Carolina football

276 Pages·1996·35.9 MB·English

i
• i
'fife
199 dia Guide
''^."prton
^y0'M,ra!^wq yards
Jl^sfllafll
HallJQtih.awpl
yv
ST**-'
I^JIU' A
ohnsof
M nWarolina histoj
d flpme
nd alltime
3roIailtirr^
>96 ali-Durposej^ar^s - Sj^aijtime
o
iy"-/— t'.-.* as.oiiurushing record^
Natror?SGfeiB
mmmMwmmm
993jP,each
11
sues
i2^^^s£
^^BlKfe^iS /gli&iiWi
Octavus Barnes!
B^rpnlhomas
WR, Wilson, N«£k Jeff Saturday
Jr.,
Sr, OT, Oxford, N.
C|Pf(!itk^!^a.
Jr.,
r
1
Mike Thomas A*
UNO Jason Stanieek
sisingle-season ,
p&ssingtyardage record UNC's alltime total offenseJeadi
Harris'BartoRi
All-Pro, San Francisco 49ers
?»»•>
r^s
A
FreddieJones
Darrin Ashford SfeTE, idlidbyer, Md!
WR, Richtonf
Sjt,
rwflP ^p- • w:^K
GregDeLong
Minnesota^vikingsj
P
li
_,
Corey Holliday
William Henderson
IJNC's alltimejleading receiver
1
*W ^k
996TAR HEEL FOOTBALL
1
CAROLINA cpo
azoL
FOOTBALL
• Four Consecutive Postseason
Games (Peach Bowl, Gator Bowl,
Sun Bowl, Carquest Bowl, plus
1993 Disneyland Pigskin Preview)
• 18th Winningest Program in the
Nation in the 1990s
•Three Consecutive StateTitles
• SixWinning Seasons in a Row
• 47 Wins and aTie in the Last Six
Years
•Tied for Fourth Place in the Coun-
try with 34 Former Players in the
NFL
in 1995
• Honored by the College Football
Association for Outstanding
Graduation Rates in Seven of the
Last EightYears
•Twenty-six of the 34 FormerTar
Heels in the NFL in 1995 Have
Graduated
• Carolina's NFL Players' Graduation Rate is 76.5%; the NFL Average forAll
Players is 30%
• $38 Million Kenan Stadium Expansion and Renovation ProjectWhich Will
Add 8,000 Seats, a Preferred Seating Box and New Fieldhouse By 1997
• New Frank H. Kenan Football CenterWill Contain Carolina's Locker Room,
Strength and Conditioning Facility,Training Room, Meeting Rooms, Coaches'
Offices and Carolina Football Memorabilia Room
• 1996 Season Opens with the First Four Games on ABC or ESPN2
(Clemson, GeorgiaTech and Florida State all on ABC, Syracuse on ESPN2)
• In 1995 10 of Carolina's 12 GamesWereTelevised
• Produced the 1995 Atlantic Coast Conference's Defensive Player of theYear
(Marcus Jones) and the ACC'sTop Senior Student-Athlete (Russell Babb)
• Carolina Running Backs Have Rushed for 1,000Yards or More in a Season on
23 Occasions, the Highest Figure in College Football History
•ThreeTar Heels Have Been Named to the CFA/Hitachi National Scholar-
AthleteTeam in the Last FourYears
• Seven of Carolina's Nine Assistant Coaches Have Been Head Football
Coaches, Including Five at the Collegiate Level and Four in Division -A
I
2 6
1
CAROLINA FOOTBALL '96 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREVIEWINGTHE 1996 SEASON 4-60 Career Leaders 150-158
Schedules,Travel, Preseason Dates, Football Directory 4 Annual Leaders 59- 63
1 1
Season Preview 5- Top 10 Single-Season Performances 164-165
1 I
Preseason Notebook 100-Yard Rushing Leaders 166
1
Depth Charts 13 Single-Game Best 67- 70
1 1
Alphabetical Roster 14-15 Special Performances 171
Numerical Roster 16-17 Individual,Team Bests vs.ACC 172-173
Veteran Player Profiles 18-50 Team,Opponent Highs & Lows 174-175
Conversation with Octavus Barnes 51 ACC Leaders 76
1
Conversation with Greg Ellis 52 Long Plays 177
Conversation with Leon Johnson 53 AnnualTeam Statistics 78
1
Conversation with Kivuusama Mays 54 Leaders by Class/Odds & Ends 179
Conversation withJeffSaturday 55 The LastTime it Happened 180-181
Conversation with Brian Simmons 56 Game-by-Game Results 182-188
Incoming Freshmen Profiles 57-60 Alltime Series Records 189-193
Pronunciation Chart 60 Yearly Records 193
Records vs. Opponents/UNC Coaching Records 194
STAFF,ADMINISTRATION, UNC PROFILES 62-100
Director ofAthleticsJohn Swofford 62-63 HISTORY &TRADITION 196-262
Head Coach Mack Brown 64-66 History of Carolina Football 196-201
