thursday are in similar situations facing new defenses with new schemes and new staffs (South Carolina’s is partially new). The Tar Heels, however, may have a slight edge because of their offense’s overall experience.
Fedora said the need to adapt early to what the Gamecocks do defensively will be crucial, but he also believes having an experienced group should make that process “easier.”
So, just how experienced are the Tar Heels on offense?
UNC has a combined 10,021 rushing and receiving yards and 103 touchdowns on its roster. In addition, its quarterbacks have passed for 5,439 yards and 48 TDs. Here’s the breakdown:
Current Tar Heels have run the ball 954 times for 4,317 yards - an average of 4.53 yards per attempt - and rushed for 48 touchdowns.
Current Tar Heels have hauled in 489 passes for 5,704 yards and 49 touchdowns.
Current Tar Heels defensive players have scored six touchdowns in their careers.
Current Tar Heels quarterbacks have passed for 5,439 yards and 48 touchdowns.
*Get Ready For Dalton Stogner: If Dalton Stogner is a name you don’t recall, here’s a little refresher course for you: A walk-on from Dallas, TX, Stogner came to Chapel Hill in 2012 and redshirted. A year later, while 3rd on the depth chart at wide receiver, he suffered a knee injury that ended his season. He injured the other knee as a high school senior limiting his offers to Colorado State and New Mexico, among others.
Stogner also missed last season but is back now, is healthy, confident and playing well. And for the last week-plus, he’s been on the second team and has even worked with the 1s a few times. Stogner is going to play.
“Dalton’s a guy who came in and worked his way as a walk-on like many of our guys…,” UNC wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer said Tuesday. “Dalton actually earned some playing time and then tore his knee up, and then came back in fall and started earning some playing time again and tore the other knee up.
“He has progressed, has stuck with it, come back and now has just whittled his way in to finding a niche here and there and is supplying some depth and some leadership. And he makes plays when he’s out there. So, we call him the ‘old man’ of the group. He just finds his way in windows of opportunity.”
*Opening With The Gamecocks: Next Thursday’s game will be the sixth time North and South Carolina have opened a football season playing each other. The teams have split the first five games with a tie. Here are those results:
1937 – 13-13 tie in Chapel Hill
1979 – 28-0 UNC in Chapel Hill
1983 – 24-8 UNC in Columbia
1988 – 31-10 South Carolina in Columbia
2013 – 27-10 South Carolina in Columbia
In addition, this will be the Tar Heels’ 11th season-opening contest versus a program currently in the SEC. The other five results are:
1947 – UNC 14, Georgia 7 in Chapel Hill
1966 – Kentucky 10, UNC 0 in Lexington, KY
1970 – UNC 20, Kentucky 10 in Chapel Hill
1977 – Kentucky 10, UNC 7 in Lexington, KY
2010 – LSU 30, UNC 24 in Atlanta
Note: The Heels are slated to open next season versus Georgia in the Georgia Dome.
CHAPEL HILL - With the opener versus South Carolina one week away, Larry Fedora was asked how his team and program are different compared to when they opened with a loss at the Gamecocks two years ago.
“We’ve got more pieces of the puzzle put together,” the head coach said Wednesday. “We’ve got some more depth at some positions that we didn’t have. We’ve got a little bit more experience than we had then, and I think most of our guys are comfortable. We’ve got a total defensive scheme change that guys are still learning. Those would be the major differences.”
*Littrell Excited About The O: Among the things Littrell is excited about with this offense is “the way they’ve worked, their mindset, their maturity. I’m very excited where they’re at.”
Ten starters are back, though there’s technically been shuffling at two positons: Bentley Spain at left tackle and Elijah Hood is now the clear No. 1 tailback, supplanting T.J. Logan, who was the main starter a year ago.
Maybe “supplanted” isn’t the right word there, as Logan is still going to get a lot of touches, and his play has been as strong if not stronger than a year ago. But it’s more that Hood is healthy, has a significantly better understanding of his position and everything going on out there on the field, and he’s a much improved pass blocker.
