Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 2, 1994, edition 1 / Page 13
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Sfje Uaiig 3ar Rml Front Seven Strong, Quick Led by Marcus Jones and A Leaner Greg Black, UNC Has Speed Up Front on ‘D’ JAMES D. WHITFIELD ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR At first glance, North Carolina's defen sive front looks young, inexperienced and vay questionable. UNC lists linebadcerKeny Mock as the DEFENSIVE FRONT JOIffiS.DE BLACK. DT MORTON. IL£ PARKER. DT STURGIS, DE VI " tUmxEtl This was a familiar scene in '93. as Marcus Jones led UNC with 8.5 sacks. This year, he is a candidate for All-American and the Outland Trophy. only returning starter out of the unit. Of course, that’s only a list. But that list doesn’t mention Oudand Trophy-candidate Marcus Jones, Mike Morton and a 50-pound-lighter Greg Black. All of a sudden, that young defensive front becomes a talented, grizzled and vet eran unit that stands in line to take com mand of the UNC defense this season. With this unit, UNC just might have hit a very important point the point of reloading instead of rebuilding. And the major point of that reloading FOOTBALL 1994 w *& |jf |j|| P <;► 1 ' s #■ f /./ - . .... ~ . DTH FILE PHOTO Co-captain Mike Morton, grasping for FSU's Charlie Ward, will start at middle linebacker in UNC’s new 4-3 defense. comes with Jones. After losing Austin Robbins and Troy Barnett to graduation, the 6-foot-6 junior steps squarely into the spotlight sporting a brand-new position defensive end. Well, sort of. “He’s playing somewhat of a different position,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said. “We willusehiminside and outside.” Whatever position the Jacksonville na tive ends up in, he’s certain to draw a lot of attention. “Marcus Jones is a force,” defensive back Jimmy Hitchcock said. "He’s gonna be the man this year. Offenses will have to contend with Marcus Jones Jfrsr before they start their package. They will know that they have to block him. ” Because ofhis speed, strength and over all charming character, Jones seems to be a sure-fire NFL pick. Just not this season. “Notrightnow,’’said Jones, when asked if he would skip his senior season at UNC to play in the NFL. “I talked to my mom. Everybody has dreams about playing in the NFL. Right now, I’m just worried about where the team is going. “I don’t think I’m gonna look at it any more. I’m basically gonna stay my four years here.” That’s good news, because it means Jones will be playing alongside Black for the next two seasons. Black will line up at defensive tackle. The 6-4 Gastonia native’s speed should be his biggest change this season. After weighing33opounds duringmuch of the 1993 campaign, Black says he weighed in at 278 pounds Tuesday. “I’ve gotten a whole lot quicker, and my endurance is up a whole lot,” Black said. His teammates also have noticed the dramatic change. “Ooooooh,” said Jones when asked aboutßlack’s weightloss. “Well, I’mgonna just say it like this: One day I saw Greg, and he was about 300 pounds. The next day I saw him he was like 285 to 290.” Translation: Black now possess quite a bit of speed for his size. “When we were out here this summer running the mile laps, Greg just passed me by likelwas standing still,"Jones said. I’ve never seen somebody weighing 280 to 290 running like he was a defensive back.” That increased agility and speed should mean a lot more playing time. And the coaching staff has already started singing Black’s praises. “Greghas reported back in better shape,” said defensive tackle coach Ken Browning. “I think that tells you something about his willingness to prepare.” But Black isn’t the only defender who has improved his speed. “I think the defensive front is a little faster than last year,” Jones said. “Last year, our average was like 4.9 (in the 40- yard dash). Now it’s like 4.7 or 4.8. It will help out the rest of the defense to use the guys up front if they have that kind of speed.” Seniors Riddick Parker and Oscar Sturgis will man the remaining line spots. Rounding out the speedy defensive front is an experienced corps of linebackers. UNC’s steep linebacker tradition will likely stay in place with players such as Morton and Mock. “The three linebackers have played quite a bit,” Brown said. “Mike Morton, Kerry Mock and Eddie Mason basically started inside and rotated some last year with Rick Steinbacher.” ~ Morton, a Morehead Scholar, is one of the team’s captains. The senior from Kannapolis led the team with 14 tackles against Alabama in last year’s Gator Bowl. Because of the increased speed on the defensive front, the coaches decided to move to a 4-3 alignment. NokthCarolina, Page Net Brings You Statewide Coverage forLessThan Local Rates. $ 14. 95 m .„ Wy (including airtime) ONE MONTH FREE PAGEMAIL® Page Net, America’s largest paging company, is bringing North Carolina the best paging service at the lowest prices possible. Rent a new Motorola Bravo Plus Display pager for our everyday low rate of only $14.95 per month, including airtime. We provide statewide coverage with superior building penetration, optional regional and nationwide coverage, generous quantity dis counts and superior customer service. Call today and receive one month Page Mail voice messaging service, FREE! PAGEKHHT America s Largest Paging Company (919)833-7243 or (800)768-7243 4000 West Chase Blvd., Suite 190, Raleigh, NC 27607 (Conveniently located at Wade Ave. and Blue Ridge Rd.) Friday, September 2,1994 “We changed up the defense some to accommodate some of the things that hap pened last year,” Jones said. “The inside interior linemen are able to get out on the edge a little bit more than last year.” That’s a totally new concept to the UNC defense, Jones said. “Now it’s more of a react first and then read,” Jones said. “We’re not just going straight ahead, trying to bull rush the guy. We’re using our quickness to get around those guys." Black also likes the new system because of the freedom to react “It gives the four up front a whole lot of freedom,” Black said. “It gives the line backersa whole lot offreedom, and it gives the down linemen a whole lot more free dom.” 5
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 2, 1994, edition 1
13
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75