Showing posts tagged “John Shoop”
Jacob Swiger ·
27 Nov 2009, 12:17 PM ·
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Russell Wilson's decision-making will be key Saturday. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
North Carolina (8-3) at N.C. State(4-7)
[12 p.m., Nov. 28, Carter-Finley Stadium]
Televised by ESPN2
A win by either team Saturday won’t have any serious implications on the season as UNC has secured a bowl berth and N.C. State will be sitting at home over the holidays. But a win could go a long way in determining the future for each program.
State faces the uncomfortable offseason questions that come after a disappointing year. After being considered a sleeper in the Atlantic Division with all-ACC caliber quarterback Russell Wilson, the Wolfpack has managed to win exactly one league game with one left to play.
UNC, meanwhile, recovered from losing three straight ACC games with a four-game winning streak, including wins against two ranked teams (Virginia Tech and Miami).
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, E.J. Wilson, John Shoop, Robert Quinn, Russell Wilson, Ryan Houston, TJ Yates, Tom O'Brien, Toney Baker
Jacob Swiger ·
14 Nov 2009, 5:04 PM ·
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KENAN MEMORIAL STADIUM/CHAPEL HILL — UNC quarterback T.J. Yates and the Heels’ passing game finally started clicking Saturday as they lead 20-7 bolstered by three Miami turnovers.
Offensive coordinator John Shoop continued his innovative play design by using fake reverses to get receivers and backs open for short completions.
Kendric Burney picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and Da’Norris Searcy also caught an interception to stall the Miami offense, which effectively moved the ball against UNC’s defense but managed only seven first-half points because of turnovers and miscues.
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ACC, Football, Halftime Update, UNC-Chapel Hill Da'Norris Searcy, Damien Berry, Devon Ramsay, Greg Little, Jacory Harris, John Shoop, Kendric Burney, Miami, Orlando Franklin, Robert Quinn, Ryan Houston, TJ Yates
Jacob Swiger ·
12 Nov 2009, 6:37 PM ·
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North Carolina (6-3) vs. No. 12 Miami (7-2)
[3:30 p.m., Nov. 14, Kenan Memorial Stadium]
Televised by ABC
Such a fitting time for the Hurricanes to visit Chapel Hill as former Hurricane Ida dropped inch after inch of rain throughout the area and managed to depress the entire state of North Carolina.
A win against the Tar Heels might accomplish the same in just three hours. Every week becomes more and more important for a UNC program trying to advance in its third season rebuilding.
A win by the Tar Heels would cement bowl eligibility and create quite a buzz in the ACC after starting 0-3 in the league.
Key stats: There are a couple significant streaks the Heels will attempt to keep going after this game. First, UNC has beaten four straight AP top-25 teams. Second, Miami has never won in Chapel Hill (0-3).
Along with Duke's David Cutcliffe, Randy Shannon has struggled against Butch Davis. (File photo by Rob Rowe)
But these stats will have zero impact on the outcome of the game, except for the possible Jedi mind games Butch Davis plays on the Hurricanes every time he faces his former team.
Best message board tidbit on the game: A Hurricanes fan writes on Miami’s scout.com forum: I am pretty sure that I will get crucified for this, but for some reason I see this being the same type of game as the VT game this year. I think we are better than UNC on talent, however, I just do not think we are physical enough to win this game on the road against a team that has our number.
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, Graig Cooper, Jacory Harris, John Shoop, Leondard Hankerson, Miami, Robert Quinn, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, TJ Yates
Jacob Swiger ·
8 Nov 2009, 5:28 PM ·
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Ryan Houston fills in for Shaun Draughn in Saturday's 19-6 victory. (File photo by Rob Rowe)
It didn’t affect the outcome of Saturday’s 19-6 victory over nearby rival Duke, but running back Shaun Draughn fractured his shoulder blade on the first play from scrimmage and will miss the remainder of the 2009 season, a UNC spokesman wrote in an e-mail release Sunday.
Draughn is UNC’s leading rusher with 567 yards on the season and has scored a touchdown. He joins Jamal Womble and A.J. Blue as running backs with season-ending injuries for the Heels.
The short yardage back, Ryan Houston, filled in for Draughn against the Blue Devils and carried the team, racking up 164 rushing yards on 37 carries. Houston’s carries had been increasing the past several games in an effort to advance the rushing game and many have thought he should start for the Tar Heels.
