UNC Film Room: Lines Play Big

This entire year, I’ve been preaching about how close Carolina is to making a break through. We saw it in parts against the likes of Notre Dame, against Georgia Tech, and against Pittsburgh. This past Thursday, we’re took a giant leap towards that breakthrough. Carolina trotted into Durham last Thursday night and kicked a 8-2 team with everything to lose’s ass on national TV. Carolina EXPOSED Duke, both offensively and defensively. The Coaching Staff, the players, the support staff and the fans marched into Durham with one this on their mind: Taking Back The Victory Bell and taking back that bell we did. I was damn proud of the way this team blasted right out of the gate and despite facing brief adversity (3 straight turnovers in the later half of the second quarter), the team continued to pile on a rival that’s had our number the last couple of years.

This 45-20 shellacking wasn’t a week in the making, it’s a war this team’s been fighting since the first kickoff against Liberty. In 2014, Carolina has faced injuries, youth and lack of quality depth on both sides of the ball that have stunted growth and certainly caused several blemishes in the Win-Loss column. One group that has been troublesome since the first offensive series has been the offensive line. Last Thursday, I saw a confident and well equipped offensive line that has the talent and the opportunity to become a force to finish this year and in 2015.

On the second offensive series, Carolina began to form a rhythm after going 3 and out on the first drive. On this 1st and 10 from the Duke 44 Carolina calls an inside zone to the left. Watch the combo block between left guard Caleb Peterson (#70) and Center Lucas Crowley (#68). A “Cage” (Center Guard Combo) as I knew it from my playing days was executed to perfection with #70 and #68 doubling down on the nose guard and #70 slipping off on the scraping Middle Linebacker.

Playside, watch Left Tackle John Ferranto (#77) maintain inside leverage  on the kickout. Backside, watch as Right Guard Landon Turner (#78) and Right Tackle Jon Heck (#71) do an excellent job of sealing up the backside. The only suggestion I can make on this play is TJ Logan (#8) has to break that arm tackle. This is textbook.   Another prime example of Carolina’s O Line getting after it sprung the long TJ Logan run late in the first quarter on the drive to put Carolina up 21-7. Carolina calls a read option weak side. In this play Marquise Williams carry out his read to perfection, freezing Duke’s Defensive End Dezmond Johnson (#42). TJ Logan is then able to reel off the 40 plus yarder behind a textbook “Gate” (Guard – Tackle Combo) block by Landon Turner and Jon Heck to the weak side but play side linebacker who get swallowed up by Turner once he scrapes across his face. Duke’s 3 technique Carlos Wray (#98) is mauled 10 yards up field before he realizes TJ Logan has reached the second level. This is the stuff you see coached at clinics.

With every offensive line success, there’s a skill player who gets an opportunity to show case their skills. On this next play, this one from mid way through the second quarter, Marquise Williams read and the crash down blocks by the left side of the offensive open up the play for TJ Logan to showcase what I believe separates him from the pack of running backs: his vision. TJ Logan recognizing the crash downs by Ferranto, Peterson and Crowley, stick his right foot, turns up north and shoots the gap for a dozen yards. If Logan’s vision wasn’t what it is, he likely runs right into the backside of Lucas Crowley.

The success that Carolina found on the ground with TJ Logan, Romar Morris, and Marquise Williams not only freed up the passing game, but it put Duke in the position where the sneaky pass rush that’s hurt their opponents in 3rd and long situations. Carolina had an awful lot of 2nd and short plays from scrimmage Thursday night and credit goes to that ground game.

Shifting gears to the other side of the ball. another spot Carolina showed tremendous improvement in was the pass rush. We’ve seen it countless times the struggles that the defensive line has had rushing the passer without the aid of the blitz. Opposing offenses have taken advantage when Carolina blitzes and with unsure tackling on the back end, it’s led to those oh so frustrating long plays. Against Duke, Carolina’s D Line did an excellent job of implementing stunts and doubling down on a gap to confuse and disrupt Duke’s O Line in pass pro.

Watch Shakeel Rashad’s (#42)hard stunt into A Gap (between the center and guard), then immediate bullrush of the center break down the peak of the pocket and force Anthony Boone to abandon ship and eventually turn the ball over.

The Pass rush wasn’t the only improvement that’s made a big leap, Carolina’s gotten better from the point of attack. We saw this both on the perimeter : DE Dajuan Drennon (#17) forced the zone stretch outside only to have Ram Malik Simmons (#11) rip off his block and stonewall Duke’s RB

and between the tackles: : LB Nate Staub (#33) scrapes towards the QB Keeper when he reads the zone and DE Junior Gnonkonde (#44) did an excellent job of ripping off then following his block to the ball carrier. I mentioned in last week’s preview, that Boone has a tendency to react and not read plays. The pressure than Carolina put on him play after play no doubt made him rattled. When trying to analyze last week’s win over that team from Durham, one shouldn’t look any further than the improvements that were made on the lines on both sides of the ball.

What excites me the most is what returns for both the defensive line and offensive line. Even with NC State and a bowl game ahead, it’s never too early to get excited about the future.

WFP