Earlier this morning I read the article by Luke DeCock entitled Does UNC understand concept of compliance?” talking about the latest mistake by a someone at North Carolina having to do with NCAA violations, where Dwight Jones put his picture on a flier for his birthday party. Of course, if you dig a bit deeper than the words typed up, this was more of a pot shot session at the university than anything else. And, like it or not, the author of the article has a right to do that, as all of the events he talks about are verified. What I do not like, and never have with most main stream media writers, is that while they are very good at pointing out the problems, their skills in finding solutions are not quite as good. Or being more blunt, they stink at it!

Criticism ruins this world, while constructive criticism does not. Unfortunately that article was the first and not the second. Furthermore, as stated in the article, this party is being held after the senior wide out plays his last game as a Tar Heel, so the infraction is that the flier went out before he had finished his career. Or that he lent his image to the flier before he could. If all of this is not something that should be reviewed to make it a lot more clearer than I guess neither should the following…

As it stands now, schools can give their athletes free bagels, but not free cream cheese. (from the following article)

Just imagine if the flier had Jones eating an onion bagel with chive flavored cream cheese. Then what? We would have more articles on how Carolina is not doing its job on dealing with these issues while saying nothing on the stupidities of the entity that controls it all? And by no means am I condoning what happen at UNC, and those that read my posts know that well, but enough is enough! What happened to Dwight Jones is a mistake, which last I knew, we all make. Should he have checked into it first? Yes. Should the NCAA think about these rules and how they are so off the wall? Yes as well. Should North Carolina try to educate his players more and more? Yes, just all the other schools out there.

What am I trying to say? That there is enough blame to go around and maybe if we stopped and tried to find solutions to the problems and not just poked at the problem itself it would help everyone out in the end.

I found an interesting article on the web site “Outkick the Coverage”, which talked about the twenty-five best college football jobs in America. From what I read the author, Clay Travis, used two factors when making the rankings: the size of the athletic department, which would give a rough idea of how much a school can afford to spend, and the ability to recruit, as that is the true backbone of any college program. The article also goes on to say that before writing this they spoke to a “bunch” of coaches and agents, and while it’s hard to quantify what a bunch is, it shows that there was plenty of leg work behind this article. I have to say that once you read the list and the reason given for each none really seem out of place, but I did find interesting that not even one of the teams from this season’s Big East conference was on the list.

For North Carolina, who this year have a new athletic director in Bubba Cunningham and football coach, Larry Fedora, it was nice to see them at the number twelve slot in the ranking. The interesting sentence about the program from Chapel Hill: “the ACC is a conference that can be dominated with the right coach.” I can agree with that, but it’s not as simple as those words sound. Especially when on the list there are other three teams from the conference, including two teams from the sunshine state in #4 Florida State and #15 Miami along with Virginia Tech, which was the last team on this list.

For something non carolina blue, just about UNC the author ranked Penn State, talking about the fact that before the scandal the program laid claim to the Northeast. Then added that he was keeping the Nittany Lions ranked high because there was no way to see what lasting impact the debacle would have on the football team. I have to wonder, would PSU be even higher if not for scandal? I am not sure, but it’s one of those great discussions for the water cooler!

The Yahoo! Sports All-America squads were released yesterday and there was a rappresentive for North Carolina as line backer Zach Brown made the second team. The 6’2″ 230 lbs senior is one of ten players from the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the only one from UNC. Brown, who played in all of the 12 games for the Tar Heels led the team in solo tackles with 53 (out of 476), as well as total tackles with 91 (out of 868). The line backer came in second in tackles for loss with 11.5 (out of 79) as well as sacks with a total of 5.5 (out of 25). Brown was one of eight players to have interceptions this season, getting two in all (out of 13), recovering one fumble (out of 9) and forcing three more (out of 13). For someone that watched all the games, not just for this year, but for the whole time that Zach Brown has been in Chapel Hill, I find this a just reward for the young man. On the NFL web site the LB is listed as the sixth best, and this is what they are saying about him…

Brown might be the fastest linebacker in the draft, and his explosiveness makes him a desirable playmaker off the edge. He can rush or drop effectively from an upright or three-point position, which allows him to play a variety positions in a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. Scouts have questioned Brown’s toughness, but his extraordinary speed and athleticism are too enticing to ignore.