Assistant Coaches, Football Staff 67-76 Special CharlieJustice Era Profile 202-206
Administrative Profiles 77-82 AwardWinners 207-208
Athletic Department Directory 82-83 AcademicAwards 209
Head Coaches,Athletic Department Personnel 84-88 All-America Listing 2
1
Academics Center 89 First-TeamAll-America Briefs 21 1-214
Strength & Conditioning 90 OneThousandYard Rushers 2 5-2
1 1
Educational Foundation 91 Letterwinners 2 7-222
1
Kenan Memorial Stadium 92-94 Bowl History, Bowl Game Recaps 223-234
Nickname, Mascots, Colors 95 Assistant Coaches Directory 235
Chancellor Michael K. Hooker 96-97 Honored & RetiredJerseys 236-237
University Profile 98-100 Tar Heels in the NFL Listing 238-240
Current NFL Players' Profiles 241-244
995 SEASON IN REVIEW 02- 26 LawrenceTaylor Profile 245
1 1 1
Notebook,Awards 02- 04
1 1
Offense, SpecialTeams Stats 05 Scenes from Campus & Chapel Hill 246-247
1
Defense Stats, Scoring 06 UNCAthletics Heritage 248-253
1
Team Game-by-Game Stats 107 Athletic Facilities 254-255
Offensive Leaders Game-by-Game Stats 108 Tar Heel Offense, Defense Highlights 256-257
Defensive Leaders Game-by-Game Stats 109 Kenan Stadium Expansion 258-259
Superlatives 10 Game Day at Kenan Stadium 260-261
I
Game Recaps 1-122 Academic Support 262
I I
Departing Player Profiles 123-125
MarcusJones Profile 26 Primary Media Outlets 263
1
Tar Heel Sports Network 264-266
996 OPPONENTS 28- 37 Local Media 267
1 1 1
Clemson 128 Media Information 268-269
Syracuse 129 CompositeACC, UNC Opponents Schedule 270
GeorgiaTech 30
I
Florida State 3
1
Wake Forest 32
1 BROCHURECREDITS
Maryland 133 Written,Designed & Edited: Steve Kirschner
Houston 134 Assistant Editors: MattBowers,Kevin Best
N.C. State 35 EditorialAssistance: Rick Brewer;ChadAustin,David Beason,Mandie
I
Louisville 36 Parrish,Rachael Sullivan,DavidTinson,MichaelWintrob (Sports
I Information StudentAssistants),Jack Morton;Liz Lucas& Mike
Virginia 37
I McFarland (NewsServices)
Duke 138 Printing: Carter PrintingofRichmond,Va.
Covers: Designed byBill Richards ofDurham,N.C.
RECORDS 140-194 Photography: Player,staff& coaches mugshots byWill Owens;action &
Individual Records 140-145 candid shots by Bill Richards,Bob Donnan,Hugh Morton,ScottSharpe,
Jim Bounds,Ed Shenkman,KeithWorrell,Dan Sears;others as noted
Team Records 46- 49
1 1
CAROLINA FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
1996
-
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
BRIAN SIMMONS
m
<
m
Z
o
X
m
Schedules,Travel, Preseason Dates, Football Directory 4
Season Preview 5-
, 1 I
Preseason Notebook 12
Depth Charts 13 o>
Alphabetical Roster 14-15
Numerical Roster 16-17
Veteran Player Profiles 18-50 i
Conversation with Octavus Barnes 51
Conversation with Greg Ellis 52
7)
Conversation with Leon Johnson 53
Conversation with Kivuusama Mays 54 X
Conversation with Jeff Saturday 55
Conversation with Brian Simmons 56 m
Incoming Freshmen Profiles 57-60
m
Pronunciation Chart 60
(/)
WWW
2
1 1
1996 PREVIEW SCHEDULES,TRAVEL, DIRECTORY
SCHEDULE
1996
Date Opponent Site Time UNCVs. Last Meeting
Sat.,Aug. 31 Clemson Chapel Hill 3:30 p.m. 14-29-1 1995, 10-17 L
Sat., Sept. 7 Syracuse Syracuse, N.Y. 6:00 p.m. 0-1-0 1995, 9-20 L
Sat., Sept. 2 GeorgiaTech Chapel Hill 3:30 p.m. 14-14-3 1995, 25-27 L
Sat., Sept. 28 Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. 3:30 p.m. 0-6-1 1995, 12-28WL
Sat., Oct. 5 Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. TBA 61-29-2 1995, 31-7
Sat., Oct. 1 Maryland Chapel Hill TBA 32-26-1 1995, 18-32 L
Sat., Oct. 26 Houston Houston,Texas 5:30 p.m. Central First Meeting
Sat., Nov. 2 N.C. State Chapel Hill TBA 55-24-6 1995, 30-28
Sat., Nov. 9 Louisville Chapel Hill 1:30 p.m. 1-1-0 1995, I7-I0W
Sat., Nov. 16 Virginia Charlottesville,Va. TBA 54-42-4 1995, 22-17
Sat., Nov. 23 Duke Durham, N.C. TBA 44-34-6 1995, 28-24
