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Bruiser: Houston pounds opposition
AP Photo
North Carolina's Ryan Houston scores a touchdown against Georgia Tech.
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Published: November 9, 2008
CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina reached back into the Eisenhower years and pulled out dark blue jerseys yesterday. Georgia Tech reached back into the Nixon years and whipped out the option offense.
With everything turning retro and a single touchdown separating the two ACC title contenders, the Tar Heels turned to 242-pound tailback Ryan Houston.
In the old days, the sportswriters would have called Houston a pile-driver. A sportswriter named Hunter S. Thompson would have crowned him king of the jackhammer thrust. These days, some Carolina teammates holler his new nickname, "Bronco Bruiser." Or "Bronco," for short.
Tailback starter Shaun Draughn and Houston prodded Georgia Tech's substantial defense in the first half. Houston bruised the Yellow Jackets something awful early in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns in about three minutes and cementing a 28-7 victory.
Draughn, who gained 90 yards, slashes and dashes his way across ACC fields.
Houston usually bores straight ahead, pushing those mounds of padded humanity forward with his powerful legs and internal drive.
After Carolina recovered a fumbled Tech punt near the end of the third quarter and drove 23 yards to the 7, Draughn gave way to Houston, who had scored 1-yard or 2-yard touchdowns in five straight games.
The Yellow Jackets, trailing 7-0, knew what was coming: No. 32, the 6-2 sophomore from Charlotte's Butler High. Houston knew they knew.
"It's kind of hard," Houston said, "because now they know: ‘He's in, and he's going to pound it up in there.' "
On an earlier third-and-1, a Tech linebacker even pointed to the designated hole. Houston foiled that intelligence by darting outside with surprising speed and gaining 19 yards, the longest run of his career-high 74-yard performance.
At the 7, however, there were no alternate routes. He squeezed 5 yards out of the first carry and then, on second down, moved the pile the remaining 2 yards, good for a 14-0 lead.
Georgia Tech's backup quarterback, Jaybo Shaw, fumbled on the next series and Carolina recovered at the 32-yard line. Houston took five straight handoffs. He flashed a couple of moves on runs of 11 and 13 yards. He trampled defenders on the others, closing the deal with a season-long 3-yard touchdown.
"What's that like?" Houston said. "I kind of try to look him in his eyes and let him know I'm coming, and then I lower the shoulder. If it's one-on-one, I try to run them over, but really I'm just trying to get some more yards."
Houston lowered the boom with greater raw force last season, when he peaked at 273 pounds. "I feel more explosive than I was," he said. "At 273, I was big, but I wasn't explosive."
In practices, linebacker Mark Paschal has collided with Houston of all sizes.
"Not fun," Paschal said, shaking his head. "He's a big boy."
The Tar Heels are running with the ACC's big boys now, ranked 19th in the AP poll at 7-2 overall (3-2 ACC). They knocked Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3 ACC) out of first place in the Coastal Division, raising all sorts of possibilities. The remaining schedule: at Maryland, N.C. State in Kenan Stadium, at Duke.
Coach Butch Davis insisted that he will not look beyond Maryland. He peered far deeper into the past while preparing for Coach Paul Johnson's spread-option offense.
The triple option achieved prominence in Davis' younger days, back when President Nixon awarded the national championship to the Arkansas-Texas winner. Oklahoma's Barry Switzer took the option to the statistical pinnacle in 1971, setting the NCAA rushing record at 472 yards a game.
Linebacker Paschal, a senior, seemed weary of Johnson's odd contemporary variation. "I'm just glad I'll never have to look at it again in my career," he said.
Davis implied that Carolina fans will not have to look at the dark jerseys again any time soon, promoting them as once-a-season trends.
Jim Tatum, who died in 1959, evidently was the last Carolina coach to order dark jerseys until Davis came along.
"The recruits love it," Davis said. "The players love it. It adds a little bit. It probably makes Nike happy. They can sell a few extra jerseys and stuff."
Houston seemed happy about his chances for taking off the dark jersey and letting his mind drift through an episode of his cartoon hero, SpongeBob SquarePants.
"Depending on what time it is," Houston said, "I'm going to soak in the tub and go watch some SpongeBob right now."
In the modern world of soaps, a "Bronco Bruiser" can probably squeeze a sponge any time he wants.
■ Lenox Rawlings can be reached at lrawlings@wsjournal.com.
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