UNC v Cal postgame discussion thread

[uncboy10]

Jalen Dalton is an idiot.

The QB competition was over before Brandon Harris threw that second interception. He threw two picks and missed two wide open touchdown throws. If Surratt gets the entire game or even just the whole second half then I think we win.

I keep hoping that the bonehead mistakes will weed themselves out. They never seem to.

 

[strummingram]

Jalen Dalton is an idiot.

Believe it or not, I just saw a Purdue defensive player get called for another targeting call on the Lamar jackson an hour ago and he was reacting exactly as Dalton reacted. Smiling, laughing in disbelief and then trotting-off like "what did I do?"

 

[uncboy10]

I hope Dalton realizes that play, and the resulting TD (instead of getting a shot at a 2 minute drill to take a commanding lead into halftime) was a huge part of why we lost.

On the bright side, I think Surratt, Carter and co. are going to win a lot of football games in the next four years.

 

[strummingram]

On the bright side, I think Surratt, Carter and co. are going to win a lot of football games in the next four years.

Maybe...

I've lost all confidence in the coaching staff, but, who knows.

 

[uncboy10]

Maybe...

I've lost all confidence in the coaching staff, but, who knows.

If we see any more of Brandon Harris at QB then I will probably lose all confidence. That's barring a major blowup by Surratt.

Carter looks like he could be the next Gio Bernard. Surratt showed a lot of composure under pressure and made some nice throws. He's got speed and throws a good ball. If he ends up being a four year starter then he will be a stud by his senior year.

The play calling was atrocious. When we stretched the field vertically with the passing game we had opportunities for big play TD's. Unfortunately Harris blew two of those opportunities with terrible throws. But it was mostly draws and screens per usual. Thats really stupid in week one when defense often blow coverages while they try to work out the kinks.

 

[strummingram]

If we see any more of Brandon Harris at QB then I will probably lose all confidence. That's barring a major blowup by Surratt.

Carter looks like he could be the next Gio Bernard. Surratt showed a lot of composure under pressure and made some nice throws. He's got speed and throws a good ball. If he ends up being a four year starter then he will be a stud by his senior year.

The play calling was atrocious. When we stretched the field vertically with the passing game we had opportunities for big play TD's. Unfortunately Harris blew two of those opportunities with terrible throws. But it was mostly draws and screens per usual. Thats really stupid in week one when defense often blow coverages while they try to work out the kinks.

They're only consistent in being inconsistent.

Those freshmen do look good, yes.

The defense, as always, is the weak link. The offense isn't as strong as we've had the last 3 years to where we can win shoot-outs. Until they get a defense, it's all a crap-shoot.

 

[Archer2]

They're only consistent in being inconsistent.

Those freshmen do look good, yes.

The defense, as always, is the weak link. The offense isn't as strong as we've had the last 3 years to where we can win shoot-outs. Until they get a defense, it's all a crap-shoot.

At least we're consistent on one thing, shooting ourselves in the foot.

We do have some promising freshmen.

Our defense is just bad, bad, bad. Maybe Cal will turn out to be a pretty good team and this loss won't look so terribly bad in retrospect.

Poor game planning once again by the staff, both in play calling and in playing Harris as much as we did. Hand the ball to Surratt and let him grow into the role. No use wasting any more snaps on Harris.

 

[sctarheel30]

Is truitt injured?

 

[nbwalk7]

We made all the coaching changes in the offseason but didn't get a full time offensive coordinator..! It shows! It's showed last year as well. Kap may very well be a good offensive coordinator...doubt it because he hasn't changed a lick of his play calling, but doing double duty just won't cut it if we want to compete.

 

[Tarheel8592]

I have a hard time finding 6 wins on the schedule...even 3 or 4.

 

[DSouthr]

Well once again, a season opener where we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, 3 in a row now, dang it. The Harris kid, I don't see it from any aspect, must have been really killing it in practice but he sure didn't show me much in this game. Inaccurate passer, stares down his targets allowing defenders to read his eyes, not a great runner, and the offense just does not flow with him in.

Liked what I saw from our tail backs and liked what I saw from our oline even more. Been wanting us to involves our TEs more in the passing game and looks like we have a couple we can do more with, so like what I see there also. WRs are a big drop off from last season but we are really young at that position as well.

