The North Carolina Tar Heels have been on a roller coaster so far this season. UNC kicked off the Larry Fedora era with a blowout 62-0 home win over Elon Phoenix in the season opener at home. Then they experienced a crushing come from behind defeat at the hands of ACC conference foe Wake Forest 28-27 on the road.
Photo Credit: US Presswire
UNC has seen their best player running back Giovanni Bernard suffer an injury just two quarters into the season and their quarterback Bryn Renner get shaken up on a brutal hit at the goal line. Carolina fans had some high expectations going into this season and those expectations took off even more after the huge season opening win.
Emotions aside, what have we learned through two games about the now 1-1 Tar Heels?
The offense is far from a finished product: Fedoras up-tempo spread offense is a huge difference from the pro-style offense the Tar Heels employed in the Butch Davis/Everett Withers era. Fedoras offense is unique and unlike any spread in the country. The balance between running and passing the football is more familiar to a traditional offense versus a spread.
Adjusting to the fast pace Fedora employs has been the biggest obstacle for quarterback Bryn Renner and the rest of the offense. Fedora wants the Heels offense to get to the line of scrimmage as fast as possible and get the play off as fast as possible. The goal is to wear down the defense and overwhelm them with the fast pace. Right now it’s obvious this team doesn’t have a firm enough grasp of the system to accomplish these goals.
Bryn Renner is still adjusting to the spread: This one goes hand in hand with what I just talked about. If this offense is going to work with this team, it’s all about QB Bryn Renner. Renner doesn’t yet look comfortable running the fast paced offense for the Heels. Renner thrived in the pro style offense and is going through some growing pains right now adjusting to the new system.
I’m a firm believer that being a successful QB is more mental than it is physical. Renner has already proven to us that he can make the throws necessary to win. In the pro-style, Renner also had the mental part down and looked to be a QB ready to take the next step towards becoming a top QB in the nation. Renner is a very smart football player, experts will tell you that it takes 2-3 years to fully grasp an offense. Renner doesn’t have that long and things should get better with each passing week, but right now, he’s not there yet.
The inexperienced defensive backfield is the weakest unit on the team: Going into the season the wide receiver and defensive backfield groups were thought of as the weakest on the team. Through two games it’s clear to me that the WR group is much better than we thought and will be fine, especially if/when TJ Thorpe rejoins the fold.
The DB however which is very inexperienced may not be so lucky. Jabari Price has done a nice job with an interception in each of the first two games. The others however have not been so fortunate. The group as a whole was torched by Wake Forest receiver Michael Campanaro who set career marks with 13 catches for 164 yards. Teams will continue to attack the Heels through the air, the team has been good defending the rush and until they can put the clamps on opposing receivers, they will be tested over and over.
The wide receiver group is better than anticipated: This is something that doesn’t surprise me much. Erik Highsmith and tight end Eric Ebron have the size and skill to become big time receiving threats. Freshman Quinshad Davis looks the part and although he’s had limited production through the first two games, it’s obvious he has the coaching staffs confidence. His combination of size and speed make him a constant down field threat. Add in Sean Tapley, Mark McNeill and Jheranie Boyd and this team has plenty of targets for Bryn Renner.