Thursday night the Heels showed the nation what UNC football is all about. Toughness, intensity, passion and execution. Oh yeah, and speed too. The 32 point victory was the Heels most impressive win in nearly a decade and the young team showed America why they have all the pieces to legitimize the claims made early in the season. (Bleacher Report)
For the first time since Darian Durant was a sophomore, North Carolina has won a game played in another state. The Tar Heels didn’t just carve a crease in the glass ceiling. They shattered it. I can only be critical of one thing. Lose the dark blue pants! Not only are they the wrong shade of blue, the top teams in the country do not wear dark pants (see Southern Cal, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas). (WRAL.com)
Edward Gullatte was in elementary school when sharpshooter Donald Williams led UNC to a national championship. Since learning that Williams was coming to Denmark Technical College as the new head men’s basketball coach, the sophomore swingman has brushed up on his knowledge of the former All-American. Gullatte likes what he sees and hears so far. (Times and Democrat)
Posted at 08:36 AM in Basketball Alumni | Permalink
"The preparation we had prior to tonight’s ball game was probably about as good as we have had in the 18 months I have been head coach. I think we were disappointed in ourselves in the way we played two weeks ago versus McNeese State and our players really responded. I think they showed a lot of pride and perseverance." (Inside Carolina)
In football, there’s no such thing as pitching a perfect game, but the Tar Heels came close. North Carolina has not played a game as complete in all phases in many years. This was their first win out of the state of North Carolina since beating Arizona State on the road in 2002, their first win of 30 points or more since a 38-3 victory over Clemson in 2001, and the first time they’ve started 2-0 since 2000. (Inside Carolina)
The North Carolina coaching staff has put a priority on signing elite national talents to restock its pitching staff. The latest commitment, Jacob Turner, certainly fits that profile. The St. Charles, Mo. right-hander is arguably is one of the top arms in the class of 2009. (Inside Carolina)
Posted at 08:28 AM in Baseball Recruiting | Permalink
As North Carolina's Butch Davis and N.C. State's Tom O'Brien work to establish in-state recruiting turf, their biggest challenge is coming from just south of the border. After years of targeting North Carolina players with little success, Clemson and coach Tommy Bowden finally have established a strong recruiting presence in the bordering state. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Welcome back to the bad old days at Rutgers. Die-hard fans know the drill. The quarterback hands out interceptions as if they were part of a promotional giveaway. The secondary acts as if it's afraid to get near a receiver. And, of course, the biggest indictment of all: Sound fundamental play almost appears to be an accident. It's ugly again in Piscataway, folks. (NJ.com)
As in a dismal season-opening loss Sept. 1 to Fresno State, the Rutgers defense sprung leaks as the game wore on. Tar Heels quarterback T. J. Yates passed for three touchdowns, and wide receiver Brandon Tate caught one scoring pass and ran for another touchdown. “We just got whipped by a better team that played hard, that played smart and that played better,” quarterback Mike Teel said. (New York Times)
Rutgers' problems were supposed to be fixed by the time North Carolina made it to the Garden State on Thursday. Instead, everything that went wrong in Week 1 went very wrong in Week 2 as the Scarlet Knights lost 44-12 to the Tar Heels at Rutgers Stadium in front of 42,502. It was Rutgers' worst loss since a 56-5 defeat to Louisville on Nov. 11, 2005. (Atlantic City Press)
As the Scarlet Knights second straight abysmal performance waned deep into the night, the fans still in the seats rained down boos, and the fans in the brand new suites turned to the booze. Senior quarterback Mike Teel and the Rutgers offense looked worse than they did against Fresno State, and the Knight defense failed to put up a fight in a 41-12 drubbing at the hands of head coach Butch Davis and North Carolina. (Rutgers Daily Targum)
Butch Davis challenged his squad entering Thursday night’s showdown with Rutgers, and the Tar Heels responded by dismantling the Scarlet Knights, 44-12, in front of a national audience on ESPN. After a lackluster victory over McNeese State twelve days ago, the UNC coaching staff put their players through a grinding week of practice leading up to this game, and that hard work paid dividends in front of millions of viewers. (Inside Carolina)