At this point in the season, depth becomes even more important, and the loss of Draughn leaves the Heels to rely on fullback Anthony Elzy to backup Houston. UNC has used wide receiver reverses in the rushing game the past several games and the lack of a speed rusher will cause John Shoop to use more of the plays to get rushing yards outside of the tackles.
Houston recorded his first 100-yard career performance against the Blue Devils and has 451 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. The big backs bruising style alleviated some of the offensive line’s inconsistencies early in the season, yet Shoop and the coaching staff must revamp the offense to suit his strengths.
ACC, Duke, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill A.J. Blue, Jamal Womble, John Shoop, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn
Jacob Swiger ·
7 Nov 2009, 8:04 PM ·
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Senior E.J. Wilson rides the Victory Bell after a dominant performance by the defense. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
KENAN MEMORIAL STADIUM/CHAPEL HILL — Two Casey Barth field goals and a 3-yard reverse touchdown run by receiver Jheranie Boyd put this game out of reach for the Blue Devils in the second half and UNC ran away 19-6 for its 19th victory in the last 20 games against Duke.
Ryan Houston recorded his first career 100-yard rushing performance, often trucking over the Duke defense straight through the middle to reach 164 yards on the ground on 37 carries. Starter Shaun Draughn left the field on UNC’s first possession after an injury and missed the remainder of the game.
“In the fourth quarter I really felt like they were getting fatigued because I was getting a lot of arm tackles,” Houston said after the game. “I was running through all the tackles, and they weren’t pressing me as much as they were in the first quarter.”
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ACC, Duke, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Blue Devils, Casey Barth, Duke, Jheranie Boyd, John Shoop, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, Thaddeus Lewis, TJ Yates
Jacob Swiger ·
7 Nov 2009, 5:01 PM ·
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KENAN MEMORIAL STADIUM/CHAPEL HILL — Another low-scoring, baseball-like half in Chapel Hill as the game is tied 6-6 on a pair of field goals for each team.
So far Thaddeus Lewis hasn’t had time to find receivers as UNC’s defensive front pressured him the entire half. T.J. Yates (7-for-15, 58 yards passing) couldn’t get out of the way enough to let the UNC rushing attack do more damage. Ryan Houston gained 67 yards on 15 carries as the UNC offensive line constantly won the line of scrimmage.
Key play of the half: Robert Quinn sacked Lewis on Duke’s first passing play and set the tone for a Tar Heel defense that allowed only six first-half points, including a field goal that came after a blocked punt by Duke’s Jordan Byas. Duke rushed for -4 yards in the first half and Lewis managed 86 yards through the air.
Key stats of the half: Rushing yards UNC 81, Duke -4 – yet the Tar Heels couldn’t manage to make big plays through the air via play-action pass. T.J. Yates and his receivers failed to connect on several big plays while the rushing attack didn’t miss a beat despite Shaun Draughn missing most of the first half after sustaining an injury on the first offensive series.
What to watch for in the second half: Both teams played solid defense in the first half, but UNC’s running game gained 4 or 5 yards consistently. If John Shoop sticks to running the ball in the second half, the Heels should be in position to win this game if the defense keeps the pressure on Lewis.
Lewis began to move the ball late in the second quarter but will need some life on first down if the Blue Devils are going to put touchdowns on the board.
Whoever begins forcing turnovers might be enough of a difference in the second half.
ACC, Duke, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill John Shoop, Robert Quinn, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, Thaddeus Lewis, TJ Yates
Jacob Swiger ·
5 Nov 2009, 7:25 PM ·
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Battle for the Victory Bell
North Carolina (5-3) vs. Duke (5-3)
[3:30 p.m., Nov. 7, Kenan Memorial Stadium]
Televised by ESPNU
The Tar Heels will battle to defend the Victory Bell, but can they stop Duke's three-game winning streak? (File photo by Rob Rowe)
What stat stands out most?
Mike Potter: Two on the Blue Devils’ side. Thaddeus Lewis and backup Sean Renfree have combined to complete 67.4 percent of their passes with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. And Duke has outscored the opposition 87-44 in the fourth quarter.
Jacob Swiger: Duke averages around 75 yards per game on the ground — good for 116th in the country — still, the Blue Devils have put together their best season in recent memory. Will facing the No. 18th-ranked defense against the run set up more third-and-long situations? Will it even matter with the way Lewis is throwing the ball? In two of Duke’s three losses this season, the Blue Devils couldn’t gain more than 38 rushing yards (19 against Richmond, 38 against Virginia Tech). Don’t expect the rushing numbers to be much different against UNC.
Which player from the opposing team should scare Duke/UNC the most?
