Heels' Pass Rush Could Be A Positive Moving Forward
CHAPEL HILL – Among the positives emanating from last weekend’s win over Syracuse, perhaps the most noteworthy for North Carolina is the eight sacks it registered.
Applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks and bringing them to the soil was one of the major points of emphasis in the offseason and fall camp. For the Tar Heels to reach their stated goals for 2020, improving in this department was an absolute necessity.
Now, it’s not that they were awful at it a year ago. The Heels ranked near the middle of the nation registering 37 sacks forcing a loss of 227 yards, but Saturday’s eight sacks for 38 yards is the kind of performance that has the staff quite pleased.
“I think the biggest difference in our defense is that we’re two-deep and we have fresh legs,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said. “And that really helps us more than last year. Tomon Fox got really tired last year at times. But there’s a lot of guys out there that can really rush the passer, and I thought they did a very good job of that.”
Chazz Surratt and Tomari Fox each had two sacks while Tomon Fox, Ray Vohasek, Jeremiah Gemmel and Kaimon Ricker had one apiece. Rucker's sack wasn't awarded by the official scorer, but it was by PFF. That’s the most sacks in a game for a UNC team since 2013. Not only that, but the Heels were chasing Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVitto all afternoon, forcing him into a paltry 13-for-31 day with just 112 yards.
Surratt says it’s about more than just the guys up front or linebackers taking off after the quarterback. It’s the entire defense.
“I just think the people we have up front, Tomari, Tomon, Ray, me and Gemmel can both blitz, (Tyrone) Hopper can come off the edge,” he said. “I just think the personnel and the way (defensive coordinator) coach (Jay) Bateman utilizes us, as well our secondary is really, really good and they buy time for us to get back there and make plays on the quarterback. I think the combination of that is what led to that many sacks.”
Another factor was the scheme employed by Bateman’s unit. The Tar Heels often had just two defensive linemen with hands on the ground and the hybrid players, typically Tomon Fox, Hopper and Chris Collins, were ends but more upright. Even Rucker, a true freshman, played 25 snaps in that role and was quite effective.
“We feel like Tyrone and Kaimon Rucker, and Tomon and Chris Collins are playing at a really high level and we’re going to play those guys more as ends, and right now it’s a little more of a four-man structure than a three-man structure, so I think that’s kind of where we are right now with it,” Bateman explained.
“But, Kaimon kind of plays a little bit of both, Tyrone kind of plays a little bit of both, Tomon plays a little bit of both, so going forward, I think that will kind of be what it is.”
Moving forward the Tar Heels are looking for more meetings in the backfield, destination opposing QBs.
On an afternoon in which there was plenty to scrutinize, as is often the case with openers, this element of Carolina’s performance not only was a highlight of the day, but bodes well moving forward.