Butch Davis has North Carolina back on the road to respectability. T.J. Yates threw three touchdown passes and the Tar Heels won for the first time outside North Carolina since 2002, beating error-prone Rutgers 44-12 in a nationally televised game that pitted Davis against his former pupil, Greg Schiano. (WRAL.com)
UNC used a new look to end an old losing streak. The Tar Heels busted out swank dark blue pants for their trip to Rutgers and the Thursday night national stage on ESPN. The Heels looked good in more ways than one. They trounced Rutgers 44-12 for their first win outside the state of North Carolina since 2002. Receivers Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks each scored two touchdowns and quarterback T.J. Yates threw for three scores. (Raleigh News & Observer)
North Carolina used an alert defense and the passing of quarterback T.J. Yates to belt Rutgers 44-12 last night at Rutgers Stadium and stay unbeaten after two games. UNC intercepted four passes and Yates fired three touchdown passes, two to Hakeem Nicks and the other to Brandon Tate, to break a long road losing streak. The win was UNC's first on the road outside of North Carolina since Oct. 5, 2002. (Winston-Salem Journal)
Butch Davis has North Carolina back on the road to respectability. T.J. Yates threw three touchdown passes and the Tar Heels won for the first time outside North Carolina since 2002, beating error-prone Rutgers 44-12 in a nationally televised game that pitted Davis against his former pupil, Greg Schiano. The victory was the Tar Heels' biggest since a 52-17 win over Duke in 2001. (Tar Heel Blue)
Madison Hedgecock remembered the circumstances vividly and his emotions, too. It had been one year since he was suddenly cut by the St. Louis Rams after the first game of the 2007 season. “When you get fired, it’s a tough deal,” Hedgecock, the Giants’ fullback, said Wednesday after practice. (New York Times)
Posted at 12:37 PM in Football Alumni | Permalink
Carolina's recent inability to win many road games in general and particularly those outside the state of North Carolina was front and center on the minds of writers and broadcasters at Monday's weekly media conference. They probed: "What would it be like to get on the plane and actually have everybody smiling?" one reporter asked Trimane Goddard. (Tar Heel Blue).
The storylines surrounding Thursday night’s contest with Rutgers in New Jersey are plentiful, but for North Carolina, one thing is clear – a victory in front of a national ESPN audience would serve as a giant step forward in the Butch Davis era. (Inside Carolina)
UNC swimmer Allison Barnes remained hospitalized yesterday after experiencing "some level of distress" during practice the day before, a university athletic spokesman said. Some media reports said the sophomore freestyle swimmer was in critical condition, but university spokesman Steve Kirschner said he did not know the source of that information. The hospital would not reveal her condition. (Baltimore Sun)
Posted at 08:42 AM in Swimming & Diving | Permalink
Levi Michael is going to start his baseball career at North Carolina a year early. The North Davidson standout will graduate early from high school, enroll at UNC on Jan. 12, 2009, and be able to play for the Tar Heels next spring. "The coaches presented me with an opportunity that was hard to turn down," Michael said. Michael, who batted over .500 as a junior and smashed 11 home runs, always wanted to go to UNC. (Lexington Dispatch)
Posted at 08:38 AM in Baseball Recruiting | Permalink
A rare treat for North Carolina fans: Thursday night football on ESPN. Trying to shoehorn a game in the middle of the week in Chapel Hill would be a nightmare thanks to a parking crunch created by classes and UNC hospital, so the Heels never get these spotlight games. Instead, Butch Davis will take his squad on the road to take on former pupil Greg Schiano and Rutgers. (850 The Blog)
When Rutgers cornerback Manny Collins intercepted North Carolina quarterback Joe Dailey with 1:52 left on Sept. 2 two years ago, sealing a 21-16 season-opening loss for the Tar Heels, it marked a clear crossroads for both football programs. Tonight's game could be another crossroads. (Raleigh News & Observer)