Defense, I was actually more pleased with our LB and secondary than I thought I would be, dline IMO still not applying as much pressure as we need. They did catch us in a couple of play calls and both went for long scores. But take away the play after Dalton's ejection, catching us in a corner blitz ( our corner tipped it and they saw it) and the 3rd and 15 give away 1st down for playing to much cushion and the defense was not that bad IMO.

Last 2 seasons started our like this, heart breakin opening loss of a game we should have won sans some questionable coaching decisions and yet both seasons gave us really fun and exciting seasons so maybe this one will as well fit that pattern.

 

[notashelbyfan]

We are and always have been a poorly coached football team under Fedora. Im not talking about x and o im talking about preparation.

 

[WoadBlue]

Jalen Dalton is an idiot.

The QB competition was over before Brandon Harris threw that second interception. He threw two picks and missed two wide open touchdown throws. If Surratt gets the entire game or even just the whole second half then I think we win.

I keep hoping that the bonehead mistakes will weed themselves out. They never seem to.

Your last two sentences are pretty much what I keep coming back to this morning. This is year 6 of fedora, and the same bonehead mistakes are made by each of his teams, all season long.

 

[WoadBlue]

Well once again, a season opener where we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, 3 in a row now, dang it. The Harris kid, I don't see it from any aspect, must have been really killing it in practice but he sure didn't show me much in this game. Inaccurate passer, stares down his targets allowing defenders to read his eyes, not a great runner, and the offense just does not flow with him in.

Liked what I saw from our tail backs and liked what I saw from our oline even more. Been wanting us to involves our TEs more in the passing game and looks like we have a couple we can do more with, so like what I see there also. WRs are a big drop off from last season but we are really young at that position as well.

Defense, I was actually more pleased with our LB and secondary than I thought I would be, dline IMO still not applying as much pressure as we need. They did catch us in a couple of play calls and both went for long scores. But take away the play after Dalton's ejection, catching us in a corner blitz ( our corner tipped it and they saw it) and the 3rd and 15 give away 1st down for playing to much cushion and the defense was not that bad IMO.

Last 2 seasons started our like this, heart breakin opening loss of a game we should have won sans some questionable coaching decisions and yet both seasons gave us really fun and exciting seasons so maybe this one will as well fit that pattern.

Why must he have been 'really killing it in practice'? More and more, I think Fedora assumes that the best oevrall athlete QB he has must be the guy to deserve the job. Harris is a great all around athlete.

Mack Brown feel into that line of thinking. That was, I think the reason he played Chris Simms over Major Applewhite. Simms definitely was the better athlete, but Applewhite was a much smarter, more fundamentally sound QB.

 

[gteeitup]

i'm going to be honest, if fedora has the stones to put harris in other than for injury, he'll lose this team.

he's already got people questioning his play-calling and sub packages, but when you play the least successful kid at the most important position, you deserve to get the hammered.

 

[strummingram]

i'm going to be honest, if fedora has the stones to put harris in other than for injury, he'll lose this team.

he's already got people questioning his play-calling and sub packages, but when you play the least successful kid at the most important position, you deserve to get the hammered.

I'd bet the farm that he does the platoon shit against Louisville.

 

[Archer2]

The team shoots themselves in the foot with boneheaded mistakes because the HC continues to make boneheaded mistakes himself. We will occasionally beat a better team but we continually lose to less talented teams because his game planning and in game adjustments are lacking.

We can't expect our team to play smart when the HC isn't coaching smart.

 

[gteeitup]

I'd bet the farm that he does the platoon shit against Louisville.

wrong team to get cocky against...this game could freeze out a lot more.

The team shoots themselves in the foot with boneheaded mistakes because the HC continues to make boneheaded mistakes himself. We will occasionally beat a better team but we continually lose to less talented teams because his game planning and in game adjustments are lacking.

We can't expect our team to play smart when the HC isn't coaching smart.

it's not gotten better, really at all.

 

[strummingram]

wrong team to get cocky against...this game could freeze out a lot more.

I don't think he sees it as cocky. I think he sees it as a good strategy. He's not ready to rely on Surratt yet, especially as a passer. He's still going to see if he can get something out of Harris. I'm no football expert, but Harris was getting stared-down over and over, and he missed a wide open receiver in the end zone for a TD. I cannot imagine how LSU ever offered that guy.

 

[uncboy10]

Ultimately this game doesn't mean anything. We never had a playoff contender team, so trying to compete for a Coastal division crown while developing the young talent we have should be the only priorities.

