Enemy Lines: North Carolina

So with all the August camp coverage, we're going to migrate some of these "Enemy Lines" segments to the blog (hey, priorities).

Seven down, five to go.

Today we present a close look at North Carolina's wreck of a program courtesy of Dan Wiederer of The Fayetteville Observer.

Wiederer does a really nice job up there and has developed a reputation for being thorough and hard-working.

Here goes:

TI: What is your initial take on Everett Withers and his ability to
steer a mess of a ship after the firing of Butch Davis?
WIEDERER: "At his introductory press conference in late July, just two days after the Davis firing was made official, Withers met the media with great exuberance and a healthy perspective. Very early on, he referenced a John Wooden quote that he’s had tacked up in his office for a few years now: 'Things work out best for people who make the best of the way that things turn out.'

"Loosely translated: Withers has every intention of remaining optimistic in the months ahead but also knows he’s facing quite a unique challenge in trying to keep the UNC program afloat. For one thing, despite an impressive resume from the past 23 years, Withers has never been a head coach. In fact, before Davis’ firing he had never even applied for a head coaching job. Now he’s not only been thrust into the role as top dog at North Carolina but takes over at a time when the turmoil around the program is swirling like a powerful tornado.

"A large chunk of the fan base has been infuriated by the way chancellor Holden Thorp handled the Davis situation. So as the 2011 season begins, there seems to be a very serious divide among Tar Heel backers. There are those who so desperately crave big-time football in Chapel Hill that Davis’ exit has left them jilted and infuriated. That group insists Davis never did anything wrong and his ousting was unjust. And then there are those who believe very strongly that Thorp’s decision to remove Davis was a necessary step in cleaning up the stains on the university’s reputation that came as a result of the football program’s transgressions under Davis’ watch. Predictably, the former group has been far more passionate and vocal with its arguments than the latter.

"To make a long story short, rallying outside support from the fans will be a complicated chore for Withers. And realistically, with a new athletic director likely to be hired by the end of the calendar year, Withers’ tenure as UNC’s head coach may not last more than four or five months. So that leaves the interim coach to focus on the short term – on this season and this season only. And from all accounts within the program, the players seem to enjoy the way he relates with them, the ambition he brings on a daily basis and the intelligence he has injected into the program.

"Withers is organized. He’s a good motivator. And he’ll make a decent figurehead temporarily for a program that wants to quickly distance itself from its recent misdeeds and the NCAA investigation that led to this whole mess in the first place. But the clean-up process at UNC is far bigger than any one person can handle. So Withers will mostly be asked to prevent the embarrassment the university has felt since the summer of 2009 from spreading any further. He’s capable of that for sure. Whether he’s capable of showing enough to be retained next season as the permanent head coach is a whole different story."

TI: This team was deemed capable of contending for an ACC title before the Davis ouster. Is the same true now? This is still a talented bunch.
WIEDERER: "At the ACC Football Kickoff in July, the Tar Heels were picked by the media to finish third in the ACC’s Coastal Division. That’s still probably an accurate gauge of where this group will wind up, even after Davis’ dismissal. After all, it’s hard to imagine Carolina climbing over either Virginia Tech or Miami. So while a good season is well within reach, a great season is a long shot.

"Need some telling stats about UNC football? Well, the Tar Heels’ last ACC championship came in 1980 when Everett Withers was a high school senior in Charlotte. On top of that, for as excited as many Carolina backers were about the progress being made under Davis, the Tar Heels lost more ACC games (17) than they won (15) over the past four seasons. And only four times in the past 28 years has UNC finished a season ranked in the AP poll. Those four runs all came with Mack Brown as coach.

"Yes, this UNC squad has plenty of talent. Of the 25 players voted to the preseason all-conference team, Carolina had three standouts recognized: wide receiver Dwight Jones plus defensive linemen Tydreke Powell and Quinton Coples. Behind that trio of headliners, the Tar Heels have a whole stockpile of promising players that Davis helped recruit during his tenure.

"The current talent level will keep the Heels competitive all season and in bowl contention. But given all the chaos around the program, it’s hard to imagine this being the season Carolina finally takes its big leap and challenges for the conference title."

TI: "This time last year, Bryn Renner was being hailed as a gifted, big-play quarterback who was plenty capable of taking the starting job from T.J. Yates. Renner ended up playing in just three games and attempting two passes. What is your take on Renner and his ability to be a dynamic quarterback now that Yates is gone?
WIEDERER: "It’s fairly simple. Renner has an incredible amount of upside. At 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 215 pounds, he has impressive size for a quarterback. He also has an incredibly strong arm and more mobility than his record-breaking predecessor, T.J. Yates.