Family Day & Monogram Day- September 2I;Homecoming - October 12;Rams Day- November 2;NCHSAA Day- November 9
1996AWAY GAME HOTELS
All Home Games & Duke 1995 RESULTS (7-5,4-4ACC) 1997 Schedule Note:
Marriott RTP Sept. 2 Syracuse L 9-20 TheTar Heels' non-
4700 Guardian Drive Sept. 9 at Maryland WL 18-32 conference games are
Morrisville N.C. 27560 Sept. 21 at Louisville W 17-10 scheduled as follows:
[phone] Sept. 30 Ohio w 62-0 September 6 in Chapel Hill
S63y0r2acCuasrerie-rSyParrakcwuasye Marriott OOcctt.. 714 VaitrGgienoiragiaTech WL 2225--1277 vCsh.aIpnedliaHnial;lSves.ptSteamnbfeorrd;13anidn
East Syracuse N.Y. 3057 Oct. 21 Wake Forest 31-7 October4 in FortWorth,
[phone] I Nov. 4 at Clemson L 10-17 Texas,atTexas Christian.
Nov. 1 Florida State WL 12-28 Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida State - Ramada Inn Nov. 18 Duke W 28-24 officials will announce the
2900 North Monroe Street Nov. 24 at N.C. State W 30-28 league matchups in
Tallahassee FL 32303 Dec. 30 vs.Arkansas 20-10 December 1996.
[phone] (Carquest Bowl, Miami, Fla.)
Wake Forest -Adams Mark Hotel TAR HEEL FOOTBALL DIRECTORY
425 North Cherry Street
Winston-Salem NC 27101 Head Coach Mack Brown
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Eddie Williamson
[phone]
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Carl Torbush
Houston-MarriottMedicalCenter Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Greg Davis
6580 Fannin Street Defensive Tackles/Camp Coordinator Ken Browning
HoustonTX 77030 Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator/
[phone] Recruiting Coordinator Cleve Bryant
Tight Ends Tim Brewster
Virginia -Sheraton Inn Defensive Backs Ron Case
2350 SeminoleTrail Running Backs Ken Mack
CharlottesvilleVA 22901 Defensive Ends Donnie Thompson
[phone] Graduate Assistant Coach Dan Berezowitz
Graduate Assistant Coach Andrew Oberg
PRESEASON DATES OF NOTE
Associate AD/Student-Athlete Development Jeff Madden
July 29-30 ACC Kickoff.The Homestead Resort, AssistantAthletic Director Monk Tomlinson
Hot Springs,Va. Assistant to the Athletic Director Bruce Hemphill
Aug. 4 Freshmen report Director ofAcademic Support Program John Blanchard
Aug. 5 First day offreshmen drills Associate Dir. ofAcademic Support Program Brian Davis
Aug. 7 Upperclassmen report Director ofSports Medicine Dr. Tim Taft
Aug. 8 Photo Day (in morning) Head Team Physician Dr. Bryan Smith
Aug. 9 First dayfull team drills Head Trainer Dr. Dan Hooker
Aug. 3 First day ofcontact Assistant Trainer Don Steelman
1
Aug. 18 FanAppreciation Day Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coord George Smith
Aug. 9-20 ACCs Operation Football Equipment Manager Dominic Morelli
1
Aug. 2 Classes begin Assistant Equipment Manager Mike Bunting
1
Aug. 3I Season Opener vs. Clemson, 3:30 p.m. Head Student Manager TrentJernigan
1996 CAROLINA FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
PREVIEWINGTHETAR HEELS 1996 PREVIEW
First-team All-Atlantic Coast knee at Clemson in the eighth
Conference selections Greg Ellis, game.
Kivuusama Mays and Freddie Barneshascaught85passesfor
Jones, record-setting offensive 1,579yardsin twoyearsand was
standouts Octavus Barnes and asecond-teamAll-ACCselection
LeonJohnsonandgame-breaking lastyear.Hehascaughtpassesfor
defenders Brian Simmons and 100 yards or more in a school-
OmarBrownareamongthe16re- record six games in his first two
turning starters and 34 returning seasonsand hasmorecatchesfor
lettermen who lead the 1996 edi- more yards than any two-year
tionoftheNorthCarolinafootball player in Carolina history. Dav-
team. enport was the top reserve at
Carolina was 7-5 last year and quarterbacklastyearuntil hein-
defeatedArkansas,theSoutheast- jured his knee. He completed 12
ernConferenceWestern Division of22passesfor151 yardsandone
champion, 20-10, in theCarquest TD.
