Carolina On My Mind
9/9/2002 5:24:00 PM By Matthew Zemek
In looking ahead at another college football weekend, I could choose to take two postures: one, I could look at emerging trends, combined with recent historical background, to gain a definitive read on a game; two, I could sweat bullets in response to mentally volatile quarterbacks who make ridiculously bad mistakes when on hyperdrive, and fail to take care of the most basic fundamentals.
The two QBs I?m looking at come from the Carolinas, and they and their teams are my focus this week.
Two weeks ago, Darian Durant of North Carolina presided over an offense that committed six turnovers against an admittedly underrated Miami?Miami of Ohio, that is?defense in a home loss. Durant picked up where he left off in 2001, and in the most negative way imaginable. One could say that Durant got picked off where he left off in 2001, because he was once again a walking turnover machine that drove head coach John Bunting crazy.
For two and a half quarters of last Saturday?s night game in Syracuse?s Carrier Dome, Durant continued to be the same maddening package of talent and trouble. He carried the ball loosely all night long, and provided ?balance? for UNC?s offense in the sense that he showed that he could put the ball on the carpet as well as throw the pigskin to the wrong team, which he did against Miami a week earlier.
But then a funny thing happened on the way to the doghouse. Durant discovered the range. Bolstered in confidence by the stellar pass catching of phenomenal wide receiver Sam Aiken, Durant began to zing passes into traffic with exceptional accuracy. He threw a beautiful 48-yard touchdown on a post pattern that hit one of his other flankers in stride. He later threw a beautiful ball to tight end Bobby Blizzard on 3rd and 5 from the Syracuse 12 to send the Tar Heels on their way to a confidence-building win.
Durant is a considerably athletic and talented quarterback. The only question is: can he get his talent to emerge each and every Saturday?
Switch to the other Carolina, South Carolina, and you have an even more volatile quarterback. If you saw Corey Jenkins play against Virginia Saturday night, you saw an extremely fast quarterback who can throw the short-intermediate routes, from 8 to 15 yards, with incredible zip, a la Michael Vick. Yet, that enormous raw talent is trapped inside a body whose brain still has some work to do. Jenkins committed two red zone turnovers?a horrible against-the-body-with-one-arm-shot-put that got picked, and an even worse option pitch when being tackled?that destroyed the Gamecocks? chances in Charlottesville. Jenkins is in the same position Darian Durant faced going into last week.
Having talked about the marked inconsistency of these two quarterbacks, I have lived in the world of the fan who looks for the inside edge on a game but simply sweats bullets. Now, however, I?ll dish out some of those trends I referred to earlier, trends that should make you like taking North Carolina against the points when the Tar Heels host Texas this upcoming Saturday night in Chapel Hill. You?ll also find?through trends, some similar to UNC?s trends?that South Carolina is a good choice at home against Georgia this Saturday, and a really good choice if Georgia is a favorite or the game is a pick.
North Carolina took three games to jell last season. The Heels lost at Oklahoma and Texas before returning home for the third game of the year, in which they drilled Florida State, 41-9. After a bad first game and great second game, Coach Bunting and the Heels seem primed to give a game to a Texas team that struggled against North Texas and will be making its first foray to a road environment in 2002...and at night, and on national TV. UNC might not beat a team such as Texas, but Durant?s newfound confidence, and the substantial improvement of the whole Tar Heel team, should produce a very competitive game. If the Heels become a double-digit dog, they offer great value.
As for South Carolina, the Gamecocks have beaten Georgia in each of the past two seasons. But more important than that is the fact that the team Jenkins and USC lost to last Saturday?Virginia?played really well after having two games to find itself, much like North Carolina did last season. The Cavs used tough tussles with Colorado State and Florida State to emerge into a solid ballclub against Lou Holtz. Seeing what home cooking did for UVA will help Holtz to both motivate and criticize his troops to have them fired up for a Georgia team that played very nervous ball at home against Clemson. I love all the mental intangibles for South Carolina in this game.
