Triple option this.
Actually the first thing that leaps right off the stat sheet and slaps you upside the head is the fact Georgia Tech racked up some ridiculous yardage on the UNC defense. Yet three turnovers and two missed field goals meant the Jackets only scored seven points. UNC got a score to start the game and basically struggled on offense for the next two plus quarters of football before GT had a pair of crucial turnovers giving UNC prime field position which turned a 7-0 game in the 3rd quarter to a 21-0 contest with 10 minutes left in the fourth.
Aside from the bend but not break aspect of the UNC defense, gobs of credit go to the Tar Heel offensive line for opening up the running game against a highly touted GT defensive line. The passing offense was less than spectacular with Cam Sexton feeling some pressure but it was more than compensated for by exploiting the GT turnovers and 164 combined rushing yards from Shaun Draughan and Ryan Houston. Houston and Draughan are quickly gelling into a perfect combination of speed and power coming out of the backfield. And yes they still have plenty of time ahead of them at UNC. Following a GT score, Sexton found Hakeem NIcks in the end zone to remove any doubt about the outcome of the game. With the matter decided, Butch Davis inserted TJ Yates into the game to give him some real game reps. It was evident Yates was out of sync which was to be expected. Sexton had an average day at best going 7-16 for 100 yards and two TDs. Then again UNC was behind in time of possession and John Shoop was looking to run the ball more than pass it on the Yellow Jacket defense which was not as efficient in stopping the run as it was the passing game. The bottom line where Sexton is concerned is the number or lack of one under the INT column. Mistake free football will continue to win games for this team and that is what happened today.
Overall I think this is the most impressive win of the season. So many of UNC’s wins have been devalued down the line because the teams they beat ended up playing poorly afterwards. The same could happen with GT but coming into this game, everyone was pretty much agreeable to the idea that the Yellow Jackets were a quality team. You also have the triple option offense which must be defended. UNC did that, kept GT off the scoreboard for most of the game and patiently waited for the Jackets to shoot themselves in the foot opening the door for a win. The win also put UNC in a three way tie for first in the Coastal Division with only one of the co-leaders, Virginia Tech, owning a tie-breaker on the Heels. The other is Miami whom UNC already beat. With the UVa loss at Wake Forest, UNC only needs a VT loss Thursday night at Miami to establish control of their own destiny with MD, NCSU and Duke left on the schedule.
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Can someone tell me what the heck was going on with that kneel down in the 3rd quarter on 3rd and long? Did Cam think the flag had been thrown, or were we trying some trickery with the hurry up punt unit? If he thought there was a flag, then that’s just a poor decision to take a knee since you’d have a free play. If we were trying to catch them off guard and quickly punt to pin them deep, then the officials ruined that by stopping play until GT got lined up. Just curious…
Great game, though. Boy, the sun was burning and my wife and I got burned good. We took one for the team! Pain is always less with a big win.
Sexton thought there was an offsides so he kneeled thinking there would be a flag making that play a freebie.
I was kind of shocked when I saw the final tally for rushing yards, but the only number that should matter at the end of the game is that we have the larger number on the scoreboard at the end of the game. Yards mean nothing unless you can punch it in, and Tech obviously had a lot of trouble doing that.
I hope they don’t lose focus over these last three games; we win out, Virginia Tech loses at least one, and it appears we’re in the ACC title game. Please, oh please, let’s not have another repeat of 1996; all we had to do was beat a UVa team we should have throttled that year (kind of like this year) and a late INT returned for a TD that took us out of Fiesta Bowl consideration.
These last three games are highly winnable. Go out and destroy them. And wear the dark blue jerseys again. That was a cool look. THF, when was the last time (if there was a last time) we rolled those out?
This is not what I wanted to see this morning:
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/nov/08/davis-is-leading-candidate-to-replace-fulmer/
Andy is correct that these last three games are winnable, but I am leary of Maryland. You never know what you’re going to get with them. They are capable of stinking out the joint, but they are also capable of playing quite well.
I wouldn’t take Dook lightly either. I haven’t seen them play, so I don’t know if they’re any good. But their record is so much improved over what it has been in recent years that I don’t think we can count on playing the same dog of a team that we’re used to. And it will be at their place.
I don’t think Davis will leave UNC for Tennessee. He’s on the verge of turning UNC into not only a respectable program, but one that could consistently compete for an ACC title.
Of course I thought there was no way Mack Brown would ditch us for Texas, but money talked then. Would Baddour counter offer if Rocky Top comes after him heavy?
It’s going to be 10x easier for Butch to get to the BCS title game at UNC than at UT. The ACC is rebuilding quite well, but there’s no way you can compare that to the SEC East at this point. UF, UGA, and AL every year? Good luck.
We will have to go back to the archives, but does anyone remember my prediction / wish that UNC change their jerseys to navy? They looked sharp yesterday.
Credit where credit is due:
http://www.tarheelfanblog.com/2008/08/2008-schedule-poster/#comment-11408
I’ve said this before, but you can’t beat Carolina Blue. The stands are filled with folks wearing that color for a reason, and I don’t know why it needs to be changed. I’m not saying that the dark blue didn’t look fine, but it’s Carolina and we should wear Caroline Blue at home!! Of course, if we keep winning ballgames I don’t care if they wear pink…