Bowl. UNC posted a winning In addition to Johnson and
record for the sixth consecutive Barnes, two of the top game-
season,thefirsttimesince 1940it breaking threats in theACC, the
has finished above .500 for six Tar Heels have several players
straight years. It was also worthy of preseason all-confer-
Carolina's fourth straight ence mention. Senior tight end
postseason appearance and the Freddie Jones (Landover, Md.)
thirdstraightyearinwhichitbeat was a first-team All-ACC selec-
in-state rivals N.C. State, Wake tion last year as he made 16
Forestand Duke. catches for 162 yards and two
Head c—oach Mack Brown and TDs; junior center Jeff Saturday
his staff which features five LEONJOHNSON is second alltime in UNC history in (Tucker,Ga.)washonorablemen-
former college head coaches and receiving,tied for second in scoring and seventh in tionAll-ACC after anchoring an
two for—mer high school head rushing.(BillRichardsphoto) offensivelinewhichhelpedCaro-
coaches welcome back eight linaamassnearly400yardsofof-
starters on each side of the ball. Offensively, they must replace fensepergame;juniordefensiveend Greg Ellis (Wendell, N.C), a
record-settingquarterbackMikeThomas,flankerMarcusWalland first-teamAll-ACCpicklastfallafterheregistered sevensacks, 11
offensive tackle Russell Babb. Consensus first-team All-America QB pressures and batted away seven passes; Kivuusama Mays
defensivetackleMarcusJones,three-yearstartingsafetySeanBoyd (Anniston,Ala.),ajuniorlinebackerwhoalsoearnedfirst-teamall-
and cornerback Fuzzy Leearethethreekeylossesondefense. conferenceaccoladeslastfall afterleading theTarHeelsin tackles
JoneswastheAtlanticCoastConferenceDefensivePlayerofthe with 138; juniorlinebacker Brian Simmons (New Bern,N.C), one
Year and earned first-team All-America honors from the Associ- of the most athletic linebackers in the country; senior linebacker
ated Press,WalterCampFoundation,UPI and theAmericanFoot- JamesHamilton(Hamlet,N.C),atwo-yearstarter;andstrongsafety
ballCoachesAssociation.HebrokeLawrenceTaylor'sschoolrecord Omar Brown (York, Pa.).
forcareerquarterbacksacks, finishingwith24. Coach Brown points to the experience and talent at linebacker
Thomas set single-season passing records last fall for most and running back as two of the strengths of this team. Junior
completions,attemptsandyards.Hecompleted 185of332for2,436 Jonathan Linton (Catasauqua, Pa.) rushed for 102 yards at Mary-
yardsenroutetoestablishingaUNCrecord formostyardsoftotal land last fall and will share playing time at fullback with senior
offenseinaseason with2,489. ChrisWatson(Clayton,N.C).SeniorMauriceMcGregor(Marietta,
Senior tailback Leon Johnson ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
(Morganton,N.C.)isoneofthepremier
multi-talentedbacksinthecountryand Carolina has posted six straight winning records,played in four consecu-
should bementioned amongpreseason tive bowl games and earned CFAAwards for outstanding graduation rates
candidates fortop national and confer- in seven ofthe last eightyears.
enceawards.Johnsonsetaschoolrecord ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
lastyearwith54receptionsandrushed
for963yardsand12touchdowns.Heistiedforsecondplacealltime Ga.) and junior Mike Geter (Arlington, Va.) back up Johnson at
inscoring inCarolina historywith CharlieJusticewith 234 points tailback.
andneedsjust21 pointstopassMikeVoightasthetopscoreralltime Brown alsocreditsa veteran offensive line, with fourreturning
atUNC.Johnsonisalsosecondinreceptionswith 112,sixthinall- starters,depthandtalentalongthedefensivefrontfour,andapair
purposeyardswith3,996,seventhinrushingwith2,780yardsand ofreturning tightends withJonesandEbenezer Ekuban.
