UNC Football: Spring Game Recap
By Matt Hamm
*Keeping It Heel Radio is on air at 6pm today. Call in and talk to Matt and Haley about the spring game, Carolina football, basketball, the Diamond Heels, recruiting or whatever the heck you want! Click HERE for details*
The Larry Fedora era has begun for the North Carolina Tar Heels. The spring game today started slow offensively for both the blue and white team with just six first quarter points scored. It’s hard to gain any type of impression in a game like this which is more of a glorified practice than anything. The hits are soft by design and the coaching staff understandably do not want to show too much of their game plan in this game. Fedora did not coach either team and the QBs were off limits to the defense.
The offenses were mostly conservative and soft early. We didn’t see a deep pass the entire first quarter, which was a little odd considering that Bryn Renner threw the ball deep so often last season. Renner still looks like he’s adjusting to the new offense, and in my opinion, one that doesn’t necessarily match his skill set very well. Renner threw the ball well and was very accurate, I still wonder if he has the athleticism to run this offense the way it is meant to be run.
Backup QB Marquise Williams struggled with his touch, especially on shorter passes. Man he looks quick and athletic, you have to think the coaching staff will find a way to get him on the field this season some.
UNCs bad luck with injuries across their major sports teams continued. Running back Gio Bernard was injured when his helmet came off and he suffered a large cut on the top of his head. Early word is Bernards injury isn’t bad and he should be fine, it’s likely he was held out for precautionary purposes. Bernard returned to the sidelines in the second quarter but not return to the field.
The blue team opened it up offensively a little in the second quarter that saw a nifty flea-flicker for the first deep pass from Renner. After that the starters really got it going against the white team. After managing just six points in the first quarter, they poured it on with 21 quick points in the first eight minutes of the second.
Renner played the majority of the first half with the blue team while freshman Caleb Pressley subbed for Williams early in the second quarter for the white team. He also took over for Renner with about five minutes to go in the half and the blue team up 34-7. Pressley isn’t nearly ready to run this offense either but the freshman showed some glimpses of why he was recruited.
The blue team offense got it settled in the second half after some silly penalties and overall rustiness in the first. The offense looked more fluid and cohesive. Williams was back at QB in the second half for the white team. He also settled down a bit but still didn’t show the accuracy you need at the position.
The white team moved the ball but didn’t put any points on the board, after being handed 14 pts at half time. Heading into the fourth the score was 41-21 blue team. Williams was given a chance to run the offense with the first team in the fourth quarter. Renner might not be perfectly suited for this offense, Williams has a very long way to go before he can sniff significant playing time. The freshman Pressley has better touch and feel in the pocket. If Renner were to go down to injury it would be interesting to see how the QB position would be handled by Larry Fedora.
The game ended with a dropped pass in the end zone on the white teams final attempt to score. The blue team ran the clock out and won the game 44-21.
Early impressions: I like RB Romar Morris who subbed in nicely for Bernard when he was injured. He showed he can catch the ball out of the backfield and has nice vision out of the backfield. The cut he made on his TD run was fantastic, taking the ball going right it took one lightning quick cut to freeze the defense as Morris went left for the score.
Eric Ebron is going to do some damage for this team, he looked good with quick slants and looks comfortable catching the football across the middle of the field. He’s very athletic and should thrive as the TE in this offense.
The secondary looks improved at the very least they are deeper after getting over several injuries last season. But while I’m happy with the improvement and relieved to see the added depth at the position. I still worry about how productive the group will be and how quickly they can come together.
I wonder if Bryn Renner will be effective running this type of offense or if the coaching staff will need to change things a bit to suit him better. Williams is not ready and does not have the arm or touch on his passes to be the starting QB yet. Renner is not fast enough or a good enough rusher to carry the football as much as a traditional Fedora offense calls for. A combination of the coaching staff calling less QB options/run plays and a package for Williams will probably be necessary. Renner threw the ball went 18-21 250 yards and 2 TDs in the first half, but it makes me wonder what it’s going to take for this union to work.
Listen to internet radio with M and M Sports Show on Blog Talk Radio
Follow @Keeping_It_Heel
Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section (for help click HERE)