On the other hand the name that was missing from UNC in the Y! All-American teams was Quinton Coples. The senior defensive line man was first in tackle for losses at 13 as well as first in sacks with 7.5. Unfortunately for the 6’6″ 285 DE he just did not live up to the hype of the pre-season and that probably hurt him in the voting. From the NFL web site he is listed as the top for defensive line men, but it was not all praise…

From a production standpoint, Coples’ final season was a disappointment, but his combination of size, athleticism and rush skill stands out on tape. Although he might be a better pro as a five-technique, his ability to be effective as a run or pass defender cements his status as the top defensive end in college football.

Both young men still have one more game as their team will be playing in the Independence Bowl on December 26 against Missouri. This will be also the last game for their interim head coach Everett Withers, who is being replaced by Larry Fedora.

After many stories talking about the fact that Southern Miss’ head coach Larry Fedora is going to be the next head man at North Carolina the school has made it official with a post on Tar Heel Blue. For my views on the new man in charge check out my posts over at isportsweb, where I think that with the high powered mentality of coach Fedora and the returning talent in Chapel Hill it should be a good year for the offensive side of the ball. I also thought about the fact that the new boss of the program will need to bring in the right assistants and coordinators in order to make this program go forward and push to the top of the conference. But for now, whether this was your choice or not, let’s unite and support the hire made by the school and give Larry Fedora the same chance that we gave the coach before him.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will hire Larry Fedora, who led Southern Miss to an 11-2 record and 2011 Conference USA championship, as the Tar Heels’ next head football coach, pending final Board of Trustees approval at a 9 a.m. meeting Friday (AlumniHall III, George Watts Hill Alumni Center).

The University expects to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. on Friday in the Concourse Club at the Loudermilk Center. The public is invited to attend.

“We identified and spoke to a number of highly qualified coaches and the person whom we believe is the best to lead the Carolina football program forward is Larry Fedora,” says UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham. “We share great expectations for the potential of Carolina football and we are excited that he has agreed to be our next head coach.

“Larry has a strong record both as the head coach at Southern Miss and for 18 years as a college assistant coach. Throughout his career his teams have been known for their exciting and highly productive offenses and aggressive defenses.”

Fedora’s first team at Southern Miss broke 36 school records. In 2011, the Golden Eagles compiled a school-record 6,123 total yards of offense, won 11 games and the Conference USA championship.

“Coach Fedora has a plan and a vision for the future of Carolina football that I strongly believe will make us successful on and off the field,” says Cunningham. “He has more than 20 years experience in college football, has tremendous enthusiasm, understands the academic and character values that are important to the University of North Carolina, is committed to fully developing the student-athletes who are under his charge and has the ability to excite both our fans and prospective student-athletes about the potential for great success here.

“We are fortunate to have outstanding student-athletes and coaches at UNC who have had a winning season and will be competing in the Independence Bowl. Our interim head coach Everett Withers will coach the Tar Heels in that game. I especially want to thank Coach Withers, who did an outstanding job in leading the football program this year. Everett is an excellent football coach and a first-class individual. He and his staff provided exemplary leadership under trying circumstances and I am glad they were rewarded with an opportunity to play in a bowl game.”

“I am very impressed with the search process that Bubba Cunningham ran,” says UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp. “He did a very thorough job of identifying and evaluating the best candidates and, ultimately, selecting Larry Fedora as our football coach. I think Coach Fedora will be a great fit for Carolina, and we look forward to giving him a warm Tar Heel welcome.”

I will post more on this after the press conference that is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST. You can check Fedora’s resume and see his all-time record from high school, to assistant, to coordinator, to finally head coach in the past four seasons…

Year School Position Record
1986 Austin College Grad. Asst. —
1987 Garland (Texas) HS Assistant —
1988 Garland (Texas) HS Assistant —
1989 Garland (Texas) HS Assistant —
1990 Baylor Assistant 6-4-1
1991 Baylor Assistant 8-4 Copper Bowl (L, 24-0 to Indiana)
1992 Baylor Assistant 7-5 Sun Bowl (W, 20-15 vs. Arizona)
1993 Baylor Assistant 5-6
1994 Baylor Assistant 7-5 Alamo Bowl (L, 10-3 vs. Washington)
1995 Baylor Assistant 7-4
1996 Baylor Assistant 4-7
1997 Air Force Assistant 10-3 Las Vegas Bowl (L, 41-31 vs. Oregon)
1998 Air Force Assistant 12-1 O’ahu Bowl (W, 45-25 vs. Washington)
1999 Middle Tennessee Assistant 3-8
2000 Middle Tennessee Assistant 6-5
2001 Middle Tennessee Assistant 8-3
2002 Florida Assistant 8-5 Outback Bowl (L, 38-30 vs. Michigan)
2003 Florida Assistant 8-5 Outback Bowl (L, 37-17 vs. Iowa)
2004 Florida Assistant 7-5 Peach Bowl (L, 27-10 vs. Miami)
2005 Oklahoma State Assistant 4-7
2006 Oklahoma State Assistant 7-6 Independence Bowl (W, 34-31 vs. Alabama)
2007 Oklahoma State Assistant 7-6 Insight Bowl (W, 49-33 vs. Indiana)*
2008 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 7-6 New Orleans Bowl (W, 30-27 OT vs. Troy)
2009 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 7-6 New Orleans Bowl (L, 42-32 vs. MTSU)
2010 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 8-5 Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl (L, 31-28 vs. Louisville)
2011 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 11-2 CUSA Champions (W, 49-28 vs. Houston)
Career record as head coach: 33-19 (4 years)
*Did not coach bowl game.

