2015 UNC Backfield Preview

It's hard to believe that we're three weeks away from the Opening Game against Sakerlina. To prime everyone for the 2015 Campaign let's take a look at one of Carolina's biggest strengths: The talent and experience in the Offensive Backfield

Backfield Coaches

Carolina's Backfield is fortunate to have some of the best in the business 

Keith Heckendorf - QBs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator

•  5^th year in Chapel Hill and second season in this role
•  Coached the likes of Renner and Quise Williams and has helped both QBs re-write the record book at UNC 

Larry Porter – RBs Coach and Special Teams Coordinator

• 2^nd year in Chapel Hill 
• Former Running Backs coach at LSU and OK State including a National  Recruiter of the Year
• Implemented the running back by committee method at LSU and groomed many future pros including Jacob Hester, Joseph Addai, Tatum Bell and Trindon Holliday
• Porter's biggest splash at Carolina has been on the recruiting end so far.

Quarterbacks

QB 1 Marquise Williams (#12) 6-2 225 lbs 5^th Year Senior

• Marquise has the opportunity to re-write the record book in his final season in Chapel Hill
• After playing hurt for all of 2014 Quise used the off-season to get his hip repaired and to get mentally and physical ready for his most important campaign yet
• Marquise has done a complete 180 since arriving on campus. For a while many wondered if he’d ever come back to play, how he’d handle the competition, and how his body would hold up
• Marquise is an ACC player of the year type talent must have a big year to propel the Heels to the next level
• I must Marquise for discrediting this guy last year. I was convinced that Trubisky was going to end up winning the job in 

QB 2 Mitch Trubisky (#10) 6-3 220 lbs RS Soph

• Trubisky pushed Marquise for the first half of the 2014 campaign only for the coaching staff to side with Quise for the second half of the year
• He received the overwhelming majority of first string reps in 2015 Spring Ball with Marquise sidelined
• Coaches are very optimistic about his future and are comfortable with his ability to perform when called upon

QB 3 Caleb Henderson (#6) 6-3 215 lbs RS Frosh

• The coaches are optimistic about the Redshirt Freshman from Virginia. Henderson has a big arm and made the most of his second string snaps this past spring
• Don't expect to see much of this guy unless in mop up time

Anthony Ratliff Williams (#17) 6-1 200 lbs Redshirting
Nathan Elliot (#4) 6-1 195 lbs Redshirting

• Both Ratliff-Williams and Elliot are slated to redshirt during the 2015 campaign. ARW could very well end up moving to a different position because of how much of a freak athlete the kid is.

Running Backs

1st Teamers: Elijah Hood (#34) 6-0 220 lbs Soph. 

                     TJ Logan (#8) 5-9 190 lbs Junior

• Elijah Hood and TJ Logan will be getting the majority of snaps at Running Back during 2015
• Logan and Hood both have the ability to run in between the tackles and to hit the next gear and break a long run
• Hood, for a second straight season will be looked as Carolina's Punisher in the run game behind his hulking frame.
• Hood excels as a pass blocker and will be heavily relied up on in that domain
• Logan's ability to evade tacklers will be on full display as he looks to have a bounce back year in 2015
• Expect TJ Logan to get some snaps in at A Back as the coaches try to take some pressure off of Ryan Switzer at the position
• Logan adds the Kick Return element where he's excelled. Logan's a threat to score from the backfield, split out wide and returning kicks
• Hood is a "Man on a Mission" in 2015. His relentless work ethic plus his drive to go as hard as he can each and every down whether it's practice or a game should serve Carolina 10 fold in 2015. I expect Hood to have a HUGE year, because he doesn't appear to be satisfied with how last season went.

