UNC Football 2009 Preview

With college football right around the corner, it's time to look at a team some are picking to compete with Virginia Tech for the ACC Coastal division crown in 2009. The ACC is a competitive conference and there are plenty of teams returning with enough talent to compete for the ACC's BCS spot. When the Tar Heels hit the gridiron in the fall, they will field the most talented, athletic, and explosive team Chapel Hill has seen in years.

Offense

The Tar Heel's lose wide recievers Hakeem Nicks (drafted by the NY Giants), Brandon Tate (drafted by the New England Patriots), and Brooks Foster (drafted by the Rams). These three will be missed in the passing game, as well as on special teams, where Tate and Foster excelled. With these three out of the fold, there is plenty of opportunity for young players to make an impact from day one.

Freshman WR's Jhay Boyd and Josh Adams will compete for a starting spot opposite junior WR Greg Little. With a solid, experienced QB in T.J. Yates running the show, look for this freshman duo to possibly make a national impact.

The running duties will fall heavily on Shaun Draughn, with RS Freshman Jamal Womble getting carries and Ryan Houston getting the ball near the goal line. If Draughn fixes his fumbling issue, look for him to be a 1,000 yard rusher. If he continues to put it on the ground like late last season, look for Womble's and Houston's carries to go up.

There are many question marks on offense. Can Yates stay healthy? Can UNC's o-line be effective? Can Draughn hold onto the ball? Can the young WR's make an impact from day one?

This is a young offensive group with lots of potential and should improve as the season progresses; it should be a fun ride.

Defense

UNC returns a ridiculous amount of talent on defense, as well as adding talented new guys into the loop. The front seven could be dominant at times, with first day NFL draftees Marvin Austin, Bruce Carter, and Quan Sturdivant wrecking havoc for opposing team's offenses.

The biggest question mark on defense is in the secondary, especially at the corners. If UNC can see continued improvement from Kendrick Burney at CB, and if Charles Brown can stay healthy this year, this defensive unit could be special.

Schedule:

• The Citadel
• Connecticut
• East Carolina
• Georgia Tech
• Virginia
• Georgia Southern
• Florida State
• Virgina Tech
• Duke
• Miami
• Boston College
• NC State
  

Important Games

1) Virgina Tech: UNC has yet to beat Virginia Tech since they have joined the ACC, but the games have been getting closer.

Last year UNC controlled the game for three quarters, then TJ Yates went down to injury, rendering UNC's offense utterly ineffective, and VA Tech came storming back behind a dominating fourth quarter rushing attack. This year, the Tar Heels travel to Blacksburg on a Thursday night to face the Hokies in a nationally televised game.

2) NC State: This game is so important that it has been moved to the last game of the season, replacing Duke as UNC's final opponent. Now it will be during rivalry week.

The game is so important it has given the Wolfies off-season bragging rights, despite winning two less games than the Tar Heels last season. Since Butch Davis has been at UNC, he has not beaten Tom O'Brien, and if UNC is going to take the next step they have to win this game.

3) Georgia Tech: First difficult test on UNC's schedule, unless you still drink the ECU Kool-aid. UNC won easily versus Georgia Tech last year and has the speed on defense to stifle GT's triple option attack. But this is a new year and lots of pundits are big on GT.

If UNC can get through this game there is a real possibility that they will be 6-0 heading into the back-to-back Thursday night games versus Florida State and VA Tech.  Those games may define the season.

Other notable games: Miami and Florida State

Prediction

There are a lot of unknown variables with this young team, but the talent, explosiveness, and speed is there. I am willing to go out on a limb and say the University of North Carolina Tar Heels will win 10 games in 2009, and will play in the ACC Championship Game.

BCS or Bust???