Fedora has won a lot of football games during his tenure in Chapel Hill, in spite of head scratching losses like this one. It makes it much more frustrating to realize how close this program has been to achieving greatness if it weren't for some silly coaching errors.

The list of mistakes isn't even that long by my estimation. We see the same stupid stuff cost Carolina football games year after year.

1. Stupid play calling. Two draws and a screen to start the game is pretty much a lock. We know the coaches can do better. The flea flicker on the first play against dook was a great call. Being aggressive early can allow you capitalize on an unprepared defense. Things get even worse in the red zone. I don't even want to talk about it because I will want to start punching things if I start thinking about the USuCk games again.

2. Stupid late hit penalties on crucial plays - I've never seen another program rough the kicker/passer on third and long as often as we have under Fedora. Coach these morons up to be aware of the situation and know when to pull up instead of trying to show out for a big hit.

3. Failing to capitalize on our personnel. Whether it is Elijah Hood not getting the ball inside of the ten, or its Chazz Surratt watching from the sideline as the game gets pissed away, this staff always fails to max out our talent.

I like Larry Fedora as our head coach. We could do a lot worse. But I would like to see recurring issues get addressed so that he can make this program a national contender. If we recruit well for the next two years, then we could be loaded with talent by the time guys like Surratt, Carter, ect. become seniors. There will be great things to come for Carolina football. But we can't win the ACC, much less a national championship with these kinds of mistakes plaguing us. Hopefully the coaching staff will grow along with these young guys, because I thought there was a lot of promising young talent out there Saturday. Bottom line is that coaching likely cost these guys their first college victory, but we have some young guys that definitely have bright futures.

 

[uncboy10]

I don't think he sees it as cocky. I think he sees it as a good strategy. He's not ready to rely on Surratt yet, especially as a passer. He's still going to see if he can get something out of Harris. I'm no football expert, but Harris was getting stared-down over and over, and he missed a wide open receiver in the end zone for a TD. I cannot imagine how LSU ever offered that guy.

Quarterback was my position and I can tell you that Harris is seriously lacking in basic QB skills, or he was just completely overcome by the moment. I would give him a grade of F

The first skinny wheel route he missed was an easy throw. The safety had left him close to ten yards of space to drop that ball into. A good quarterback knows the speed of his receivers and can float one out in front of them so that they run it down. But honestly he should be able to put that one right on the money without giving the safety a chance to make a play. Instead he completely overthrows the receiver.

The wide open missed TD was just ridiculous. He was throwing scared, and tried to guide the ball instead of pulling the trigger. Your average high school QB can make that throw as long as he doesn't get nervous.

The second interception still has me baffled. He stared down his man then threw the ball straight to a defender. He needs to be relegated to a wildcat package for when we struggle in the red zone and let Surratt handle the real offense.

 

[Archer2]

Ultimately this game doesn't mean anything. We never had a playoff contender team, so trying to compete for a Coastal division crown while developing the young talent we have should be the only priorities.

Fedora has won a lot of football games during his tenure in Chapel Hill, in spite of head scratching losses like this one. It makes it much more frustrating to realize how close this program has been to achieving greatness if it weren't for some silly coaching errors.

The list of mistakes isn't even that long by my estimation. We see the same stupid stuff cost Carolina football games year after year.

1. Stupid play calling. Two draws and a screen to start the game is pretty much a lock. We know the coaches can do better. The flea flicker on the first play against dook was a great call. Being aggressive early can allow you capitalize on an unprepared defense. Things get even worse in the red zone. I don't even want to talk about it because I will want to start punching things if I start thinking about the USuCk games again.

2. Stupid late hit penalties on crucial plays - I've never seen another program rough the kicker/passer on third and long as often as we have under Fedora. Coach these morons up to be aware of the situation and know when to pull up instead of trying to show out for a big hit.

3. Failing to capitalize on our personnel. Whether it is Elijah Hood not getting the ball inside of the ten, or its Chazz Surratt watching from the sideline as the game gets pissed away, this staff always fails to max out our talent.

I like Larry Fedora as our head coach. We could do a lot worse. But I would like to see recurring issues get addressed so that he can make this program a national contender. If we recruit well for the next two years, then we could be loaded with talent by the time guys like Surratt, Carter, ect. become seniors. There will be great things to come for Carolina football. But we can't win the ACC, much less a national championship with these kinds of mistakes plaguing us. Hopefully the coaching staff will grow along with these young guys, because I thought there was a lot of promising young talent out there Saturday. Bottom line is that coaching likely cost these guys their first college victory, but we have some young guys that definitely have bright futures.