15thintotaloffensewith2,870yards.Johnsonrushedfor195yards, Four of the eight returning starters on offense are linemen, in-
aUNCpostseasonrecord,andwasnamed theMostValuablePlayer cluding Saturday, left tackle Byron Thomas (Oxford, N.C), left
oftheCarquest Bowl. guard Mike Hobgood (Durham, N.C.) and right guard Brian
OneareaofconcernforBrownandhisstaffisthestatusofBarnes, Honevcutt(Benson,N.C).Johnson,fullbackChrisWatson(Clayton,
a juniorwidereceiverfromWilson,N.C,and sophomorequarter- N.C), BarnesandJonesalsoreturn.
backOscarDavenport(St. Petersburg,Fla.).Barnessufferedatorn DefensivestartersreturningincludedefensivetackleRickTerrv
anteriorcruciateligamentinhisrightkneeinthesecondhalfofthe (Lexington,N.C),defensiveendRussellDavis(Favetteville,N.C),
CarquestBowl, and Davenportsuffered asimilarinjurytohisleft Ellis, Mavs, Simmons, Hamilton, Brown and cornerback Terrv
2
1996 PREVIEW PREVIEWING THETAR HEELS
Carolina Football Fast Facts
NC
Location: Chapel Hill, 27515-2126
Total Enrollment: 24,439
Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,702
Nickname:Tar Heels
Colors: Carolina Blue &White (PMS 297)
Conference:Atlantic Coast
Stadium: Kenan Memorial (52,000, Grass)
Mascot:A ram
Chancellor: Michael K. Hooker (North Carolina '69)
Athletics Director:John Swofford (North Carolina 71)
Head Coach: Mack Brown (Florida State 74)
Brown's Record at Carolina: 49-43-1 (8 years)
Brown's Overall Record:66-71-1 (12 years)
Team Captains: Game Captains
995 Record: 7-5
1
ACC
995 Record:4-4
1
I995ACC Finish:Tied 5th
1995 Postseason: Carquest Bowl vs.Arkansas (20-10,W)
1995 Final Ranking: 26th CNN/USAToday,29thAssoci-
ated Press
WR
Offensive Starters Returning (8): Octavus Barnes,
TB Leon Johnson, FB ChrisWatson, OT ByronThomas,C
Jeff Saturday, OG Jerness Gethers,OG Mike Hobgood,TE
FreddieJones
Defensive Starters Returning (8): DE Greg Ellis, DT
RickTerry, DE Russell Davis, LBJames Hamilton, LB BRIAN SIMMONS made I 13 stops lastyear,includingfive
Kivuusama Mays, LB Brian Simmons, CBTerry Billups, S sacks,and added two interceptions and eight pass break-
ups.
Omar Brown
OfMfaerncsuisveWaSltl,arOtTersRusLsoeslltB(3a)b:bQB MikeThomas,WR off"eTnhsee,b"isggaeysstBcrhoawnng.e"isWweewwilolubledilniktehteotbweom-obraeckbaslyasntceemdwoen
Defensive Starters Lost (3): DT MarcusJones,CB Fuzzy have been in, still a tailback-oriented system, very much like
Lee, FS Sean Boyd the Dallas Cowboys and still be able to throw a lot ofplay-ac-
Lettermen Returning (34): 17 offense, 17 defense, tionpass, wherewerun thetailbackand thefullback. The full-
special teams backs and tight ends should catch moreballs. On third downs
Lettermen Lost (16): 8 offense, 6 defense,2 special therewill probablybemorefour-wideout formationswithone
teams back, like the 49ers. I think this will be more exciting to play
Director ofMedia Relations for Football & Men's and watch, gives us more diversity, and adds the ability to
Basketball: Steve Kirschner changeup formations.
Media Relations Phone: [phone] or 962-1376 "We still want to run the ball and be able to throw the ball
Kirschner Home Phone: [phone] deep," Browncontinues. "Ifyoudon'trun thefootballandbea
tough,physicalcollegefootball team you arenotgoingtowin.
Assistant Director: Kevin Best Westill wanttogetdeepwiththeplay-actionpass,butwewill
Media Relations Fax: [phone] havelessoption than we have had in the past."
Thebiggestholestofillonoffenseareatquarterbackandwide
Billups (Orlando, Fla.). receiver.Thomasaccountedfor90.7percentofallpassingyards
TheTar Heels have three new assistant coaches, including sec- and 92 percentofall completions lastyear, and Wall caught 57
ondary coach Ron Case, who tutored defensivebacks at LSU last passesthelasttwoyears. With Barnes rehabilitatingan injured
year; offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Davis, who knee and questionable for the start of the season, an entirely
coached the passing game at Georgia; and running backs coach new passing game is possible when the Tar Heels tee it up
Ken Mack, a formerTar Heel runningback, who spentthe last 14 againstClemson onAugust31.
yearsatVirginia.CleveBryant,whocoachedquarterbackslastyear, ChrisKeldorf,ajuniorfromManhattanBeach,Calif.,andDav-
will directthe receiversand coordinate thepassinggamein 1996. enport go into preseason drills as co-starters at quarterback.