Mike: This starts the broken record. Thaddeus Lewis. A good quarterback from last year has turned into a great one this year. This Duke team has numerous weapons on both sides of the ball and the Blue Devils can win with a collective defensive effort, but as Reggie Jackson once said, Lewis is the “straw that stirs the drink.”
Jake: Defensive end Robert Quinn could end up being the MVP of this game. Quinn, a speedy sophomore, has been quiet the past few games and is due for at least a sack or two if Lewis takes too long in the pocket. Combined with the rest of the talented defensive front, the Blue Devils’ offensive line will have their hands full.
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ACC, Duke, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, David Cutcliffe, John Shoop, Robert Quinn, Thaddeus Lewis, TJ Yates
Jacob Swiger ·
29 Oct 2009, 11:23 PM ·
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T.J. Yates made up for costly interceptions with clutch throws late in the fourth.
TV/ESPN — Remember when Connor Barth lined up and nailed a a 42-yard field goal to beat No. 4 Miami in Chapel Hill as time expired?
Well, fast forward five years later and Casey Barth continued the family legacy and made two field goals in the fourth quarter against No. 14 Virginia Tech, including the game-winning boot as the clock ticked to zero.
The kick snapped an eight-year losing streak to ranked opponents on the road and mirrored the elder Barth’s game-winner. It wasn’t pretty and and just sneaked its way through the uprights.
For the first time all season, UNC’s offense showed heart, rallying from a T.J. Yates interception that looked to seal a Virginia Tech fourth quarter rally.
But instead, Yates directed a 16-play drive, including clutch catches from Greg Little and Zack Pianalto. The drive ended with Casey Barth’s first made field goal of the game, and stole 8:59 off the clock and left the Hokies with little time to win the game.
After the ensuing kickoff, freshman Hokie running back Ryan Williams took a handoff on third-and-7 and lost a costly fumble. UNC defensive back Deunta Williams recovered and returned the ball inside the Hokie 25-yard line, allowing the UNC offense to run the clock down and score the winning three points. Ryan Williams had a towel over his head the rest of the game and was comforted by UNC linebacker Quan Sturdivant after time expired.
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Bud Foster, Butch Davis, Casey Barth, Connor Barth, Deunta Williams, Greg Little, John Shoop, Quan Sturdivant, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, TJ Yates, Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech, Zack Pianalto
Jacob Swiger ·
10 Oct 2009, 4:58 PM ·
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T.J. Yates looked comfortable in the pocket for the first time since facing ECU (Photo by Rob Rowe)
Kenan Memorial Stadium/Chapel Hill — UNC’s linebackers stole the show in the first half as each starter forced a turnover.
The fifth longest fumble return in school history pushed the Heels ahead by 14, and linebacker Zach Brown intercepted Lee Chapple on the ensuing possession to put this game out of reach early for the Golden Eagles.
And to make matters worse for Georgia Southern, Bruce Carter picked off one of those pesky bubble screens and returned it 41 yards to make it 35-7.
UNC converted four Georgia Southern turnovers into 28 points. The offense, meanwhile, didn’t exactly run the Golden Eagles off the field but put together an impressive touchdown scoring drive with six seconds to play.
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ACC, Football, Halftime Update, UNC-Chapel Hill Bruce Carter, Butch Davis, Ed Barham, Georgia Southern, John Shoop, Jonathan Cooper, Lee Chapple, Quan Sturdivant, Robert Quinn, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, TJ Yates, Zach Brown
Jacob Swiger ·
8 Oct 2009, 8:53 PM ·
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North Carolina (3-2) vs. Georgia Southern (3-2)
[3:30 p.m., Oct. 10, Kenan Memorial Stadium]
ESPN360.com
Will the Tar Heels be fired up for another FCS team? (Photo by Rob Rowe)
“Hello Roy Williams, goodbye Butch Davis.” At least, that’s what UNC fans seem to be pondering this week as the Heels play what needs to be a morale booster against Georgia Southern.
Although UNC must win for reputation sake, this game carries no postseason importance. The Heels can only count one win against an FCS team for the six-win bowl requirement.
Sleeping on the Eagles will be dangerous, though. With 14 returning starters and nothing to lose, the pressure will be entirely on the Carolina low-octane offense. One thing is for sure; panic will ensue if the Heels lose and fall to 3-3.
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, Cam Sexton, Hakeem Nick, John Shoop, Lee Chapple, Mike Paulus, Robert Quinn, Roy Williams, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, TJ Yates
