Travis Hughes: The Newest Tar Heel Bash Brother
Fellow writer for Keeping it Heel Simeon Jackson touched earlier in the week about Jabari Price and the importance of the secondary during last week’s win versus Elon and during North Carolina’s upcoming game against Wake Forest. Elon’s leading receiver and main play maker Aaron Mellette was virtually shut down due to the likes of Price and Tim Scott from the corner back position and one can only hope that Michael Companaro, who broke out for 96 yards and a touchdown against Liberty University last weekend, will be just as contained.
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Secondary coverage is crucial as well as the front three or four putting pressure on the quarterback consistently, but I’m most interested in the play from the linebacker position. Watching the Tar Heels over the past four seasons has really gotten us as fans spoiled because we’ve had some great linebackers that have been a part of the defensive unit.
I’ve always compared the recent Tar Heel linebacker corps to the ‘Bash Brothers’ from the Mighty Ducks movies that I watched growing; up the similarity being that you had big enforcers in the middle that were fast and could land punishing hits.
Guys like Mark Paschal, Quan Sturdivant, Bruce Carter, and Zach Brown have lived up to the ‘Bash Brother’ name and have been crucial cogs in the effectiveness of the defense during that time span. These guys could stop the run and defend the pass with great speed and big hit ability.
Kevin Reddick has that same ability and has played alongside those guys along with demonstrating his defensive prowess for a number of years now. However, I think Travis Hughes may be perhaps the most intriguing player on the field. Hughes was also a Butch Davis recruit, but fits Coach Fedora and Disch’s game plan perfectly. He’s a broad guy at 6-2 and 230 lbs. and can fly all over the field. Travis is aggressive, has great agility, and can stick big the big hit just like all the elite linebackers in the country. These attributes make his potential through the roof and with the right development, he could be a giant star for the Tar Heels over the next couple of seasons.
I think Travis could really make an impact in the game against Wake this weekend that will have influence on the overall outcome. Being mostly an unknown player unlike the guy he plays beside (Reddick), I like Hughes really being able to strengthen the pass coverage against the Demon Deacons by putting constant pressure on Wake’s quarterback Tanner Price. Price was able to complete 57% of his passes against Liberty and averaged just short of seven yards per completion. He was also able to hook up with his receivers down field for several receptions of 20+ yards. That to me says that he had too much time to throw.
I like Carolina’s ability to get to the quarterback better than Liberty’s, but Hughes will need to make sure he’s in on most of the action. His under the radar performance against Elon with just three total tackles should allow him to receive less attention from the Wake Forest blocking scheme and give him more opportunity to land one of his patented big hits on Tanner Price. I don’t think the Tar Heels will win 62-0 and pitching back to back shut outs is tough to do, but when you’re playing a team that likes to air the ball out, giving your secondary that extra support from the backfield is so important. I think Hughes will have a big day with 6 total tackles including his first sack of the season and really play an integral role for the Tar Heel defense.