2nd Teamers Romar Morris (#21) 5-10 190 5^th year Senior 

                      Ty’Son Williams (#9) 6-0 225 lbs True Freshman 

• Morris has been a straight burner since setting foot on campus. Expect Coaches try to stretch the field when Morris is in. I've often referred to him as the Curious Case of Romar Morris as he shown several flashes of brilliance at Carolina but has been highly inconsistent on and off the field 
• Ty'Son Williams has made some noise in camp with his unique combination of size and speed If Logan ends sees more time at A Back than expected, Williams will be looked to help carry the load with Hood 

3rd Teamers Khris Francis (#1) 5-9 210 lbs 
                     Charles Brunson (#27) 5-11 205 lbs

• The hope is Khris Francis bounces back from blowing out his knee late in 2014. He was effective in 2013 and is consistent when relied upon
• Walk-On Charles Brunson has had his moments when called upon including the winning score against Pitt. He will heavily relied upon as a special teams stud

What to Expect:

Much of this group's production relies heavily on the success of the offensive line. The Quarterbacks have been preached that they must do a better job of taking care of the ball this year and must limit mistakes. Getting the ball out of the backfield quicker has to the mind set of this entire group as well as stretching the defense out. The Running Back by Committee method can executed well but this coaching staff must recognize when to go with the hot hand. If Marquise and the stable of backs behind him can stay healthy and hungry, and the offensive line develops some cohesiveness, expect big numbers out of the backfield this season. 

Back And Better Than Ever

Back and better than ever, and I must say it’s been far, far too long. The last several months have brought some serious changes for yours truly. When we last interfaced I was still a stressed-out, highly underpaid aspiring real estate entrepreneur who was going through what most would consider a quarter life crisis. I rarely slept, I wasn’t eating well, I was worried about my finances, and I wasn’t sure what my next steps in my journey were living, working and being. I needed a change and I needed to change immediately. 

Close to 4 months later from that crossroads I’d love tell y’all I’ve figured it all out; but I haven’t. I have, however, made some serious improvements since turning the ripe age of 26. I've traveled and decompressed. I've switched jobs. I (can now) save money and invest. I'm sleeping again. I'm eating healthier (still can improve) and workout out more (although not nearly enough). It's a start but the 180 I’ve made over the past 4 months has been one of the most beneficial I’ve made in quite some time.

This switch has given me ample time to take a seat back and reflect. What are my goals? Where do I want to be one year from now? What do I want to devote my time, energy and money to?

I came up with a short list

-          1. Get my work-life balance in order

-          2. Become a force at my new job

-          3. Get to my football shape and playing weight

-          4. Save, invest, and save some more

-          5. Rediscover my reality escapes (cooking, reading, writing, hiking, etc)

All 5 bullets are my goals for the foreseeable future. In order to keep my ass in check I’ll be using my writing escape to give y’all weekly updates in addition to the college football insight and humor I try to bring. Another way to follow along is through my Twitter  and myFitbit  profiles. It’s new era in my life and on this blog. I hope y’all are as excited about as I am.

Cheers,

WFP

BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER

WELCOME BACK ALL

The 2014 Season's just over a month away and I couldn't be more fired up for it. The week's activities haven't helped me calm myself down either. This week I roasted and ate a pork shoulder, I've added a couple brown liquors to the rotation, and this polar vortex we're in has the weather making me believe it's fall. I've had to constantly remind myself that it ain't even August yet.

2014 for my squad looks like to be a transitional year. Unlike last year, the schedule doesn't set up well for the Tar Heels to make a run. After a glorified exhibition against Liberty and another gimme against San Diego State, we have a 5 game stretch that best case scenario we go 3-2 and worst case scenario we go O-fer against ECU, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. We face another cupcake in UVA before heading back through the gauntlet with a road game at Miami, home to Pittsburgh, and capping off the regular season with a pair of rivalry games, including one on a Thursday Night. With the season staring 6 Saturdays from now, I just can't tell y'all how I see this year shakin up for the Tar Heels. The nuclear of the O Line is gone, as is the middle of the defense. The highly touted youth, that has infiltrated the Fedora Years, needs to grow up fast. This schedule doesn't account for growing pains or first or second year mistakes. Whole lotta questions and a whole lotta ifs, how those are answered will determine the 2014 campaign.

Look forward to covering another Football Season for y'all.

Cheers,

WFP

2014 UNC Football Schedule

The schedule was released (finally) and it looks like Carolina has another run at the gauntlet they had last year.