So, after days of rumors, especially from Inside Carolina, it sounds like the hiring of Larry Fedora is all but a done deal, even if the official word has yet to come out from the school. As I said in my post over at isportsweb with Fedora’s track record of a high potent attack and what the Tar Heels bring back next season, including their starting quarterback, tailback and four offensive linemen, you could see lots of scoring in Chapel Hill in 2012. On the other hand the new head man is going to also have to bring in the right people for his staff, with the first priority being the defensive coordinator, which will be crucial with less talent on that side of the ball next year.

Is Fedora the perfect fit for the Tar Heels? I am not sure, especially when you think that he was not the school’s first choice. Is he a great coach of the game? No, as there are true few great ones in this business, and while his 33 and 19 record at Southern Miss is good it’s nothing overwhelming, especially if you think that it was 22-17 before the beginning of this season. But at this point all of that needs to be set aside, the fan base needs to accept and back this head coach (or anyone else if Fedora was not to be the one) and begin to move past the Davis era and, even more importantly, move past the NCAA violations debacle that has been the dark cloud above the program for the past two seasons. So as we wait for the official word from the school and the press conference afterwards my hope is that we all back the new man at the top.

As I said in my other preview on isportsweb this game between North Carolina (6-5, 2-5 in the ACC) and Duke (3-8, 1-6 in the ACC) is to determine who is going to be the bottom dweller for the division. Not the way anyone had envisioned this Senior Day to be when the season began in September. But that is how it ended up, and for 17 seniors and probably interim head coach Everett Withers, this is going to be the last game they have in the friendly confine of Kenan Stadium. It’s also the battle of the “Victory Bell” and unfortunately it’s going to be on ESPN3 for those out of the ACC area, with kick off being at 3:30 pm EST. I know this is an overused cliche, but when it comes to this squad and season “it is what it is” sure does come to mind over and over.

What it has been is a season with lots of let downs and head scratching as the talent on the roster has been far superior than a 6-5 record which includes being shut out by in-state rival N.C. State. While this game can be the silver lining for both teams, the reality is that neither do get much out of it, even if UNC has more to gain from it. For the Tar Heels their bowl game slots are still up in the air, but are not many to choose from. Win or lose for the Blue Devils the season ends with this one. For Carolina not even the “win for the coach” could be a factor as it seems more than likely that AD Bubba Cunningham will be hiring someone new to guide the team next season.

The one thing that both teams have to fight for is the “Victory Bell” and it has been the trend of late that no matter the records the two teams have played this game tight. While UNC has win the last 20 of 21 games, the last handful of games almost all have been decided by eight points or less. The oddsmaker put Carolina as a 13 points favorite, I do not see the Tar Heels covering that, but do see them winning by the final of 28 to 20.

Looking for a new job oppurtunity and have some experience coaching football? You should check out North Carolina’s web site and their listing for the Head Football Coach. You best hurry though, even though the job is listed as “open until filled”, it seems that you have to be ready to start at the beginning of next year. Of course you want the inside information on this, check out what the new Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham, told Inside Carolina about the process of finding a new head man for the football team. AD Cunningham, who replaced Dick Baddour on November 14, said in the article that interim head coach Everett Withers is one of the candidates for the job. But I would be surprised if the AD and the firm he hired for the search did not have at least five or six names lined up.

“We’ll start to interview candidates after the end of the season,” Cunningham said. “Everett is a candidate. We’ll interview Everett with some others between the end of the season and probably the bowl game, and then name a coach at some point in that period, whether it’s Everett or somebody else.”

