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Off the cuff: Was that game really just a pregame show for Ohio State at Southern Cal? My Lord, we got more insightful analysis and coverage of that game than we did the Carolina game. I'm not fond of Thursday night games but the Tar Heels are 4-2 on Thursdays and they do get national exposure. It's the only game on. I wonder how many were still watching midway through the third quarter however as Carolina had opened up a 31-6 lead. That was a long game. The first half lasted more than an hour and a half and then halftime, which I always thought was supposed to be 20 minutes, was actually 25 minutes. The announcers - Chris Fowler, Craig James and Jesse Palmer - seemed to lose interest in the game. They talked about everything under the sun, sometimes not even talking about plays on the field. It also appears they have Carolina basketball on their minds - focus, people, focus. One time, when it appeared that Brooks Foster had kept a punt out of the end zone to down it at the one yard line, the announcers talked about how great a play it was, showing it on replay. When Rutgers took over at the 20 because the official evidently thought Foster's foot was in the end zone, they never explained why. They were too busy promoting some Nascar event. During a time-consuming, nice drive by the Tar Heels, ESPN decided it was more important to talk live with Brandon Jacobs of the NY Giants. Jacobs did not go to either UNC or Rutgers but they had lots of questions that had nothing to do with the game. Three announcers trying to get equal time is too much to begin with before adding Jacobs to the mix. Did it appear to you that the announcers, while not openly rooting for Rutgers, were kind of broadcasting the game from the Rutgers' perspective. For instance, instead of saying "Touchdown Carolina," one of them would say, "That was a bad play by Rutgers." I hope Carolina fans never act like Rutgers fans did on national TV. They left in droves midway through the third quarter. They booed, they showed the thumbs down to the cameras and they mockingly slashed their throats. On the other hand, it was nice to see the Carolina players showing respect for the UNC fans in attendance by running down in from of them and celebrating with them at the end of the game. Quarterback play was a big difference in this game as Rutgers' QBs threw four interceptions and UNC's Yates seemed poised and threw the deep ball well. Plus, the Heels did not turn the ball over once the entire game. Carolina looked big, strong, athletic and fast on both offense and especially defense. The interception return by Carter may be one of the best in UNC history. The Tar Heels hit hard, played hard and seemed focused and disciplined. That's a sign the program is moving in the right direction. A problem area to look out for is snaps on field goals and extra points. Snapper Lowell Dyer was snapping almost behind the holder but he did look good on the last extra point and last two field goals. I guess he got a lot of practice. Another problem may be containing running quarterbacks. When the backup QB came in, the Heels had trouble keeping him inside the tackles. Some have said this is the best win for Carolina this century and that may be true. The last time the Heels started the season at 2-0 was 2000 under Carl Torbush when Carolina beat Tulsa and Wake. |
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