Here's the schedule and way too early predictions:

Aug 30 Liberty    1-0

Sept 6 San Diego State - UNC opens with 2 gimmes before hitting a 7 game stretch that will likely give them some trouble.     2-0

Sept 13 Open

Sept 20 at ECU- We found out last year that ECU is not the gimme game that we once believed it to be. While ECU lost 75% of their starters, they return a strong core in an offense that gave us fits last year. I list this game as 50-50. We've had success in Greenville and my gut tells me we will this year.  3-0

Sept 27 at Clemson - I've already come around to the fact that we'll prolly get crushed in Death Valley. Clemson loses a ton, but they return a large part of a defense that has improved every year since Venables took over.   3-1

Oct 4 Virginia Tech - HOUSE DIVIDED WEEK - Still 2-9 against this team since they joined the ACC, but 2-3 against the Hokies in the last 5. VTs has major questions on offense heading into this season, but should  be rock solid on defense. I like that we play Virginia Tech early on, but it's tough for me to be fired up about a defense that let Logan Thomas carve them up last year. This 50-50 falls in favor of the maroon and orange.   3-2

Oct 11 at Notre Dame - I would love nothing more than to help bring back the one known as "Lord Purple Face Kelly." I think Carolina will play well in South Bend but will have a tough time stopping a revamped Notre Dame offense QB'd by Everett Golson. 3-3

Oct 18 Georgia Tech - This is the year we aren't gonna lose to Georgia Tech. To hell with Paul Johnson. 4-3

October 25 at LOLUVA - No brainer, 5-3. CAROLINA IS MIKE LONDON'S DADDY. 

Nov 1 at Miami - Odds are this game will be at night. I hate playing any Miami team on the road at night. 

5-4

Nov 8 open

Nov 15 Pittsburgh - HOUSE DIVIDED WEEK VOL. 2 - Pitt improved last year as the season went on, and nearly had a comeback for the ages in front of yours truly. This game scares me and in my opinion more vulnerable than the UVA game. I think Carolina has a game in them this year that they'll lose, which they shouldn't: THIS IS THAT GAME. 5-5

Nov 20 (Thursday) at Duke - Cutcliffe has found the formula of how to win in Durham(in football). Duke was a senior laden team last year, but also had youth in key spots. Until Fedora shows me he can beat Duke, I can't predict Carolina to win this one. 5-6

Nov 29 NC State - UNLIKE DUKE, FEDORA OWNS NC STATE. HOPEFULLY THIS ONE CAPS A WINLESS ACC SEASON ONCE AGAIN IN WEST RALEIGH. 

6-6 and headed to another shit bowl. I think this year will be a product of the ACC getting better as a whole, and that we face another 7 game gauntlet in the schedule. I think Carolina has the talent on their roster to get better as the year goes on. 2015 in my opinion is the break out year.

WFP

#WFPPlayoffs First Round Recap

Well, the first round of the WFP Playoff

Here's a look at how the games shook out
1 Florida State vs 16 Ohio State
2 Auburn vs 15 Clemson
3 Stanford vs 14 Oklahoma
4 Michigan State vs 13 Missouri
5 Baylor vs 12 South Carolina
6 Central Florida vs 11 Alabama
7 Fresno State vs 10 Louisiana-Lafayette
8 Bowling Green vs 9 Rice

The second round leaves us with 4 match-ups, all with potential

1. Florida State will host 8. Bowling Green in Tallahassee

2. Auburn will host 7. Fresno State in Auburn

3. Stanford will host 11. Alabama in Palo Alto

4. Michigan State will host 12. South Carolina in East Lansing

Here's to the second round!

WFP

#WFPPlayoff Final First Round Game No.8 #BowlingGreen vs No. 9 #Rice

Bowling Green, Kentucky
45 degrees and clear as can be


This ballgame wasn't even close

First Half
- Bowling Green scores on their first 5 possession going up 31-7  by the end of the half
The Falcons were the beneficiaries of 3 first half scores from Travis Green (2 on the ground and 76 yard punt return TD)
- The only highlight for Rice was a second quarter drive that ended with a 7 yard scamper from Darik Dillard

Third Quarter
The only scoring we saw came on a Jawon Davis 10 yard sprint right for the Rice Owls
The quarter came to a close with with the Falcons still holding a 31-14 lead

Fourth Quarter
Once again it was all Bowling Green.

