Showing posts tagged “Ryan Houston”
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 ·
21 Nov 2009, 4:07 PM ·
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TV/ESPN2 — Quarterbacks T.J. Yates and Dave Shinskie battled for the title of “quarterback who threw the most interceptions” in Chestnut Hill Saturday. Shinskie won … but it wasn’t a good thing.
UNC and BC combined to toss eight interceptions on the day, but Shinskie’s mistakes couldn’t come at worse times. After a three-interception performance against Miami, cornerback Kendric Burney picked off a Shinskie pass and returned it for a touchdown to make it 21-0 in the first quarter.
Safety Deunta Williams (pictured) matched Burney’s Miami performance with his own three interceptions Saturday, including the game clincher that ended a BC drive late in the fourth, which could have tied the game. Williams returned the interception to the 1-yard line where Ryan Houston twisted into the endzone for his second touchdown of the game.
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, Cam Thomas, Dave Shinskie, Deunta Williams, E.J. Wilson, Erik Highsmith, Kendric Burney, Russell Wilson, Ryan Houston, TJ Yates
Jacob Swiger ·
19 Nov 2009, 7:36 PM ·
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North Carolina (7-3) at Boston College (7-3)
[12 p.m., Nov. 21, Alumni Stadium]
Televised by ESPN2
North Carolina travels to Chestnut Hill to begin its two-game stretch of revenge games — with the first against a Boston College team the Heels thrashed 45-24 in Chapel Hill last season.
BC needs a win and a Clemson loss in order to advance to the ACC title game. UNC is jostling for bowl position, including an outside chance of reaching the coveted Chick-fil-A Bowl.
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Boston College, Butch Davis, Christian Ponder, Dave Shinskie, Jacory Harris, Mike McLaughlin, Ryan Houston, Thaddeus Lewis, TJ Yates, Tyrod Taylor
Jacob Swiger ·
14 Nov 2009, 8:13 PM ·
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KENAN MEMORIAL STADIUM/CHAPEL HILL — With UNC leading 23-17 midway through the fourth quarter and Miami threatening to take the lead, Kendric Burney (pictured) leaped and snagged his third interception of the game, resulting in a wacky touchdown return.
Burney, who became the first Tar Heel with three picks in a game since Dre Bly in 1996, appeared to lateral the ball forward to teammate Melvin Williams. Williams then carried the ball to the endzone where video replay showed he was stripped after crossing the goal line.
“The play before that, the interception where I scored, Melvin was asking me why I didn’t pitch him the ball,” Burney said after the game. ”So it was funny that I pitched it to him there, cause he stood there for like half a second.”
The officials ruled that Burney fumbled instead of pitched the ball, which gave UNC a 13-point lead.
“To me it looked like he pitched it forward, but I can’t get involved with it,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. ”We could have made something happen on those other plays and it would have made a difference.”
Jacory Harris led Miami back down the field and brought the score back within six points. UNC’s Ryan Houston and Greg Little rushed the ball relentlessly on the following Tar Heel possession and took nearly six minutes off the game clock before Casey Barth made his fourth field goal of the game.
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ACC, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, Casey Barth, Dre Bly, Greg Little, Jacory Harris, Kendric Burney, Melvin Williams, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn
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
Mike Potter ·
7 Nov 2009, 8:58 PM ·
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Duke head coach David Cutcliffe converses with UNC head coach Butch Davis prior to their second meeting as head coaches. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
KENAN STADIUM/CHAPEL HILL Football games in the state of North Carolina don’t get much bigger than this one except on pretty rare occasions.
The “Battle for the Victory Bell” means something to both UNC and Duke this season, as each team is 5-3 and needs at least two wins in its last four games to qualify for a bowl. Coming into the game Duke is even a longshot to play in a BCS bowl if the Blue Devils can win their final four regular-season games and then the ACC title game. All that is way out of context for Duke, which hasn’t had a football season to brag about since 1994.
UNC has won 18 of the last 19 meetings including five straight.
Scouts from the Champs Sports and Chick-Fil-A Bowls are in the house.
Again Triangle Offense has a record number staff on site, as I’m here along with UNC beat writer Jacob Swiger and young photographer Rob Rowe. Swiger is a UNC student and Rowe is in high school.
I was never the UNC beat writer for The Incredible Shrinking Herald-Sun, but I’ve been to Kenan quite a few times. The first was in 1964 for North Carolina’s official memorial to President Kennedy, and then I saw a few games with the family of origin in the late ’60s when the place seated 25,000 and tickets were $2 on the 10-yard line.
There will be about 60,000 on site today on a cold, sunny afternoon. It’s homecoming day and the Tar Heels are listed as 10-point favorites. And Carolina delivers, getting 164 yards on 37 carries from backup tailback Ryan Houston after Shaun Draughn is injured on his first carry in a grind-it-out 19-6 victory. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, Football, UNC-Chapel Hill Butch Davis, Charles Brown, Connor Barth, Da'Norris Searcy, David Cutcliffe, Deunta Williams, Grant Schallock, Jheranie Boyd, Johnny Williams, Jordon Byas, Leon Wright, Miami Hurricanes, Nick Maggio, Robert Quinn, Ryan Houston, Shaun Draughn, Thaddeus Lewis, TJ Yates
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
