6
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008
SOPHOMORES
FROM PAGE 1
virtually every offensive play, a
sophomore or sophomores
will touch the ball.
“Unbelievable. Talent that ain’t
even surfaced yet,” Little says of
his class. “T mean, the sky’s the
limit. We have the potential to
do it.
“We just have to com© out here
and prove to everyone what we can
do and show it.”
Even with all that talent,
there is no question that Austin,
Williams and Little are anchors of
the team.
Williams, in particular, com
mands the respect of his team
mates, even without saying a
word.
After earning freshman All-
America honors last season,
Williams is one of the elder states
men of the secondary. It’s his name
that teamates interrupt their inter
views to call out.
He’s also played a pivotal role
in building the chemistry that
is so apparent among his team
mates.
“I think it gives us a better
chance to win because you know
how to get the other guys going and
how to push his buttons, how to get
him hyped,” Williams says.
“If you’re friends like that,
you care about that other person
and you don’t want to let them
down.”
Austin makes the biggest splash
in any gathering. He is heard
before he is seen, and he’s hard to
miss at 6 feet, 3 inches, and 305
pounds ask him and he’ll offer
to put you on the “Marvin Austin
Meal Plan.”
His physically imposing pres
ence is complemented by a mag
netic personality, and those traits
combine make him the most tal
ented Tar Heel defensive lineman
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“There’s just no other person
like him; what he can do can’t
be matched,” Little says, adding
that he calls Austin “Marvin the
Martian.”
“He’s physically unmatched.
Then when he steps on the field,
he feels like no one can block him.
And that’s the way you have to play,
with that confident swagger.”
It’s fitting that Little and Austin
share not only an extreme confi
dence but also a close chemistry,
as both are players Davis wooed
in his first summer as coach. Each
claims credit for getting the other
to come to UNC.
They also don’t hesitate to com
bine the words “national champi
onship” and “Carolina.”
“When I came here, I didn’t
shoot to be just a good player on
a decent team,” Austin says, as
Little vigorously shakes his head
in agreement.
“I came here to try and go for
the big dance l’m trying to play
under the lights with the blimp in
the sky.”
That brashness stems from an
enormous confidence in Davis
as all three players pepper their
speech with the phrase “like coach
says.”
“Coach Davis and the things
that he’s done win the Super
TAR PIT
FROM PAGE 1
planning several new promotions
and giveaways.
The department plans to pass
out foam noodles for Saturday’s
game and will continue to do so at
future games if the crowd enjoys
them, said Rick Steinbacher, asso
ciate athletic director of marketing
and promotions.
If McNeese State does not score
during Saturday’s game, everyone
Bowl, coach with great coaches,
the teams that he’s been around
I think that he can take this pro
gram to another level where we
can compete for a national cham
pionship every year,” Austin says.
Again, Little and Williams nod
their approval.
That faith also has rubbed off
on Yates, who this time last year
was caught up in the whirlwind of
being a first-year starting quarter
back.
Fast forward to 2008, and Yates
exudes the air of a seasoned vet
eran.
“Last year I was cramming like
I was studying for an exam, just
trying to remember all the plays,”
Yates says.
“We’ve been doing it so long now
... I’m a lot more relaxed, a lot more
confident.”
That attitude runs through the
sophomore class, so many of whom
played extensively last year, and
Davis has noticed.
“You can just see, daylight to
dawn, how much more progress
they’ve made in the last six months
because of the experience that they
got to play last year.”
It’s a good thing for UNC,
because the bell’s about to ring for
round two.
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
in the student section will get a
coupon for a free Hardee’s burger.
It’s part of anew partnership
between UNC and the fast-food
company.
, Promotions for future games
include the Hardee’s Tar Pit
Challenge, in which one student
will be selected to attempt a field
goal. If the student is successful,
the student section will receive
another prize from Hardee’s.
With the new changes, CAA offi
cials said they hope student spirit
will rival that of UNC basketball
games.
“Many people offer that football
will always be secondary here at
Carolina due to our basketball suc
cess and publicity,” Coonin said.
