CThp Daily (Tar liprl
Receiving Depth
Not a Problem
UNC returns a deep corps of
wide receivers to execute
new motion offense of
coordinator Gary Tranquill.
By Ben DeSantis
Staff Writer
Two days before fall practice began,
North Carolina sophomore tailback
Brandon Russell was told he would be
lining up for the 2001 season a little
wider than usual.
At wide receiver.
Russell, who led the 2000 Tar Heels
with 508 rushing yards, said the transi
tion to the new position has been diffi
cult but enjoyable.
“At first) it was confusing, (but) now
I’m feeling pretty comfortable,” Russell
said. “I love it; I love the job.”
Russell joins a receiving corps that is
among the ACC’s deepest.
UNC returns seniors Bosley Allen and
Kory Bailey and junior Sam Aiken, who
combined last year to catch 101 balls for
1,594 yards and nine touchdowns.
Bailey, who finished second on the
team in receiving in 2000 with 32 catch
es for 550 yards and two touchdowns,
said the group’s talent and experience
are comparable to any other receiving
corps in the nation.
“I think we go four or five deep better
than a lot of teams in the country,” Bailey
said. “I’m really excited about the things
we’re going to be able to do this year.”
Much of the excitement comes from
the new offensive system implemented
by UNC first-year offensive coordinator
Gary Tranquill.
At first some of the receivers admit
ted they at first were skeptical of
Tranquill and his schemes.
But after several weeks of practice,
some of the wide receivers began to
express their confidence with the new
playbook.
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“(Tranquill’s)
been in the busi
ness for a while,
and he expects as
lot from you,” said
Allen, who led the
team with 40
catches for 634
yards last season.
Bailey said he
expects Tranquiil’s
offense, which
includes more pre
snap motion, to
improve the
team’s perfor
mance.
UNC wide receiver
Kory Bailey
had two IDs
and 32 catches
for 550 yards, second
on the team.
“I think Coach Tranquill’s put in a lot
more shifts and moves and things before
the snap of the ball that we’re really not
used to around here,” Bailey said.
“And it makes it a little more exciting
to see things like that going on - making
the defense move and be more uncom
fortable than they would be if we were
just standing around.”
The starters also said should one of
them become injured, the backup
receivers could fit comfortably into the
offense, citing junior Chesley Borders
and senior Danny Davis as backups who
particularly have impressed them.
“The young people who came in,
they’re picking up real good,” Allen said.
“We have a lot of depth at wide receiver
and a lot of experience. So, we plan on
excelling and making big plays this year.”
And big plays are what the Tar Heels’
offense will need early on as three of the
team’s first five games are against pre
season top-10 teams, including
Oklahoma and Florida State.
Despite the tough schedule, Bailey
said the coaching staff’s enthusiasm has
been contagious and that the team is
expecting immediate results.
“This is not something they came in
to build over the course of time,” he said.
“They came in and set the bar high, and
they expect us to live up to it now.”
Football 2001
Tight Ends Focus on Better Blocking
By James Giza
Sport Saturday Editor
Last season, the North Carolina foot
ball team talked about throwing to its
tight ends more frequendy, and the plan
never really came to fruition.
Chances are, it won’t happen again
this season. And with good reason.
Gone are Alge Crumpler and
Dauntae Finger, who formed one of the
more formidable tight end tandems in
the conference and are now in the NFL.
Left to fill their gaps is a pair of guys
who have played mosdy special teams, a
walk-on and a freshman recruited as an
offensive lineman.
Mix in a young, inexperienced offen
sive line and you’ve got a prime recipe
for what tight ends coach Ken Browning
is calling “tight-end-by-committee.”
No, the UNC tight ends won’t see the
ball coming their way much. But they
know their role.
“We just kind of want to be like an
extra lineman out there,” said junior
Zach Hilton, who saw 95 snaps at tight
end last year. “So that we can line up on
either side or both sides and be able to
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take care of more
linebackers and
down linemen.”
Hilton and
Doug Brown, who
also played pri
marily on special
teams in the past,
should compete
for the starting job.
Others who could
vie for playing
time are walk-on
Kevin Sergent and
Chase Page, who
played offensive
line and tight end
in high school.
UNC tight ends coach
Ken Browning
said the Tar Heels
could use severai
different players
at the position.
Browning said Brown has been the
most consistent blocker, while the 6-
foot-7 Hilton has been the most consis
tent in the passing game. It’s not sur
prising, therefore, that the Tar Heels will
be rotating players at the position.
“We’ve got some guys that have, 1
think, improved both mentally and
physically with techniques and just the
knowledge of the system,” Browning
said. “It’s anew system for them, so
Friday, August 24, 2001
even the guys that have played the posi
tion here before are still in a learning
mode to a degree.
“And I’ve been pleased with their
progress. They’ve worked extremely
hard, and I think they’re getting better.”
But Browning admitted they’re not
quite as solid with their blocking as they
need to be.
“If you don’t do every little thing
right, the block doesn’t work out, the
scheme doesn’t work out,” Hilton said.
“So we’re just trying to make sure during
every drill, every rep we’re doing it per
fect so that it becomes a habit.”
The Tar Heels even have worked a bit
with two-tight end formations in non-goal
line and non-short-yardage situations.
But they’ll have to wait for their per
sonnel to become more skilled and com
fortable before they can break those sets
out in a game.
“The fact that we have competition at
the position definitely helps elevate all of
our level of play,” Hilton said. “We’re
just coming along a lot better with know
ing our assignments, doing our tech
niques right and just doing the little
things right as a unit”
5