Brown and Davis have installed an offense which will borrow Keldorftransferred fromPalomarJuniorCollegeinSanMarcos,
from the playbooks ofthe two mostdynamicand successful NFL Calif., enrolled in January and participated in spring practice,
franchises of the past two decades - the Dallas Cowboys and San workingmainlywith thefirstunit. Davenportwasnotallowed
Francisco49ers.Multipleformations,meninmotion,one-backsets tohavecontactinthespring,butdid takepartinpassingdrills.
with three and four receivers, two-back sets, and other wrinkles "Oscar and Chris will compete for thejob from day one," says
havebeen added to thegame plan. All this to furtherenergizean Brown. "Keldorfhadareallygood spring,butwewanttoseehim
offensewhichhasaveraged410.6yardspergameoverthelastfour progress within theoffense. We had greatcompetition withJason
seasons. Stanicek and Mike Thomas a few years ago and this could work
1996 CAROLINA FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
fT f a %H»*r"o"gprBMu
PREVIEW
1996
intoasimilarsituation. Neitheroneoftheseguysareproven QUARTERBACKS
in Division I gamesasstarters." # NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN
Senior Darrin Ashford (Richton, 111.), sophomores L.C. 15 ChrisKeldorf QB 6-5 245 Jr. Manhattan Beach,Calif.
Stevens (Clinton, N.C.), Na Brown (Reidsville, N.C.) and 10 OscarDavenport QB 6-4 190 So. St.Petersburg,Fla.
ChuckieParquet(Marrero,La.)andred-shirtfreshmanGreg 19 Jason Peace QB 6-2 180 Ft* Durham,N.C.
Harris (Mebane, N.C.) all will have an opportunity at wide 14 Antwon Black QB 6-1 190 Fr. Central,S.C.
receiver. Ashford and Stevens are the starters heading into 8 KevinCarty QB 6-4 205 Fr. Branchburg, N.J.
camp, buteach ofthese players, plusa healthy Barnes, will
becalled upon in theTarHeels' spread attack. Welch has made one career field goal in three tries, a 48-yarder
Defensively theTar Heels would like to further build upon the at N.C. State. Heis theonly memberoftheTar Heels to have ever
foundation set last year when eight new starters emerged. Half attempted a field goal orextra pointincollege.
that number of starters have to be replaced this fall and the Tar "The kicking game is such an important part of field position
Heelswerethenumber-six rated defensein the and winning in college football," says Brown.
country as they allowed only 267.3 yards per "We must find someconsistencyin ourspecial
game. teams play to havea successful season."
"We would like to play an even more ag-
gressive style of defense than we did last QUARTERBACK
year," says Brown. "Wewereconcerned that Chris Keldorf and Oscar Davenport are co-
even as well as we played last year we still starters heading into preseason camp. Keldorf
didn't force enough turnovers. We want to workedwiththefirstteaminspringdrillsafter
have more movement, more blitzing and be transferring to UNC from PalomarJuniorCol-
moreaggressive than wewere last year." lege in California. He completed 264 of 461
Any time you lose a player as talented as passes last year for 3,037 yards and 30 touch-
Marcus Jones, it is difficult to fully replace downs.
him. However, the Tar Heels have several "Chrishasgreatfootwork,aquickreleaseand
players with some experience ready to step was very accurate as a passer in the spring,"
inand attempttofillthatvoid.Thoseplayers says Brown. "Heshowed us good workhabits
include Vonnie Holliday (Camden, S.C.), and a good feel of the offense. The junior col-
MarcusDow (Thomasville, N.C.) and Andre legeatwhichheplaved did a lotofthingssimi-
Purvis (Jacksonville, N.C). Other defensive lartohowwedothem.Heshowedagoodgrasp
linemen like Terry, Ellis, Davis and Mike ofthe team and fitinvery well."
Pringley (Linden, N.J.) must also raise their Davenportwas12of22for151 yardsandone
levelofplay. touchdown in limited work off the bench last
The linebacker trio of Hamilton-Mays- year.Hetosseda42-yardscoringdarttoBarnes
Simmons could be as good as any group in OSCAR DAVENPORT isthe againstOhio.InweekeightatClemson,hesuf-
thecountry.Theyarefast,athletic,intelligent, only quarterback to have feredatornanteriorcruciateligamentinhisleft
hard-hittingandexperienced.Thesecondary, competed in a Division I game kneeandwasunabletoplaytherestofthesea-
with the loss of Boyd and Lee and injury to He and Chris Keldorfenter sonorinspringpractice.Hedidruntheoffense
Billups, is the one area on defense with the preseason asthe co-starters. some in non-contact drills and participated in
most questions. Many of those answers will manyofthepassing drills, however.
come from newfaces. "Oscar really has a great amount of talent," says Brown. "He
Omar Brown shifts from strong safety to free safety and has a runswell,hasastrongthrowingarmand hisheightallowshim to
chance to be one of the top players at that position in the ACC. see receivers easily. I think he is as talented as any quarterback
Billupsshould startatonecorner,ifhisshoulder,whichwasoper- whohasplayed forusatCarolina. Hejustneedstogetsomeexpe-
ated oninthewinter,healsin time. Ifitdoesn'tthestartersshould rienceandfindhisnichewiththisteam.Hewillbeagoodquarter-
be sophomore Robert Williams (Shelby, N.C.) and either junior back forus."
