Finding More Grass Equaled More Big Plays
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina’s wide receivers’ abilities to find grass have played a massive part in its offense developing into one of the most prolific in the country this season.
The Tar Heels finished the regular season No. 14 nationally in total offense, racking up 5,628 yards on 884 plays for an average of 469 yards per game. True freshman quarterback Sam Howell threw for a UNC and FBS true freshman single-season record 35 touchdowns, the most this fall in the ACC, and finished the year No. 4 in the country in passing touchdowns.
A lot of Howell’s success through the air came on big yardage pass plays. Looking at his touchdown tosses, 31 of his 35 came from at least 20 yards out, with an average distance of 26.4 yards per touchdown.
Still, the offense’s big-play potential wouldn’t have been possible without the wide receivers’ ability to find grass before and after the catch, something offensive coordinator Phil Longo first saw developing before the season started.
“They’ve really been doing a good job of that all season...,” Longo said. “Those guys had thrown on their own all summer, so we were a lot closer to being an instinctive pass team in the pass aspect of our offense in the summertime than we were in the spring.”
In order to find grass, however, you must be given the opportunity to do so. This is a facet of Longo’s air raid offense that allows receivers to be more creative with their routes than they are in some other schemes.
“It’s more space,” junior receiver Dazz Newsome said. “More freedom than we had last year.”
For Howell, UNC’s big-play capabilities are down to the flexibility Longo gives his receivers to run routes and the amount of reps he and his teammates have gotten since the offense was first installed.
“I think they’re (the receivers) definitely getting more comfortable with the offense, they get better with that kind of stuff every week,” Howell said. “Coach gives us the freedom to run certain types of routes and, the more you run them, the better you’re going to get at them.”
Time in the film room has also played a massive part.
“It just comes with preparation, too,” Howell said. “Just watching film, knowing what the defense is going to do and just going where the grass is going to open up.”
The Tar Heels’ most prolific wide receivers this season have been sophomore Dyami Brown and junior Dazz Newsome. Brown has amassed 46 receptions for 947 yards and 11 touchdowns while Newsome has 64 receptions for 947 yards and eight touchdowns.
Even more impressive, particularly with Brown, is his yards per reception average of 20.6. That average is the tenth best in the nation and the second most prolific in the ACC behind Clemson’s Tee Higgins.
Having a speed merchant like Brown in an offense with so much freedom makes him that much more dangerous and is one of the primary reasons the Charlotte, NC, native has had a breakout campaign in 2019.
“He’s a receiver that can do anything," Howell said after UNC’s 38-31 loss to Virginia on Nov. 2 where Brown finished with a career-high 202 yards. "He can run every single route there is, he can take the top off of any defense whenever he wants to. Every single time the ball is in his hands, he’s capable of going for six.”
While yards after the catch has played a crucial role in the third team All-ACC receiver’s success, Longo has been pleased with that aspect from his entire wide receiving corps and not just Brown.
"Our guys do have some run after catch ability so, when we give them a shot at 12 yards or 15 yards, it’s not always a catch and tackle, it’s usually a catch and run,” Longo said. “We’ve been able to benefit from run after catch yards all year.
Individually and as a whole, UNC’s offense has had one of its most prolific seasons ever because their most dangerous weapons have been able to find grass. And, when you consider the Tar Heels return all of their top five receivers in 2020, the future of this team becomes that much more exciting.