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Stretch Run
UNC, 6-2 with four games left, has chance to make this season something special
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Quarterback Cameron Sexton of North Carolina says he and his teammates are excited about the possbilities they face in November.
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Published: November 4, 2008
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina's last break of the regular football season is over and has given way to what Coach Butch Davis is calling the big push at the end.
There are four games left in the regular season starting on Saturday against Georgia Tech in Kenan Stadium. North Carolina is already bowl eligible, and after the games last Saturday, North Carolina came out of its break in more favorable position in the ACC race than when it entered.
Miami's win at Virginia shook up the Coastal Division standings. Five of the division's six teams, North Carolina among them, have only two conference losses. North Carolina has a chance to win the division and play in the ACC title game, depending on what it does in the final month.
Quarterback Cameron Sexton said that the Tar Heels are concerned only about playing the Yellow Jackets, but added that the players are aware that November could be a very rewarding month, with each win making better bowl games available and leading to other possibilities.
"There's an excitement," Sexton said. "I think practices are more competitive right now. We're playing really well. We have a legitimate chance of achieving some of the goals that we set out to do. And I think we're really focused to do that.
"Now we're saying, ‘We've got a shot. Let's not go mess this up. Let's make sure we're focused and working hard.'"
Georgia Tech will present big problems for several reasons. The most pressing issue for North Carolina is stopping the ACC's top rushing attack and its most productive running back. Coach Paul Johnson's spread-option offense ground out 288 yards rushing behind bullish Jonathan Dwyer in a win over Florida State last Saturday. Dwyer pounded out 145 yards.
The offense is unusual. It uses some principles of the old Wishbone offense of the 1970s but has added formations from today's strategy to spread the field and put pressure on the defense. Georgia Tech doesn't pass much but has one of the ACC's top receivers in Demaryius Thomas when it needs to move through the air.
Any game against Georgia Tech recently has been trouble for North Carolina. Georgia Tech has won nine of the past 10 games between the schools and North Carolina hasn't won since 2004.
Davis said he's confident that the week off helped his team prepare in almost every way possible for the Yellow Jackets.
"I thought we accomplished everything that we wanted to try to get accomplished," Davis said. "It certainly gave our players a chance to kind of rest, emotionally and psychologically as well as physically and kind of get invigorated and kind of catch our breath.
"It's a very critical and important time. These next four ball games are obviously are very, very significant."
Two players coming back from injuries could be available to play against Georgia Tech. T.J. Yates, the starting quarterback at the start of the season, and tight end Zach Pianalto have made progress, but Davis said he wasn't sure he will know until today or later in the week if they can play.
Yates is coming back from a broken left ankle suffered on Sept. 20 in a loss to Virginia Tech. Pianalto is recovering from a sprained ankle suffered Oct. 11, late in a win over Notre Dame. Pianalto has missed UNC's past two games.
Yates returned to practice last week and participated only in individual drills, with no contact. He split practice time with Mike Paulus, with the second offense in one passing drill that simulates game conditions with seven offensive players going against seven defensive players.
"We'll find out a little bit more as to how he actually feels," Davis said. "He's moving around pretty good but it's still a limited area to find out exactly what he might be available to do in (today's) practice.
"Can we take the next step and actually let him participate in something that involves other team-type of activities as opposed to just dropping back and throwing when there's no rush or any kind of mobility?
"We're kind of status quo as far as that's concerned."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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