ReggieLove(Durham,N.C.)orred-shirtfreshmanDre'Bly(Chesa- Red-shirtfreshmanJasonPeace(Durham,N.C)isthethird-string
peake, Va.). Sophomore Jomo Legins (Winston-Salem, N.C.) will quarterback heading into the fall. The Tar Heels signed a pair of
startatstrongsafety. freshmen,KevinCartyofSummerville, N.J.,andAntwonBlackof
"Idon'tthinkyoucancomparethelossesinthesecondaryto Central,S.C.
thatofMarcusJones,butbecauseofourdepthupfrontthereis
absolutely nodoubtwehavemoreconcernsaboutoursecond- RUNNING BACKS
ary,"saysBrown. "Hopefullyourfrontsevenwilldoagreatjob Leon Johnson is tied for 12th in ACC history in career scoring,
and provide enough pressure to let the secondary to grow up 16thinall-purposeyardswith3,996and18thincareerrushingyards
some. Weare talented back there, but inexperienced." with 2,780. He also is second in Carolina history with 112 career
In addition to concerns at wide receiver, quarterback and the receptions,43behind the leader, Corey Holliday.
secondary,Brownknowsanothersetofquestionssurroundthekick- "LeonJohnson isoneofthegreatbackseverto plav here," says
ing game. Scott Caparelli handled almost all of the place-kicking Brown. "Heissoversatile;Leoncanblock,canrun,makesthelong
duties and nearly 70 percent of the punting last year. This year runandcatchestheballoutofthebackfield.Theoffensivechanges
there expects to be competition for place-kicking responsibilities will only help Leon. We will still gethim theball in a lotofdiffer-
betweenseniorChrisWelch(Greensboro,N.C),red-shirtfreshman entofways. When thedefense is crowding the line ofscrimmage
JoshMcGee(Pearl,Miss.)andfreshmanBrianSchmitz(ParkRidge, wecanspread theoffense,spread thedefendersaround field.That
111.).Red-shirtfreshmanDerrickDePriest(Homestead,Fla.),senior should givehim morecreasesinwhichtorun."
walk-on David Secrest (Shelby, N.C.) and Schmitz will handle the MauriceMcGregorand MikeGeterbackupJohnsonattailback.
punting. McGregor is a bruising back with thick, powerful legs. He has
1996 PREVIEW PREVIEWINGTHETAR HEELS
RUNNINGBACKS
# NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN
12 LeonJohnson TB 6-1 210 Sr. Morganton,N.C.
35 MauriceMcGregor TB 6-2 250 Sr. Marietta,Ga.
6 ChrisWatson FB 5-10 230 Sr. Clayton,N.C.
20 MikeGeter TB 5-11 202 Jr. Arlington,Va.
27 Jonathan Linton FB 6-2 245 Jr. Catasauqua,Pa.
39 Shawn Lyons TB 5-8 180 So. Garner,N.C.
32 AllenMogridge FB 6-4 240 Fr* Sevierville.Tenn.
47 Deon Dyer RB 6-0 240 Fr. Chesapeake,Va.
45 MikeSimmons RB 6-2 210 Fr. New Bern,N.C.
tailback speed in a fullback's frame. Geter rushed for 98 yards
againstOhiolastyearand had hismostproductivespringin 1996.
ChrisWatsonstartedeverygameatfullbacklastyearandshould
seeextensiveplaying time thereagain this fall. Watsonrushed for
131 yards and caught eight passes for 76 yards, an average of9.5
yardsperreception.
JonathanLintonplayedtailbackin1995butwilllikelysharetime
at fullback this season. Linton was the second-leading rusher on
theteamlastseasonwith350yardsandfourtouchdowns.AtMary-
landhegained 102yardsonjust14carriesandhadscoringrunsof
14and22yards.TwoweeksbeforetheCarquestBowlhesuffereda
brokenbonein leftelbowafterhefellon theartificial turfin prac- Lefttackle BYRONTHOMAS is one ofsix different
ticeand wasunable toplayagainstArkansasand inspringdrills. returningoffensive linemen who have started games in
"Linton has a knack for the game and makes right decisions," the lasttwo years.
says Brown. "He has tremendous hands and is a powerful run-
ner."