"Yet here’s the reality. Renner has thrown only two passes during his college career and is not yet seasoned enough to be considered a reliable signal caller who won’t occasionally be mistake prone.

"Anyone who has spent significant time around Renner understands he can be an incredibly energetic kid, sometimes even hyper. On certain Saturdays that will be a positive thing, injecting the UNC team with some extra liveliness and adrenaline. On other Saturdays, Renner’s eagerness to make the big play will inevitably lead to some over-aggressive mistakes.

"Again, the upside is there. But UNC fans and the coaching staff must remind themselves that Renner has some growing pains ahead.

"In the spring, Renner impressed his teammates and coaches with his ability to extend plays. During a controlled scrimmage at the spring game, he completed nine of his 13 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, fueling the optimism in Chapel Hill that he’s ready to take center stage. Aiding Renner’s cause this fall is the fact that he has some big-play threat receivers in the mix. Jones is the best of the bunch. But Erik Highmith and Jheranie Boyd also have the ability to take pressure off Renner.

"Smart money says that Renner’s first season as a starter will be a roller coaster, with impressive moments that make it seem he is NFL bound mixed with occasional lapses in judgment that will leave folks scratching their heads."

TI: The Tar Heels lost their top three running backs from last season. Is Ryan Houston, who sat out last season, capable of being an
every-down back?
WIEDERER: "The last time a UNC back ran for more than 1,000 yards in a season was in 1997 when Jonathan Linton accomplished that feat. The search for a reliable and productive every-down back has been a frustrating exercise in Chapel Hill ever since.

"Yet Houston’s tale may be one of the most intriguing individual storylines on this entire team. In the end, he may wind up being the only Tar Heel to truly benefit from last season’s scandal. After all, Houston should have played his final season of college football last fall. Instead, as the NCAA investigation and an accompanying in-house probe dragged on, examining possible academic misconduct and improper benefits throughout the program, Houston was held out of Carolina’s first five games as the team did its best to make sure it would not be using any ineligible players. When Houston was cleared to play in mid-October, the decision was made to redshirt him for the remainder of the year to give him a full season to finish his college career.

"Now? Houston is the Tar Heels’ top back and will have every opportunity to showcase himself in the Carolina offense. He’s also changed his identity from the early parts of his career. Used often in the past as a goal line battering ram, Houston, at 240 pounds, is nearly 35 pounds lighter now in his final season than he was when he first stepped onto the UNC campus in 2007.

"Houston had surgery in April to repair a fractured shoulder blade, an injury he suffered at the spring game. So his durability will be worth monitoring. But before that setback, the senior tailback seemed to be running with a much greater burst. The Tar Heels will need that as their depth at the position is lacking. Not only did the top three rushers from last season graduate but junior Hunter Furr requested to transfer earlier this month in the week after Davis’ dismissal. That leaves Houston and redshirt freshman Gio Bernard to share the backfield workload.

"As for Houston’s ability to be a workhorse? Over his final five games in 2009, he averaged 24 carries and 85 yards."

TI: Is there any reason to think the front seven cannot be dominant? Four guys from this group were drafted, but it looks like a lot of NFL talent remains with DE Quinton Coples, DT Tydreke Powell, LB Zach Brown, LB Kevin Reddick and DE Donte Paige-Moss.
WIEDERER: "The Tar Heels have been churning out NFL talent on the defensive line and at linebacker over the past few years. And there’s little reason to expect a dropoff with the talent in those units this season. Coples, who has played both inside and on the end during his UNC career, is widely touted as a top 15 NFL draft pick and has even received some buzz as the possible No. 1 overall pick for 2012. He has great strength and explosion and a knack for getting into the opposing backfield. Powell, a fellow preseason All-ACC selection, made 13 starts last season and was a team captain. His experience and energy should be a stabilizing force for the defense.

"Paige-Moss is also being looked to for a breakout season up front and Reddick and Brown are difference-makers on the second level having combined for 146 tackles last season.

"Perhaps the most intriguing thing to monitor with UNC’s defense is how its established playmakers jell with new defensive coordinator Art Kaufman who was promoted from his role as linebackers coach when Withers moved up to become head coach.

"You’d have to figure Withers will remain heavily involved with the defense. Yet Kaufman’s ability to get on the same page with his standouts is essential.
With all the uncertainty surrounding the UNC program right now, the ability of its starting defensive line and linebackers is not in question. The Tar Heels should remain feisty defensively and be fun to watch on that side of the ball."

Special thanks to Wiederer for sharing his time and insight.

LW