CHAPEL HILL – Javonte Williams is an outstanding college running back and is turning in an excellent season. Michael Carter is an outstanding college running back and is also having a terrific campaign.
North Carolina is in great shape when it comes to its ground game because it may have the best running back tandem in the nation. If you listen to its coach Mack Brown, the Tar Heels absolutely have the top duo in the land.
But part of this story extends beyond Williams dancing around and running through opposing would-be tacklers or Carter dashing through a hole and tearing away from those same defenders, as much of the credit goes to the guys who pave their way. And pave they do.
UNC’s offensive line has been nothing short of outstanding in its run blocking. The narrative for much of the season has focused on the Heels’ struggles in pass protection, though that’s really only seriously flared up in two games. Opening holes for a couple of potential NFL running backs, however, has not at all been an issue.
“I think a lot of that has to do with the week-to-week progress that we make,” offensive coordinator Phil Longo said during Monday’s weekly press conference. “I’ve said this a few times this year, (but) last year these were a bunch of (young players) that had very few starts and very few starts together.
“And what happens when you have veterans come back up front is they get used to playing with each other, making the calls and doing the things that they do from a run scheme standpoint to pass protection standpoint. There’s just a lot of unity up front right now. I think we’re more physical up front this year than we were last year.”
The group? Junior Brian Anderson at center was the ACC"s offensive lineman of the week after UNC's win over Virginia Tech. Junior guard Marcus McKethan and junior right tackle Jordan Tucker have been steady all season. Sophomore left tackle Asim Richards gets better each week and junior left guard Joshua Ezeudu, the unit's true jack-of-all-trades, has been exceptional.
Carolina is ranked No. 12 in the nation in rushing offense averaging 249 yards a game. Carter has run the ball 74 times for 584 yards and three touchdowns while Williams has run it 82 times for 562 yards and 10 scores. Combined, they are averaging 7.3 yards on 156 attempts.
Some Tar Heels say the success through the first five games of 2020 is actually a continuation of how they closed out last season. In the final three games of 2019, all victories, the Heels ran for 794 yards on 122 attempts, which is an average of 6.5 yards a rush. Compare that to their 4.1 average through the first 10 contests of lthe campaign.
So, in Carolina’s last eight contests, seven of which have been victories, it’s run for 2,039 yards averaging 6.0 per attempt.
“I think our improvement dates all the way back to last year and how we ended the season,” Tucker said. “Getting the three-game win streak I think, as an o-line, everyone really bought in. The young guys really bought in, saw that they were gonna get playing time in the future. We didn't get the spring, but everyone attacked the fall and just film studied at home.
“We've just been jelling to a whole different level. Those dogs wanna fight and I'm ready to fight with them. But, throughout these first four or five games, we've just been jelling, moving and we're shooting for 250 (rushing yards) a game, if not more.”
The effect of UNC’s improved ground game isn’t just reflected in yards gained, it shows in the Heels' success scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
Carolina has scored on 19 of its 22 trips into the red zone, 16 of which have been touchdowns, 13 coming on the ground. That’s already more than the Heels had a year ago in 13 contests. The breakdown for running TD distances in the red zone so far: 1, 6, 6, 1, 1, 19, 6, 16, 1, 16, 10, 1 and 5 yards.
“A huge, huge improvement of this team this year is we had five red-zone touchdowns in seven trips,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said, referring to last Saturday’s win over NC State. “And all five were runs. That’s something we weren’t doing well last year and was an emphasis for this year and we really, really feel good about that moving forward.”
UNC is getting explosives from its conventional ground game, too. The Heels have had a 27-yard run or longer in each of their five games, with the long runs per-game 45 yards (Syracuse), 35 (Boston College), 62 (Virginia Tech), 27 (Florida State) and 27 (NC State).
Longo says the wide receivers have also played a key role in enabling runs into the second level of defenses to spring into the third and beyond. But it all starts up front.
The growth of UNC’s offensive line can be directly linked to the escalation in ground game productivity. Williams and Carter deserve all the kudos hailed their way, but don’t forget about the guys up front, they’ve had a hand in this as well.