He took advantage of his down time due to an injury last season and became a student of the game.
“The injury let me take a step back and let me go over the offense more and slow things down,” Hood said. “I went over the installs, I went over all the plays, I went over all of my runs from earlier in the year before I got hurt learned what I was doing wrong.
“It was a learning experience. I wasn’t able to go out there and physically do those things but I was able to get a whole bunch of mental reps and just get into the playbook and learn the offense as a whole.”
That’s a big reason Littrell is so excited about the offense. An explosive group a year ago, it wasn’t consistent. But as a smarter and more mature collective unit, the expectation is it will be more consistent, and that means the numbers should increase, and that should lead to more victories, especially if the defense shows measurable improvement, which is also expected.
*Experience Matters: South Carolina has a new defensive coordinator, John Hoke, who has spent recent seasons coaching in the NFL. Both teams next Thursday are in similar situations facing new defenses with new schemes and new staffs (South Carolina’s is partially new). The Tar Heels, however, may have a slight edge because of their offense’s overall experience.
Fedora said the need to adapt early to what the Gamecocks do defensively will be crucial, but he also believes having an experienced group should make that process “easier.”
So, just how experienced are the Tar Heels on offense?
UNC has a combined 10,021 rushing and receiving yards and 103 touchdowns on its roster. In addition, its quarterbacks have passed for 5,439 yards and 48 TDs. Here’s the breakdown:
Current Tar Heels have run the ball 954 times for 4,317 yards - an average of 4.53 yards per attempt - and rushed for 48 touchdowns.
Current Tar Heels have hauled in 489 passes for 5,704 yards and 49 touchdowns.
Current Tar Heels defensive players have scored six touchdowns in their careers.
Current Tar Heels quarterbacks have passed for 5,439 yards and 48 touchdowns.
*Get Ready For Dalton Stogner: If Dalton Stogner is a name you don’t recall, here’s a little refresher course for you: A walk-on from Dallas, TX, Stogner came to Chapel Hill in 2012 and redshirted. A year later, while 3rd on the depth chart at wide receiver, he suffered a knee injury that ended his season. He injured the other knee as a high school senior limiting his offers to Colorado State and New Mexico, among others.
Stogner also missed last season but is back now, is healthy, confident and playing well. And for the last week-plus, he’s been on the second team and has even worked with the 1s a few times. Stogner is going to play.
“Dalton’s a guy who came in and worked his way as a walk-on like many of our guys…,” UNC wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer said Tuesday. “Dalton actually earned some playing time and then tore his knee up, and then came back in fall and started earning some playing time again and tore the other knee up.
“He has progressed, has stuck with it, come back and now has just whittled his way in to finding a niche here and there and is supplying some depth and some leadership. And he makes plays when he’s out there. So, we call him the ‘old man’ of the group. He just finds his way in windows of opportunity.”
*Opening With The Gamecocks: Next Thursday’s game will be the sixth time North and South Carolina have opened a football season playing each other. The teams have split the first five games with a tie. Here are those results:
1937 – 13-13 tie in Chapel Hill
1979 – 28-0 UNC in Chapel Hill
1983 – 24-8 UNC in Columbia
1988 – 31-10 South Carolina in Columbia
2013 – 27-10 South Carolina in Columbia
In addition, this will be the Tar Heels’ 11th season-opening contest versus a program currently in the SEC. The other five results are:
1947 – UNC 14, Georgia 7 in Chapel Hill
1966 – Kentucky 10, UNC 0 in Lexington, KY
1970 – UNC 20, Kentucky 10 in Chapel Hill
1977 – Kentucky 10, UNC 7 in Lexington, KY
2010 – LSU 30, UNC 24 in Atlanta
Note: The Heels are slated to open next season versus Georgia in the Georgia Dome.
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