Sophomore walk-on Shawn Lyons (Garner, N.C.) and red-shirt Thomas has started at left tackle in all but one game over the
freshman Allen Mogridge (Sevierville, Tenn.) provide depth at past twoyears. Hehas reallygood footwork, especially fora 300-
tailbackand fullback, respectively. Mogridge could also see some pound lineman on the corner, and had a productive spring. He
actionasadeepsnapper. TheTarHeelsalsosigned twofreshmen could emergeasoneofthe top tacklesin theACC.
backs, Deon DyerofChesapeake, Va.,and MikeSimmonsofNew HoneycuttreceivedtheMorrisMasonAwardasthetopoffseason
Bern, N.C. performerintheconditioningprogramandisanotherplayerwho
has made the most of his talents by hard work and enthusiasm.
OFFENSIVE LINE HoneycuttwasoutstandingintheCarquestBowlashehelpedopen
Carolina returns six players who started at four different posi- theholesthroughwhichLeonJohnsonrushedfor195yards. "Brian
tionslastyear.Threeofthosesixplayers,tackleByronThomasand isveryaggressiveandcontinuestomakeprogresstobeingareally
guards Brian Honeycuttand Mike Hobgood have started in each goodfotballplayer,"saysBrown. "Hehasagreatattitudeandhelps
ofthelasttwoseasons. ourteamplaymorephysical football."
Center Jeff Saturday may be the most talented offensive line- MikeHobgoodstartedthreegameslastyear,includingthebowl
man. Hehasbecomequiteadeptatmaking the calls at the lineof game, and six games in 1994 atleft and right guard. In preseason
scrimmage and is a stablizing presence on the line. Saturday's practicelastyearhe suffered abadly torn tendoninhis hand and
strength, smartsand enthusiasm makehim oneofthe topcenters wasunabletoplayearlyin theregularseason.
in thecountry. Jerness Gethers has made 15 starts the last two years at guard
andshouldcompetewithHoneycuttand Hobgoodforthestarting
dutiesattheguard positions.
OFFENSIVELINEMEN Mike Baxter,ajuniorfromWarminster, Pa.,and Ryan Hoffman,
# NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN a junior from Orange Park, Fla., are vying for starting honors at
767542 JBBeryrirnaoennssHTohGneoetmyhacesurtst OOOTGG 666---334 223873000 SSSrrr... ODBxeufnnosnor,nd,,N.NNC...CC.. aringdhtHoofffefnmsainvesttaacrktleed. Btahxetesreasstoanrteodpesinxertiamgeasiinnst19S9y5raactulsefetgatualrefdt
51 MikeBaxter OT 6-4 290 |r- Warminster,Pa. tackle.
72 ShawnCrouthamel OT 6-4 290 Jr. Steel City,Pa. ShawnCrouthamel(SteelCity,Pa.)missedalloflastyearwitha
61 MikeHobgood OG 6-4 280 Jr. Durham,N.C. kneeinjurybutreturnsattacklealongwithJohnSurigao(Durham,
79 Ryan Hoffman OT 6-5 285 Jr OrangePark,Fla. N.C.) and Jeff Wertalik (Wayne, N.J.). Carolina red-shirted six of-
77 JohnSurigao OT 6-5 275 So. Durham,N.C. fensivelinemenlastyear,includingRyanCarfley(Ridgewood,N.J.),
66 JeffWertalik OT 6-5 290 So. Wayne,N.J. the top reserve at center, and Joe Ellison (Winston-Salem, N.C),
655576 JRKoyaearnEeleClmiasrofEnllleisy OCOTG 666---326 222799550 FFFrrr*** JWRaiicndkssgotenowvnoi-loSldea,,leNN.m.J,C..N.C. lisOtetdheonrtrheedd-esphtihrtcehdarptlaatyleerftsguianrcdl.ude guards Mike Gimbol
76 MikeGimbol OG 6-4 295 Fr* Doylestown,Pa. (Doylestown, Pa.) and Jon Hall (Hagerstwon, Md.) and tackles
67 Jon Hall OG 6-3 290 Fr.* Hagerstown,Md. KareemEllis(Jacksonville,N.C.)andRobertNixon(NewOrleans,
68 RobertNixon OT 6-4 290 Fr.* NewOrleans,La. La.). Carolina signed two newcomers, freshmen Cam Holland
63 CamHolland OL 6-2 295 Fr. Franklin,N.C. (Franklin, N.C.) andJamesWagstaff(Charlotte,N.C).
73 JamesWagstaff OL 6-3 340 Fr. Charlotte,N.C.
8 1996 CAROLINA FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
SBRB