Like it or not, or better said fair of unfair, for the new Athletic Director this hire is going to be scrutinized a lot more than it should. His predecessor, who did a great job overall, will always be looked at for making bad choices when it comes to the head coaching job for basketball and football, that tag can not fall on Cunningham or else it’s going to be a long time coming for it to come off. Having said all of this I like to see Skip Holtz get the job, and I am sure he would do a great job at Chapel Hill. Will it happen? I do not know, but I will go out on a limb (sort of) and say that it is more likely to see Lou Holtz’ son leading the team than to see the current coach doing so.

As I said in the recap I do at isportsweb the play that resembled this football team in 2011 is the second onside kick, where all was rightly done, but it was just not long enough. The game between North Carolina (6-5, 2-5 in the ACC) came close to winning the game against #9 Virginia Tech (9-1, 6-1 in the ACC), but in the end falls 24 to 21. In a season where the Tar Heels have just not lived up to the talent they have on paper this game was just another reminder of what could have been. In reality if the squad had played most of the year as they did in the last fifteen minutes of this match up interim head coach Everett Withers’ team could easily be a double digit wins team. Instead it seems that they just have had a tough time putting one complete game together, landing them at the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and not at the top.

The sad reality of this team is that with the other major sport, men’s basketball for those that do not know what I am talking about, beginning their season, the fan base is already shifting focus from the gridiron to the hardwoods. A win last Thursday could have brought back some fire to the fans, but once again they were let to believe until the end, just to come up short once more. Now all one can hope for is to have a good showing for Senior Day against another in-state rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, something that would have been a lot more secure if this team had 1-2 more wins than they have now. Reality being they should, because the loss to N.C. State, even if they beat Clemson today, is unexplainable to me and this last game, with a bit of offensive charge between the first 10 minutes and the last 15, could have easily been a W as well for Carolina. Instead this team now plays Duke this week with the loser being the bottom dweller of the Coastal Division.

Adding insult to injury, besides the loss tail back Giovani Bernard, who had a touchdown and 45 yards, suffered a mild concussion in the game, and maybe had he been in the game the fumble at the Va Tech’s five yard line would not have happaned and UNC would have been up by 10 or 14 instead of the opponents tieing up the game later on. The fumble was Ryan Houston, who had 42 yards and a touchdown as well on the night. After that fumble for the Tar Heels it was a variety of mishaps, some bad moves on the defensive side along with some play calling to make you scratch your head at, and not only until the game was basically out of reach did QB Bryn Renner (14 for 26 ~ 224 yds ~ 1 TD ~ 0 INTs) and Company come back to life. But it was just a bit too little and a bit too late, bringing us once again to the fact that this team could have been a lot better than their record shows. From the looks of it, because of the season that they have had, six teams, Va Tech, Clemson, FSU, UVa, WF and Ga Tech, will be taken ahead of the Tar Heels when it comes to the bowl games. You have to wonder what will be left for Carolina as far as games are concerned.

Like it or not, want it or not, this team next week will be lead by someone else, at first it seemed that it could be Auburn’s offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, now the new hot name being tossed around is the one of South Florida’s head coach, Skip Holtz. While I am not sure about the first one, the second one I have always liked and the plus side is look how much more coverage we would get from Lou Holtz. Kidding aside, whomever is picked for this job will have to work hard to bring it back to the expectations that were set just prior to the scandal that brought down the Butch Davis era in Chapel Hill.

Going into tonight’s game UNC is not looking for the sixth win to be bowl eligible, what North Carolina (6-4, 2-4 in the ACC) is looking for tonight at 8:00 pm EST (on ESPN) against #8 Virginia Tech (9-1, 5-1 in the ACC) is a signature win to get a better bowl game. Add that to a win next week against Duke and the 8 win plateau would help interim head coach Everett Withers’ squad find themselves playing later in December. As I said in my other preview on isportsweb there is something wrong when this team, filled with players that should be going on to the next level, is just at six wins on the season and under .500 in the conference. After the shut out loss to in-state rivals to N.C. State this team could truly use, as said before, a signature win. On the other side Va Tech needs this game to seal up its fourth trip in five years to the ACC Title game, so both of the squads are in need of the W, and that makes this game very interesting.

Carolina has to have a balanced attack game, where they are never in third and long, or else they will be playing in the hands of Virginia Tech. This means that tail back Giovani Bernard has to have another one of his games, where he hits the triple digit mark in yards gained (averaging 101.2 per game) and makes the usage of play action something that the opponents will have to be leery of and will have to respect. This will also help out QB Bryn Renner have better possibilities at a good game without turnovers while finding his favorite target Dwight Jones. What this time can not do in this game, against this tough of competition, is come off slow and let the first half pass before finding its rhythm. If that was to happen this game will be over before the two squads head to the locker room for the half. Neither Bernard, who had 47 yards last week against the Wolfpack, or Bernard, who threw for 76 yards, can have a repeat performance tonight, that is for sure. The QB, who suffered a small concussion in that game, says he is fine for tonight’s match up…

“I don’t worry about that at all,” Renner said. “I think the biggest thing you can do (to recover) is practice. Once I got back on the practice field (last) Thursday and then (Sunday), it was all of the confidence that I need to play on Thursday.”

