Big test this weekend

UNC looked okay against the Pirates, but we still have some areas we need to concentrate on.

1. Offensive Line. Injuries are part of the game, but an injury to a starter is an opportunity for a second-stringer. Need to make the most of these opportunities. I think UNC will need a more efficient running game this week to win against the Yellow Jackets.
2. Special teams. I'm not too impressed with our kicking or our punting. We need to make a more concerted effort to execute in this area of play. Look for some solid performances from both our kicker/punter and our special teams in the future.
3. Trick plays. We are okay, but we need to be more consistent on the trickery we might see from the Yellow Jackets. We got burned a couple of times against ECU.

So this is how I see the game playing out:

GT gets the ball first, drives to about their 45 yard line, and punts. We get the ball, can't do anything with it, and punt it back. Back and forth in the first quarter. At the end of the first, I see GT 3, UNC 0.

In the 2nd quarter, we get our passing game going, hit a couple of key receivers, and score when it counts. At Halftime, UNC 14, GT 10.

Third quarter comes, and GT starts to crumble. We score on our 2nd series, GT coughs the ball up, and we score again. End of 3rd quarter, UNC 24, GT 10.

GT makes a huge play, and scores a TD, UNC responds with a field goal. GT starts getting fatigued on D, so they try to run the ball even more. UNC holds, and wins.

Prediction: UNC 27, GT 17.

September 21, 2009 Heel Fever Poll

1. Florida (1). Rocky Top came to play, but it ended up as a Gator's day...
2. Alabama (3). Alabama has returned to greatness. Will Saban win a National Championship this year?
3. Texas (4). Mack Brown has the pride of the Big 12.
4. Penn State (5). Joe Pa is not ready to hang it up until he captures his 3rd national championship.
5. Mississippi (6). The 3rd best team in the SEC, the fifth best team in the nation.
6. California (7). Strong program. Rose Bowl bound?
7. LSU (8). It's another testiment that 4 of the best 7 schools are in the SEC.
8. Oklahoma (9). Boomer Sooner!
9. Boise State (10). It's all about the blue field! And a great team.
10. TCU (11). The Horned Frogs are a National team...get used to them!
11. Southern Cal (2). Losing to Washington? Blows me away...
12. Virginia Tech (14). Beating Nebraska is no small feat.
13. Ohio State (13). Tough team, but not a National Power.
14. Cincinnati (19). The Bearcats are no longer just a basketball school.
15. Miami Fl (25). The Hurricanes are a rockin in 2009.
16. Oklahoma St (16). The Cowboys need some D. They have plenty of O.
17. UNC (20). The Heels had an impressive victory against ECU.
18. Georgia (21). A team I can't figure out...
19. Kansas (24). Another basketball school showing that they can play on the gridiron.
20. FSU (NR). Are the Seminoles back?
21. Oregon (23). The Ducks will be a force as the season goes on.
22. Nebraska (17). No shame in losing a one pointer to the Hokies on the road.
23. Michigan (NR). Are the Wolverines willing to forget last year's foes?
24. Georgia Tech (15). Ugly loss to Miami.
25. Houston (NR). Let's see how Houston does the rest of the season.

Honorable mentions include Utah, Missouri, Auburn, Pittsburgh, Washington and Notre Dame.

1. BYU (12) FSU did nothing but destroy their hopes for a perfect season.

September 14, 2009 HEEL FEVER TOP 25 rankings

My latest edition. Once again, there will be several differences with the major polls. I like mine better. Last week's rankings are included.

1. Florida (1). Another game, another blowout.
2. Southern Cal (2). Good quality victory over the Bucs.
3. Alabama (3). ROLL TIDE!
4. Texas (5). A victory over the Wyoming Cowboys had some irky moments, but Texas has the talent to win the Big 12.
5. Penn State (6). Joe Pa is ready for another championship. This may be his year.
6. Mississippi (7). Tough team...I'm wondering how they will play in the SEC.
7. California (8). Great team, the pride of the PAC-10.
8. LSU (10). Any question that the SEC is the best conference? Or is it the Big 12?
9. Oklahoma (11). Don't dismiss Oklahoma because of the BYU loss.
10. Boise State (12). A darn good team.
11. TCU (13). Another darn good team.
12. BYU (2). I'm now am a believer of this team. Watch out!
13. Ohio State (9). So close, but so far away. Penn State should watch out.
14. Virginia Tech (17). Hokies are a team that we shouldn't take too lightly. Impressive victory over Marshall.
15. Georgia Tech (15). Almost a come from ahead loss for the Yellow Jackets. They have questions on both sides of the ball.
16. Oklahoma State (4). The D didn't show up against Houston...what's the deal? Makes me wonder if Georgia is that good of a team.
17. Nebraska (19). The Cornhuskers biggest problem is that they play in the same conference as Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State.
18. Utah (21). Another week, another victory. The Utes are a solid team.
19. Cincinnati (23). Tough Big East team. They might be in another major bowl game.
20. UNC (17). Look sloppy against the Huskies. Who knows how we will do against the Pirates.
21. Georgia (19). Not too impressed with the Bulldogs. Too early to tell how they will be in 2009.
22. Texas Tech (23). The Red Raiders are what I call a sleeper team.
23. Oregon (24). Turn the page. Still a solid team.
24. Kansas (25). Tough game against the Blue Devils next week. Tough for a quarter, at least.
25. Miami (NR). The Hurricanes are for real. At least against FSU 2 weeks ago.

