The front seven created chaos in Bulldogs backfield. The secondary snagged three interceptions and were it not for two muffed punt returns that planted The Citadel in field goal range each time UNC would have pitched a shutout this past Saturday in Kenan Stadium. Granted it was an FCS team with no real chance of moving the football against the Tar Heel defense but sometimes it is important that expectations be met.
Heading into this season, the UNC defense was highlighted by every pundit or analyst with a pulse as the strong suit of the Tar Heel team. Endless questions persisted about the wide receivers, the offensive line, heck the whole offense in general, even T.J. Yates concerning health and Shaun Draughn in terms of ball security. The one unit that would be called upon to provide consistent production was the defense. In the first game it can be safely said we saw what we had hoped to see.
First of all, the secondary picked up right where they left off a year ago intercepting passes as though they were the intended receiver. The Heels tabbed three such turnovers against The Citadel which is a promising development since there were questions as to whether Trimane Goddard could be effectively replaced at strong safety. The jury is likely still out on that one, but this far Da’Norris Searcy looks to be an adequate replacement both on defense and on special teams having returned a punt for a TD. Deunta Williams stepped up in a huge way with two INTs while Charles Brown justified Butch Davis’ decision to start him at cornerback also picking off a pass.
The defensive line and linebackers also appear to be more aggressive in this incarnation of the Tar Heel defense. UNC color analyst Rick Steinbacher pointed out during the broadcast that UNC defensive coordinator Everett Withers had turned the front seven loose this season as opposed to last. Basically the UNC coaches were making gratuitous use of the Heels speed at those positions and when you have a talented linebacker like Quan Sturdivant it only makes sense to send him and fellow linebackers Zach Brown and Bruce Carter blitzing on a regular basis. The defensive line had their share of moments against The Citadel as well racking up five tackles for a loss and two sacks. Michael McAdoo accounted for 2.5 of those tackles and a sack with Robert Quinn collecting the other sack. Overall the front seven did the job of disrupting the Bulldogs offense early and often. The Citadel never developed any sort of rhythm finishing the game with only eight first downs with a paltry 2-16 on 3rd down.
Of course the full disclaimer is in effect here since it was an opponent from a lower division. That being said, having the defense play as advertised is extremely important if not for the confidence of the unit but also for the team in general. Red flags would have gone up and columns written whether the Heels’ defense with nine returning starters was up to snuff or not had this unit performed poorly versus an FCS team. That however is one of the great tensions in college athletics. If you perform well versus a weak opponent it is because you should have. If you do not then there are questions. The bottom line for the Heels in this performance is they took care of business and got off to a great start. Since the defense may be called upon to do some heavy lifting this season it is nice to see them step off the right way heading into a tough four game stretch beginning this Saturday at UConn.
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