Look at Darian Durant and Corey Jenkins, acknowledge their propensity for mistakes, but then see their talent and the enormous upside they have. Throw in home field, and they?along with their teams?become attractive selections this Saturday
9/9/2002 5:24:00 PM By Matthew Zemek
In looking ahead at another college football weekend, I could choose to take two postures: one, I could look at emerging trends, combined with recent historical background, to gain a definitive read on a game; two, I could sweat bullets in response to mentally volatile quarterbacks who make ridiculously bad mistakes when on hyperdrive, and fail to take care of the most basic fundamentals.
The two QBs I?m looking at come from the Carolinas, and they and their teams are my focus this week.
Two weeks ago, Darian Durant of North Carolina presided over an offense that committed six turnovers against an admittedly underrated Miami?Miami of Ohio, that is?defense in a home loss. Durant picked up where he left off in 2001, and in the most negative way imaginable. One could say that Durant got picked off where he left off in 2001, because he was once again a walking turnover machine that drove head coach John Bunting crazy.
For two and a half quarters of last Saturday?s night game in Syracuse?s Carrier Dome, Durant continued to be the same maddening package of talent and trouble. He carried the ball loosely all night long, and provided ?balance? for UNC?s offense in the sense that he showed that he could put the ball on the carpet as well as throw the pigskin to the wrong team, which he did against Miami a week earlier.
But then a funny thing happened on the way to the doghouse. Durant discovered the range. Bolstered in confidence by the stellar pass catching of phenomenal wide receiver Sam Aiken, Durant began to zing passes into traffic with exceptional accuracy. He threw a beautiful 48-yard touchdown on a post pattern that hit one of his other flankers in stride. He later threw a beautiful ball to tight end Bobby Blizzard on 3rd and 5 from the Syracuse 12 to send the Tar Heels on their way to a confidence-building win.
Durant is a considerably athletic and talented quarterback. The only question is: can he get his talent to emerge each and every Saturday?
Switch to the other Carolina, South Carolina, and you have an even more volatile quarterback. If you saw Corey Jenkins play against Virginia Saturday night, you saw an extremely fast quarterback who can throw the short-intermediate routes, from 8 to 15 yards, with incredible zip, a la Michael Vick. Yet, that enormous raw talent is trapped inside a body whose brain still has some work to do. Jenkins committed two red zone turnovers?a horrible against-the-body-with-one-arm-shot-put that got picked, and an even worse option pitch when being tackled?that destroyed the Gamecocks? chances in Charlottesville. Jenkins is in the same position Darian Durant faced going into last week.
Having talked about the marked inconsistency of these two quarterbacks, I have lived in the world of the fan who looks for the inside edge on a game but simply sweats bullets. Now, however, I?ll dish out some of those trends I referred to earlier, trends that should make you like taking North Carolina against the points when the Tar Heels host Texas this upcoming Saturday night in Chapel Hill. You?ll also find?through trends, some similar to UNC?s trends?that South Carolina is a good choice at home against Georgia this Saturday, and a really good choice if Georgia is a favorite or the game is a pick.
North Carolina took three games to jell last season. The Heels lost at Oklahoma and Texas before returning home for the third game of the year, in which they drilled Florida State, 41-9. After a bad first game and great second game, Coach Bunting and the Heels seem primed to give a game to a Texas team that struggled against North Texas and will be making its first foray to a road environment in 2002...and at night, and on national TV. UNC might not beat a team such as Texas, but Durant?s newfound confidence, and the substantial improvement of the whole Tar Heel team, should produce a very competitive game. If the Heels become a double-digit dog, they offer great value.
As for South Carolina, the Gamecocks have beaten Georgia in each of the past two seasons. But more important than that is the fact that the team Jenkins and USC lost to last Saturday?Virginia?played really well after having two games to find itself, much like North Carolina did last season. The Cavs used tough tussles with Colorado State and Florida State to emerge into a solid ballclub against Lou Holtz. Seeing what home cooking did for UVA will help Holtz to both motivate and criticize his troops to have them fired up for a Georgia team that played very nervous ball at home against Clemson. I love all the mental intangibles for South Carolina in this game.
Look at Darian Durant and Corey Jenkins, acknowledge their propensity for mistakes, but then see their talent and the enormous upside they have. Throw in home field, and they?along with their teams?become attractive selections this Saturday