…and it seems his head coach is sure he will be fine and play well in this one as well…

“I expect him to respond like a starting quarterback at a Division I, BCS school,” Withers said. “I expect him to take the challenge and go with it. Hopefully, we’ll protect him better.”

The defense also needs to have a very good game tonight, as they can not let the Hokies take control of the game or else the Heels in catch up mode will put it on the arm of their gunslinger and that will cause problems. The defensive front seven of Carolina has to step it up in Blacksburg if they want to have a chance for a win. This is the game where UNC really needs a great one from the likes of someone like Quinton Coples, who should be a force in the National Football League in years to come. In this one the D Line and the LBs need to stop the run early and that is not going to be an easy task as Va Tech has a running back that is as good as Giovani Bernard is.

I would love to think that the Tar Heels could repeat what the did two years ago in Blacksburg and take down a Top 10 team, but I just do not think it’s going to happen, and sadly I think that it’s not due to the lack of motivation this squad has. The Vegas line on the game is 10.5 with the Hokies being heavy favorite, and I think the score will reflect that pretty close, as I see this ending up as a 35 to 24 game, with the Heels being on the losing end of it.

In yesterday’s game against NC St. tailback Giovani Bernard broke the 1,000 yards mark, and became the first running back to do so in fourteen years for the Tar Heels. Other than that I have to say there is not much positives to say about this game. On the road, North Carolina (6-4, 2-4 in the ACC) got shut out by their rivals North Carolina State (5-4, 2-3 in the ACC) by the final score of 13 to 0, something that had not happened since 1960 to Carolina, and the fifth straight game that the Wolfpack have taken from the Heels. But above the lackluster performance that had interim head coach Everett Withers pull his starting QB, Bryn Renner, it’s the comments after the game by Bernand that has me wondering what the heck is going on with this squad! The young man said the following after the game (quote found on Scout.com‘s Inside Carolina’s site)…

“I don’t know that it’s being surprised, I think it’s just a matter of not feeling right. I didn’t feel right going into the game. I felt guys were just joking around and not taking this game seriously. I knew guys were just not really focused in.”

If this is true, and I would see no reason why the back would have a reason to lie about this, you have to believe that Withers’ chances of being the head coach are over and done with. But that is not the problem, as if this is true, you have to ask what the heck is going on as a coaching staff knowing the importance of this game, not just for the sixty minutes, but for the rivalry and for the overall record as the squad looks for a decent bowl game. And if you take away the first series for North Carolina the words spoken by Bernard seem to ring true, especially on the offensive side of the ball, as the squad just seemed not to be able to do anything against a team that was with inferior talent on both sides of the ball. For a team that is looking to get past the off the field problems, a coach that is looking to see if he could have a chance at taking the interim tag off, a staff that is probably gone for the most part if a new head coach arrives, something just did not work quite right in all of this.

And while most people will forget about this game, since they are all waiting for the new AD Bubba Cunningham to come in and begin the search for the new head coach, the reality is that this week the team was not ready and those comments made by Withers might have something to do with all of this. For the last five season, since Butch Davis had come to Chapel Hill, this squad just does not get into this rivalry game as much as the Wolfpack does. All of this makes it so that in the Davis era, as in my opinion Withers and the staff is still Davis’ era, the Tar Heels are 0 and 5 against a team that should have beaten, if not all, most of those games. Particular to this game, where NC St. won by less than two touchdowns, but were able to shut out the Heels, who come off the last three games where UNC had scored 24, 38 and 49 points versus better competion than this team they faced yesterday. It worst the worst showing by Carolina this season with just 32 yards in the first half, and this was done against a defense that is ranked 82nd in the country.

What does this squad have to look forward to? Next week it’s a bye week, waiting for a Thursday night match up the following week against #12 ranked Virginia Tech (8-1, 4-1 in the ACC) and in first place in the Coastal Division. The week after that it’s Duke (3-6, 1-4 in the ACC) coming to Kenan Stadium to close out the season. Not sure what has to be said, or done, but the coaching staff has to get this team ready for both games as it would be nice to see the Tar Heels to end the season with two good performances.