OL Mantra: More Aggressive Off The Snap
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CHAPEL HILL – Change hit North Carolina’s offensive line on the eve of spring practice commencing.
Stacy Searels left for the same job at defending national champion Georgia, so UNC Coach Mack Brown scrambled and quickly secured the services of Jack Bicknell, Jr., who spent last season at Louisville.
Bicknell has a long history from playing at Boston College to coaching in the NFL and major college, including eight years as the head coach at Louisiana Tech. He not only brought a wide range of experiences to the staff, but also a different approach to blocking.
And that’s run and pass blocking.
“The thing is, they’re really coming off the ball,” Brown said. “This is the most physical I’ve seen us since we’ve been here. And it’s something that we’ve got to do.”
Carolina finished spring practice much more aggressive up front than it started, and that was perhaps the biggest news to come out of the spring, and for anyone with a rooting interest in the Tar Heels, maybe it was the best news, too.
Searels has had a very successful career and was not booted to the curb, but Bicknell injected some needed bravado to the o-line room. They need to dictate more, something that was obvious with UNC’s inconsistency running the ball in tight situations, especially the closer it got to the goal line, as the Heels crossed the goal line only 57.1 percent of the time they got into the red zone, with just 18.4 percent of the scores rushing touchdowns. Only a few other Power 5 teams has a worse percentage.
And, UNC ranked No. 127 out of 130 FBS teams allowing 49 sacks last fall, an average of 3.77 per contest. In addition, the Tar Heels ranked No. 121 in tackles for loss allowed at 7.23 per contest.
UNC junior defensive tackle Myles Murphy has noticed a bigger difference in how the o-line is attacking in the run game.
“I feel like they got way more aggressive in the run game,” he said. “After he (Bicknell) came in, they started really getting after it in the run game. Pass game same thing, but they’ve really improved in the run game.”
The Heels have also gotten more aggressive in pass protection, too.
They get into the defensive linemen a bit at the snap to set the base. A byproduct of this could knock off some timing, which could affect blitzes, something the Heels routinely struggled at picking up last fall.
Bicknell was at Louisville for just one season, but he had a significant impact on the Cardinals. Louisville ranked No. 22 in the nation last season allowing only 1.54 sacks per game after ranking 98th the season before allowing 2.73 per contest. So, in one season under Bicknell, the sack numbers were cut down by 1.19 per game.
He has also coached at Auburn and was the offensive line coach at Ole Miss when current UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo held that post in Oxford.
Playing more aggressively asserts a bit more of a confident approach, too. Coming off a year in which the many positives the offense produced, it is the negatives that generated more attention from the fans and media, as well as Brown. Confidence is an important factor here.
“That’s a big part of it,” Bicknell said. "I think confidence regardless of any year is so important for an offensive lineman.”
Carolina veteran center Brian Anderson says Bicknell has placed a high degree of importance in pass protection is the use of hands. Hands, balance, awareness, and cohesion with splits and responsibilities are vital to this working as designed.
“One thing we’re trying to do in the interior three is set the depth of the pocket,” Anderson said. “Not try to set as deep, so that way it’s a little firm. And at the tackle position, widen out the d-ends a little bit if we can, focusing on the small little points to aim at to get those inside hands and make sure that we’re really firm in the pocket.”
To this, another not-so-subtle change at practice was what was most prioritized when the o-line got together for drills and concept.
“We start now with pass protection,” Brown said. “And we’re going to make sure our quarterbacks are in good shape.”
Quicker push up front in tight situations and sustain the blocks for just a tad longer will make a huge difference running the ball in the red zone. Getting the defensive front a tad on its heels, disrupting the timing of blitzes, and forming a tighter cone around the quarterbacks are the mission in pass protection.
From all accounts, the Tar Heels made progress in these areas in the spring, which should pay dividends in the fall.