Honorable mentions include Michigan, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Oregon State, Houston, and Iowa.

UNC 12, UCONN 10

Going into the season, I predicted UNC would be The Citadel by a score of 36-13. We outperformed my guestimation. Overall, I was pleased with our team against The Citadel, but was worried about our sluggish start.

Last weekend we played a very hyped Huskies team. Earlier this year, I predicted we would beat UConn by a score of 27-20. I knew that playing in East Hartford would be a tall order, but I had no idea tht UConn's D would be as strong as they showed on Saturday. We beat a very solid team.

Going into the 4th quarter, Carolina was driving for a score. I just knew that we needed a TD, but we ended up settling for a field goal. UConn couldn't do anything with the ball, and we had the ball back with about 9 minutes left in the game. We once again created a strong drive, holding the ball for about 6 1/2 minutes, and tied the score 10 all with 2 and 1/2 minutes left. UConn gets the ball back and makes two blunders that cost them the game. First, the QB was not ready for the snap and the ball ended up on the 8 yard line (UConn did recover). On the next play, UConn completed a pass that was returned to about the 25 yard line, but hold on! Holding, UConn in the endzone. SAFETY!

Although UConn recovered an onsides kick, they couldn't get farther than the 50 yard line. UNC holds, and escpaes with a great 12-10 victory.

Shawn Draughn didn't look too good, but his running relies on our offensive line that was beset by injuries. Ryan Houston doesn't need those blockers as much and was able to make several impressive runs on the last series.

Ugly win, but I'll take it. GO HEELS!

HEELFEVER TOP 25, 9/8/09 edition

I've inserted next to the team's name the ranking from last week. Hope you enjoy.

1. Florida (1) Still number one
2. Southern Cal (3) Oklahoma faltered, USC benefits
3. Alabama (4) Impressive win over VT
4. Oklahoma State (7) Might be the best team in the Big 12
5. Texas (6) Texas vs Oklahoma State: classic matchup this year
6. Penn State (8) Joe Pa is still doing his magic
7. Mississippi (10) Veteran team..best in the Southeast sans Florida
8. California (11) Impressive victory over Maryland
9. Ohio State (5) OSU might have defeated Navy, but this victory was a semi-loss
10. LSU (9) Looked okay this weekend. Season still young.
11. Oklahoma (2) Losing to BYU and having a hurt QB will cause Soonerland to be up in arms.
12. Boise State (14) Defeated a strong Oregon team.
13. TCU (12) Idle last week.
14. Georgia Tech (17) Watch out for the option
15. Notre Dame (19) The luck of the Irish may be upon us.
16. Virginia Tech (13) Tough loss against the Tide. Can't penalize the Hokies too much.
17. North Carolina (18) Solid victory over a weak team. Offense has a lot of questions..
18. Nebraska (20) The Cornhuskers are a team to watch!
19. Georgia (16) Tough loss against Ole Miss.
20. BYU (NR) Tough team. I would have ranked them higher except I think that their victory was more about luck than their abilities.
21. Utah (21) Looked okay against Utah State.
22. Texas Tech (22) Another tough Big 12 team.
23. Cincinnati (25) The Bearcats may be the best team in the Big East.
24. Oregon (15) Can we say "meltdown"? I hope Oregon suspends their running back.
25. Kansas (NR) Solid program in Lawrence.

Dropping out of the Top 25 Include FSU (24) and Illinois (21)

Honorable mentions include: Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Miami, Florida State, Missouri, Oregon State, Michigan State, and Texas Tech.

Heels beat The Citadel, 40-6

Going into the game, I wanted the Carolina Defense to shine. I was not disappointed. Both of the 4th quarter field goals made by The Citadel was due to turnovers from our special teams and offense. Although I was disappointed that we didn't pitch a shutout, I was very pleased with our defensive grit.

Key stat: The Citadel had the ball for 29:36, and they only got 153 yards. That's about 5 yards allowed a minute. I can't express how important this stat is. The Citadel had the ball way too much, but they were able to get very little yardage.

Our special teams play was a mixed bag. We returned one punt for a touchdown, and then the next time we fumbled the ball which allowed The Citadel to get 3 points.

Our offense looked okay, but our stats were not impressive. 375 yards against a weak team is not acceptable. I think TJ Yates played a solid game, and although he went 9-20 for the day with 2TD's and 1 INT, the receivers dropped a half of dozen passes. We should improve on this facet next game.

We must control the clock better. We ran the ball effectively on Saturday, but we allowed four turnovers, and this is not acceptable. We will definitely improve as the season goes by.