For those of you who think Kirby’s been playing eleventh-dimensional chess with Gene Chizik with the way he’s handled the quarterback question, I’ve got some bad news for you. North Carolina isn’t paying attention.
The Tar Heels know exactly what Georgia is going to do in this game, especially with a healthy Chubb and questions at quarterback.
“We just have more of a pinpoint focus on stopping the run,” Jones said. “This Georgia team — they’re not going to pass the ball if they don’t have to, so we definitely have to show up and stop the run. That’s been our focus, especially on the D-line. It starts with us.”
That is the message defensive line coach Tray Scott and Chizik have hammered home since the offseason began. Nobody on the staff or the team wants a replay of what happened at the end of last season.
This is a fresh start, and a new opportunity to make a statement against one of the most well-known rushing teams in the country.
We can argue about Lambert and Eason until we’re blue in the face, but if the offensive line can’t block any better than it did last year, it’s not going to matter.
Get The Picture 
Pittman and Rocker are the coaches that will earn their keep if we have a good season.
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I feel these two areas will prove to be better this year even with the youth. We have a mix a talent with some experience. If the new ‘attention to detail’ includes the teaching of technique, this young talent is going to show up. The players have the honeymoon feeling too. The three teams that played last night looked beatable. I’m feeling pretty good about our chances right now. Let’s hope we feel this way after Saturday.
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^^this. I hope I feel as confident about the rest of our schedule Saturday night as I do right now.
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Last night meant nothing. I can’t count how many times Sakerlina looked just utterly God awful in their opener just to come out and play like they were in the super bowl and beat us the next week. You can expect their and UT’s best efforts in October in all likelihood resembling nothing of the teams last night.
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I’m not saying the effort won’t be there. I just think the East overall may actually be worse than we thought. Their offensive line got manhandled for a reason.
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If the running game is good, the passing game will benefit. Against an up-tempo spread like NC runs, it’s even more important to run the ball and control the clock. Run, Big Dawg…Run, clock.
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If their focus is all on stopping the run, then it makes sense to pass. Let’s get back to those QBs.
I kid, I kid.
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If we’re able to pound the rock like we think we’re going to be able to do, it’s going to look a lot like Bama against us in the same building in 2012. This opens up play action pass that even Lambert will be able to take advantage of.
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So you’re saying UNC will be on our 5 yard line with a chance to win at the end of the game?
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I was referring to Bama running the same few running plays over and over again because they were snapping off 8 yards every time they did. Which leads to people creeping in the box to help. Which leads to the top being taken off of a defense.
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Baylor was basically running a Single Wing offense against UNC in their bowl game last January. Is that what we have up our sleeve?
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My advice? Start drinking heavily.. Athens Dog? You with me?
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Athens Dog is supposed to be poking his eyes out with a stick 🙂
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LOL! I can’t believe you remembered that. I laughed at that when he posted it. Thanks for the reminder.
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He commented on it yesterday. I’m not that smart. 😉
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Chizik’s very good at schemes that take away what you like to do most. So they definitely will be crowding the box and leaving those corners 1 on 1.
But to me, it’s RPOs utilizing the tight ends that are going to kill UNC. If the safeties defend the seams, then you should end up with Chubb and Co. getting a lot of 1 on 1s with a LB, and that’s not a match up UNC wants to see. If the safeties try to help the running game, then Nauta or Blazevich will have a lot of space to work with over the middle.
And that also happens to be a Lambert strength.
We could see an inverse of the Baylor game – a defense completely prepped to stop the run that gives up massive passing yardage.
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I hope you’re right. I’d love to see Chaney utilize his TEs to such an end in this game.
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It’s exactly what our fans should have been doing all summer. I know the QB battle is sexier but as Dawg fans we should all have been focused on the OL’s development. From that, the run game works and allows us to eat up clock (saving the defense from the uptempo teams), and utilize play action making ANY QB’s job easier. The good news is we seem to have capable options along the OL, and finally, some depth. I don’t see us dominant there but feel we take a step forward this season under Pittman. With Chubb & Company toting the rock, one step forward may be just enough.
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How many starts we returning along O line 87? Plus 4 guys that have started. Think we get 300 + on the ground
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BREAKING NEWS: Based on the above open secret that UNC is ready for RUSH-RUSH-RUSH, offensive coaches of Georgia will now start Eason and do PASS-PASS-PASS. LOL.
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I imagine we’re going to see a lot of 3 wide with a tight end with Chubb, Michel, etc. in a single back formation (likely the pistol). Force UNC to take a LB off the field and run against 6 man fronts or to play one high safety to get a 7th defender in run support and allow the slot and tight ends to take advantage of mismatches on the hash marks.
I’m not an offensive coordinator, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. 🙂
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The offensive line was perfectly fine when Chubb was healthy. Chubb got over 120 every game and Lambert’s QBR was through the roof. No five guys can block 8 guys in the box. It’s the qbs job to reduce that number.
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Lambert’s passer rating against Vandy was 98.78. Against Alabama it was 63.44.
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You KNOW I’ve been saying the guy can’t play against good defenses. That proves it once again. Those were the only two good defenses we played before Chubb went down.
I meant that Lambert’s overall season QBR going into Tennessee was pretty good. If it ain’t “through the roof” with Chubb, can we at least agree that it went “through the basement” from UT on? Point being, that our issue wasn’t up front, it was behind center.
When the LBs, safeties and corners don’t respect the QB’s arm (and I know you watched appy state just last night) it makes running the ball very tough. Offensive effectiveness requires the RB’s to earn the defenses respect and the qb to make them pay so that they can’t sell out on either. Once Chubb was out defenses put it on Greyson and he was found wanting. Blaming the OL and Sale is foolish. 5 can’t block 8.
I can’t tell you how many times after Chubb went down that I saw running plays go for no yards and safeties at the bottom of the pile. You can’t play football that way. Kublanow isn’t assigned the FS. The QB is.
When Chubb was healthy defenses couldn’t afford to play a lot of man because they needed guys in coverage to help tackle him we he got to the second level. That made Greyson’s job easier. Once Chubb was out and everyone is playing man and loading the box, what should be a qb’s dream, was a nightmare.
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It will be our attention on detail…….special teams……tipped balls…..team preparation. No more accepting excuses for poor execution! GO DAWGS!
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I want to see a lot of Isaiah McKenzie on jet sweeps and screens.
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