“We in the CAA disagree.... We
are altering ourabilitytosupportthe
team and coach Davis in the best way
possible. We will be the 12th man on
the field for the Tar Heels.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
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News
UNC faces ‘explosive’ Cowboys
Tar Heels 3-7 in
openers since ’9B
BY RACHEL ULLRICH
SPORTS EDITOR
Butch Davis faced the McNeese
State Cowboys once before.
While Davis was at Miami, he
coached the Hurricanes to a win
—a 61-14 win, to be exact.
But he doesn’t expect the same
from this year’s McNeese State —a
team that outscored its opponents
by more than 200 points last sea
son and has on its resume a 76-0
victory from 2006.
“McNeese is
a very explo
sive, fast foot
ball team; his
torically they’ve
always been that
way,” Davis said
at this week’s
FOOTBALL
PREVIEW
A preview
on McNeese
State's season.
INSIDE
press conference.
“They’ve had several success
ful football seasons, obviously last
year being 11-1, and typically their
program is marked by having very,
very fast skilled players.”
So Davis will try once again
to lead his team to a victory past
McNeese State’s spread schemes.
“They’re going to run a spread
offense that, when you’re playing
a spread offensive team, you really
need to be disciplined. You have
to. It is assignment-related foot
ball.”
McNeese State has never played
an ACC opponent (Miami was
in the Big East when they met in
2000), but the Cowboys have a
1-8 record against Football Bowl
Subdivision schools it beat
Louisiana-Lafayette last year.
Starting tailback Greg Little has
big expectations for UNC’s opener
he knows they’re talented, yes,
but he said his team can handle
them.
“We do see holes in their defense,
and we’re going to try to exploit
them early,” he said, adding a fur
ther goal —a big victory, “killing
the ant with the sledgehammer.
“It’s a lot of eyes on us right now,
and that’s why we have that men
tality about the ant and the sledge
hammer. We’re just going to try
and obliterate teams.”
“McNeese is a very explosive, fast
football team; historically they’ve
always been that way ”
BUTCH DAVIS, NORTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL COACH
But North Carolina, which
beat Football Championship
Subdivision James Madison to
open last season, hasn’t won back
to-back season openers since the
1997 season.
And Davis insists his UNC team
is not overlooking the Cowboys
team that grabbed the second over
all seed in last year’s FCS playoffs.
“We talk to our football team
that, you know, how well you play
to a high percentage is more about
you,” Davis said. “It’s how you pre
pare, it’s how you play on Saturday,
and you don’t have any control over
THE LOWDOWN ON SATURDAY'S GAME
McNeese State vs.
North Carolina
(0-0) Kenan Stadium, 6 p.m. (0-0)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Greg Little gave the Tar Heels stability at
UNC rush VS. tailback at the end of 2007. This is his first
MSU front chance to prove UNC has a legitimate run
seven ning game. Coaches have been raving about
Shaun Draughn, as well. Edge: UNC
, |Mr TJ. Yates is coming off shoulder surgery and
UNC pass VS. could be tentative out of the gate. But that
MSU doesn't change the fact that Hakeem Nicks,
secondary Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster are just too
good to be held down. Edge: UNC
, Despite losing Kentwan Balmer and Hilee
MSU rush VS. Taylor, UNC returns more than enough mus-
UNC's front de on the defensive line to give any team
seven trouble. Marvin Austin will spend most of
the day in the MSU backfield. Edge: UNC
The UNC secondary returns three starters
MSU pass VS. from last year's team, including freshman All-
UNC America Deunta Williams. UNC will try out its
secondary new corners Johnny White and Richie Rich to
give the team more speed. Edge: UNC
McNeese State has an All-America kicker,
but he's still got to kick to return specialist
Special Teams Brandon Tate. North Carolina still doesn't bhMT
know who will start at kicker, but the cov
erage teams are solid. Edge: UNC
The Bottom Line —North Carolina 44, McNeese State 14
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the opponent
“I can’t tell you whether they’ve
had good practices or bad practic
es. I can’t tell you whether they’re
prepared to play. All we can do is
control our own fate.”
And so UNC starts its journey
for obliteration, ant-killing and
a top spot in the ACC Coastal
Division.
The first stop, McNeese State
or, as Little calls them, “some guys
from Louisiana who’re fast.”
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.