OK, Butch Davis, show us something. You've got the spotlight all to yourself. The second-year North Carolina football coach and his team visit Rutgers tonight for an ESPN game and ... There will be no political convention coverage on other channels. The next season of "American Idol" hasn't begun yet. To my knowledge, Britney Spears won't be attempting to accept any music awards. The timing couldn't be more ideal for Davis to make a splash. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Sean May has a message for everyone fed up with his injuries: He is, too. Sensing his NBA career is approaching a crossroad, the Bobcats' May looks in fine shape. He weighs between 265 and 270 pounds; and while he'll never be svelte, the pudginess is gone. The man who led UNC to the 2005 NCAA championship says he is pain-free from the right knee injury that cost him most of his first three pro seasons. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Posted at 08:27 AM in Basketball Alumni | Permalink
North Carolina hasn't played many Thursday football games, but kicking off at Rutgers tonight, on this particular date, adds extra significance to the event. "It's going to be special playing up in that area on 9/11,'' UNC senior linebacker Mark Paschal said. "We're so blessed to be able to play this game in front of people that want to watch it, and it's going to have a little more meaning playing in that area on that day." (Raleigh News & Observer)
The Heels went into the bye week to focus on reestablishing their team identity. Coach Davis and the boys went back to the basics; shoring up the run game, making proper run fits on defense and instilling the pride in special teams that propelled UNC through training camp. Following an eleven day lay off the Heels will take on the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ. (Bleacher Report)
North Carolina coach Butch Davis said he's not sure how much better his team really is than it showed in the too-close-for-comfort season opening win against McNeese State. But wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said there's no doubt the Tar Heels can do better Thursday against Rutgers. "I don't think we reached our max last week against McNeese, so we feel like we've got something to prove in this game." (ESPN.com)
Despite being a true freshman and a walk-on, Casey Barth was impressive enough to win a share of the Tar Heels’ kicking job in his first attempt. He rewarded coach Butch Davis for his faith by converting all five extra point attempts on Aug. 30 in UNC’s season-opening 35-27 win against McNeese State. “This is something I always wanted to happen. It was like my dream." (Wilmington Star-News)
It would probably be easier to convince Rutgers coach Greg Schiano to announce his plays in advance over the PA system Thursday night than it would be to get him or his players to acknowledge the North Carolina game is a must-win situation for the Knights. Sophomore left tackle Anthony Davis came close to doing so, but then neatly tiptoed around the question (well, as much as 325-pounders can tiptoe). (Newark Star-Ledger)
North Carolina is looking to end a 20-game losing streak in games played outside the state's borders, dating to its 2002 victory at Arizona State, and wants to prove that it's a viable contender in the weak ACC. For Rutgers, it's another nationally televised chance to show there was more to its offense than Ray Rice, who is rolling up yards with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. (Fayetteville Observer)
When a wide receiver - Brandon Tate - is the leading rusher against McNeese State and accounts for all but 57 of a team's rushing yards, you know there's an issue with the ground game. The Tar Heels are young at tailback, where the top three players on the depth chart are sophomores, and now face a test against what appears to be a good Rutgers run defense. (Newark Star-Ledger)
On another night, North Carolina coach Butch Davis might have been rooting for Rutgers. But instead Davis will be giving his all to take down the Scarlet Knights today in what he hopes will be another step in the rebuilding process he began last season with the Tar Heels. The teams square off at Rutgers Stadium in a nationally televised contest that could be pivotal to the success or failure of both programs this season. (Fayetteville Observer)
Seven years later, everyone still remembers where they were. Mike Teel was only ten miles away. North Carolina head coach Butch Davis was preparing for his second-ever game as an NFL head coach in Cleveland. The horrific images of September 11, 2001 may have faded slightly in the minds of some, but the details of that day are still fresh in the minds of those that will be on the field of Rutgers Stadium tonight. (Rutgers Daily Targum)
As North Carolina coach Butch Davis noted this week, "Anytime you get a chance to expose the rest of the country to what you're trying to do and the way your players play and the schemes you run, it attracts kids. That's part of the scenario." This game has the added twist of pitting against each other two coaches from the staff of the powerful Miami teams of 1999 and 2000. (Lehigh Valley Express Times)