The Falcons ripped off three touchdowns as they piled it on the Conference USA Champion Rice Owls
Bowling received two scoring runs from Travis Green, one from 35 yards out, the other from 42 yards.
Alex Baer hauled in a Matt Johnson TD pass with just over 3 minutes to go so

FINAL: BOWLING GREEN 52 - RICE 14

The Statline

- Rice had 359 rushing yards, but was held to 2 scores. 2 missed field goals and 3 red zone turnovers responsible for this
- Travis Green had 5 touchdowns, and 189 yards on the ground #stud


Bowling Green advances to face our number one team Florida State in Tallahassee next

Full Round One write up coming this afternoon

WFP

#WFPPlayoff Round One No. 7 Fresno State vs No. 10 Ragin Cajuns

Fresno, CA
on a hazy 44 degree day at Bulldog Stadium

What a tremendous game it was

First Quarter
It was all Bulldogs in the first quarter. The defense mauled and the offense grinded out to a Fresno 3-0 lead behind a 40 yarder from the toe of Colin McGuire

Second Quarter
Here's where the stalemate began to give
- After forcing a a three and out Fresno State marched down the field on the 78 yard drive, taking 6 minutes off the clock, and ending in a 1 yard plunge from Josh Quezada putting Fresno up 10-0
- After another defensive stop, Fresno marches right back down and gets a 35 yarder from McGuire this time around putting the Bulldogs up 13-0 with just over a minute left in the half
- The Ragin Cajuns run hurry up and put themselves in good enough position to close out the half with a 34 yarder from Stephen Brauchle
Halftime: Fresno State 13 - Louisiana Lafayette 3

Third Quarter
This quarter was all Ragin Cajuns
- Louisiana Lafayette fielded the opening kick off of the half and marched 96 yards on a Alonzo Harris sprint right after a muffed kickoff return. The extra point from Brauchle made it Fresno State 13-10
- After stopping the Bulldogs in their own territory, the Ragin Cajuns took over from their own 12 yardline and drove it 88 yards, milking over 7 minutes off he clock. Torrey Pierce scored from 11 yards out on an inside zone left putting the Cajuns up 17-13

Fourth Quarter
Here's where the game got all sorts of fun
After forcing yet another defensive stop, the Ragin Cajuns use the last 4 minutes in the third and 2 minutes in the fourth to carry out a TD drive which ended when Terrence Broadway found Jamal Robinson on a 17 yard post in the middle of the endzone. this put ULL up 24-13
- Fresno State took the next drive to the ULL 45 before forced to punt
- The Ragin Cajuns do absolutely nothing with the next drive and shank the punt right back to Fresno who returns the favor and does absolutely nothing with the next drive
- The Cajuns had everything go right into their favor on the next drive, but are forced to settle for 41 yarder from Brauchle putting The Cajuns up 27-13
- FINALLY THE FRESNO O COMES BACK TO LIFE AND CARR LAUNCHES A 61 YARD STRIKE TO MARCEL JENSEN TO PUT FRESNO ONLY DOWN 27-20 WITH 5 MINUTES TO GO
- ULL goes three and out and punts the ball back to Fresno with only 3:21 to play
- Fresno runs hurry up, drives 54 yards and ties the ballgame at 27 on a Quezada one yard plunge up the middle and McGuire extra point with 1:21 to go
- ULL field the kickoff and then fumbles on the first play of the drive giving it right back to the hot Bulldogs
- The Bulldogs strike from 28 yards out on a pass from Carr to Josh Harper with 13 seconds to go sealing the games fate
FINAL: FRESNO WINS OVER ULL 31-24

A tough way to end the season for the ragin Cajuns

Fresno advances to face Auburn, only Rice vs Bowling Green remians

WFP