By Aaron Beard
Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL ó The off week came at the right time for North Carolina and its struggling offense.
It allowed the Tar Heels to put the struggles of the first six games behind them and examine more closely what they’ve been doing wrong. It also gave them time to focus on Florida State in advance of Thursday night’s nationally televised matchup, the first in Kenan Stadium history.
Coach Butch Davis has described it as self-scouting, though to listen to him there weren’t too many surprises at the end of the review period.
“All the things that hurt you as a football team, those are pretty self-evident,” Davis said Monday. “If you turn the ball over, you really hurt your offense’s opportunity to find out what might work. If you’re going three-and-out and turning the ball over and not having success, you don’t have a chance to go out there and experiment and find a play that works and get the chance to call it again.”
That certainly has hindered the development of North Carolina’s young offense this season. Injuries have as well, though the off week following a 42-12 win against Georgia Southern has given the Tar Heels (4-2, 0-2 ACC) a chance to heal a bit.
Tight end Zack Pianalto returned to practice last week and might return against the Seminoles (2-4, 0-3) for the first time since suffering a dislocated foot while celebrating a touchdown in the second game. For guys like offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper, who missed almost four full games with a sprained right ankle, it allowed him to get to about “90 percent” while playing with a brace ó which can only help a line that is still playing without injured center Lowell Dyer.
That’s not to say all the injury news was good Monday. The school said freshmen A.J. Blue and Jamal Womble would miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair injuries suffered against Georgia Southern.
Blue, a tailback/quarterback, needed reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee. The surgery also repaired the medial collateral ligament in the knee. Blue, who had played in “Wildcat” formations and had 18 carries for 33 yards this year, will miss spring practice in 2010.
Womble, a tailback who had six carries for 41 yards, needed surgery on a fractured right wrist, though he is expected back in time for spring drills.
The pressure will be heaviest on North Carolina’s offense to get better after regressing for two ACC games in which it scored just one touchdown. That’s particularly true of the rushing attack, which has generated just 56 yards in those losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia.
Quarterback T.J. Yates said the offense is eager to return to the field and show that it really has made progress.
“I think everybody was anxious on Sunday when they came in to get ready and get back to work,” Yates said. “The enthusiasm and the execution the offense had was by far one of the better practices we’ve had this season. It gives you a lot of confidence going into the rest of the week.”