Can't argue with any of that. If I felt we were maximizing our talent and putting the team in the best possible position to win, I wouldn't be nearly as frustrated as I am. But the coaching mistakes are so glaring at times, and don't seem to be getting better.

 

[WoadBlue]

I don't think he sees it as cocky. I think he sees it as a good strategy. He's not ready to rely on Surratt yet, especially as a passer. He's still going to see if he can get something out of Harris. I'm no football expert, but Harris was getting stared-down over and over, and he missed a wide open receiver in the end zone for a TD. I cannot imagine how LSU ever offered that guy.

If he thinks he can rely on Harris as a passer, he's totally oblivious to reality.

 

[WoadBlue]

Can't argue with any of that. If I felt we were maximizing our talent and putting the team in the best possible position to win, I wouldn't be nearly as frustrated as I am. But the coaching mistakes are so glaring at times, and don't seem to be getting better.

It's similar to Les Miles. When all that accumulated LSU talent meant 10 Ws were certain and a shot at the National Championship was possible at least every third season, LSU fans could laugh off Miles' many mental screw ups as just eccentricities. Over time, those fans came to see those mental mistakes as costing LSU far too much to keep even as a great a recruiter as Miles.

 

[Raising Heel]

Harris ... missed a wide open receiver in the end zone for a TD.

That was the receiver's fault. Instead of running through the route he turned completely around to wait on the ball. Harris made plenty of mistakes Saturday but that wasn't one of them.

 

[uncboy10]

That was the receiver's fault. Instead of running through the route he turned completely around to wait on the ball. Harris made plenty of mistakes Saturday but that wasn't one of them.

He had to stop to wait on the ball because the throw was late and soft. He was in the end zone when the ball went over his head, there was only so much further he could have ran the route.

 

[uncboy10]

Can't argue with any of that. If I felt we were maximizing our talent and putting the team in the best possible position to win, I wouldn't be nearly as frustrated as I am. But the coaching mistakes are so glaring at times, and don't seem to be getting better.

We would be winning 10+ games every year if that were the case. That's why I'm rooting so hard for Fedora to figure out these problems. Even if it means making upgrades in the staff, and taking a less hands on approach like Dabo does at Clemson.

 

[Raising Heel]

He had to stop to wait on the ball because the throw was late and soft. He was in the end zone when the ball went over his head, there was only so much further he could have ran the route.

ARW was only 1 yard into the end zone when he turned back for the ball. The ball landed 1 yard inside the end line, even after ARW tipped it.

The pass should have been caught, and would have been had ARW not stopped to wait on a ball that he (and you, apparently) thought was underthrown.

Pic 1: ARW inexplicably slows and turns around

Pic 2: The ball bounces inside the end zone, even after being tipped, meaning it was perfectly catchable.

 

[strummingram]

ARW was only 1 yard into the end zone when he turned back for the ball. The ball landed 1 yard inside the end line, even after ARW tipped it.

The pass should have been caught, and would have been had ARW not stopped to wait on a ball that he (and you, apparently) thought was underthrown.

Pic 1: ARW inexplicably slows and turns around

Pic 2: The ball bounces inside the end zone, even after being tipped, meaning it was perfectly catchable.

Harris had a terrible game. You remember that pass play more accurately than I did. Uncboy10 may still dispute it with you.

 

[Raising Heel]

Harris had a terrible game. You remember that pass play more accurately than I did. Uncboy10 may still dispute it with you.

He did. I do. He will.

 

[Archer2]

We would be winning 10+ games every year if that were the case. That's why I'm rooting so hard for Fedora to figure out these problems. Even if it means making upgrades in the staff, and taking a less hands on approach like Dabo does at Clemson.

I think we'd all love to see Fed figure it out. I love his enthusiasm and he's recruiting well despite the never ending NCAA investigation. If the players and the staff didn't make so many mental errors, I'd be pretty content with the direction we're headed. Unfortunately, they continue to be plagued by self inflicted mistakes.

It's frustrating as hell.

 

[ChrisMPA]

Does anybody else notice that the only FBS program we've won a season opener against under Fedora is San Diego State in 2014? No matter what we seem to really suck in the game against our first FBS opponent of the season.

 

[TarHeelMark]

Ultimately this game doesn't mean anything. We never had a playoff contender team, so trying to compete for a Coastal division crown while developing the young talent we have should be the only priorities.

Fedora has won a lot of football games during his tenure in Chapel Hill, in spite of head scratching losses like this one. It makes it much more frustrating to realize how close this program has been to achieving greatness if it weren't for some silly coaching errors.

The list of mistakes isn't even that long by my estimation. We see the same stupid stuff cost Carolina football games year after year.

1. Stupid play calling. Two draws and a screen to start the game is pretty much a lock. We know the coaches can do better. The flea flicker on the first play against dook was a great call. Being aggressive early can allow you capitalize on an unprepared defense. Things get even worse in the red zone. I don't even want to talk about it because I will want to start punching things if I start thinking about the USuCk games again.

2. Stupid late hit penalties on crucial plays - I've never seen another program rough the kicker/passer on third and long as often as we have under Fedora. Coach these morons up to be aware of the situation and know when to pull up instead of trying to show out for a big hit.

3. Failing to capitalize on our personnel. Whether it is Elijah Hood not getting the ball inside of the ten, or its Chazz Surratt watching from the sideline as the game gets pissed away, this staff always fails to max out our talent.

I like Larry Fedora as our head coach. We could do a lot worse. But I would like to see recurring issues get addressed so that he can make this program a national contender. If we recruit well for the next two years, then we could be loaded with talent by the time guys like Surratt, Carter, ect. become seniors. There will be great things to come for Carolina football. But we can't win the ACC, much less a national championship with these kinds of mistakes plaguing us. Hopefully the coaching staff will grow along with these young guys, because I thought there was a lot of promising young talent out there Saturday. Bottom line is that coaching likely cost these guys their first college victory, but we have some young guys that definitely have bright futures.

Good points regarding the repeated mistakes that we've seen during Fed's tenure. Very frustrating that they never seem to get better.

And you're right, in that while this loss doesn't matter for conference race, it does matter to me that we can't win a home opener, especially when favored by double-digits! If you want fans in the seats, then give us something worth seeing.

 

[strummingram]

If you want fans in the seats, then give us something worth seeing.

Exactly!

I realize that many "non-UNC" fans think our fanbase is fickle. It is!!! But, when the team plays mediocre all the time, there's not a lot of incentive for the fanbase to be fervent.

And, speaking of filling seats and home crowds. I started thinking about how Clemson's stadium (just down the road from me) is always full, or nearly full. Their hardcore fanbase is all around here, the state of SC and the general vicinity. I doubt you find many Clemson fans in Massachsetts, or Illinois, or Texas. UNC ports fans can get scattered. I dunno... maybe that's reaching for an excuse. I know that if I lived where I grew up, or even still lived in Charlotte, I'd go to more games because I love the atmosphere. But, I don't have a wife and kids in-tow. Bottom line, if you win games and have good seasons and stop making the same mistakes and putting the exact same show on the stage for every show (which this is entertainment), then you'll get the seats filled, as Mark stated. Why pay for the effort if it's going to be yet another blunder?

 

[Raising Heel]

I don't think it's as simple as winning more games. That's only one piece of the puzzle. There are plenty of examples of programs that draw more fans than UNC despite not being particularly successful. A lot of it has to do with culture, and UNC simply doesn't have a strong football culture.

 

[strummingram]

A lot of it has to do with culture, and UNC simply doesn't have a strong football culture.

 

[WoadBlue]

The best Stuart Smalley was with Jordan.

 

[Raising Heel]

lol

 

[uncboy10]

I don't think it's as simple as winning more games. That's only one piece of the puzzle. There are plenty of examples of programs that draw more fans than UNC despite not being particularly successful. A lot of it has to do with culture, and UNC simply doesn't have a strong football culture.

Football culture really means tailgating. This past Friday there were nearly 50 RV's camped out next to the baseball field on campus at Clemson. By 6am the entire campus is essentially shut down for a giant football party. Once people start partying, then they go with the flow and suddenly become football fans with everybody else.

Carolina does have something that Clemson does not have though. Awesome local breweries/distilleries. If they setup trailers in the largest possible tailgating lots every Saturday then you would see an uptick in student attendance at the very least.

 

[UNC1971Stick]

Very difficult to look forward to the remainder of the season, given we lose one of our few winnable games.