UNC Scouting Report

[Ruger7mmmag]

Brown, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's often HOTTER actually NORTH of Tampa during the dog days of summer.  At least in Tampa, you usually get rain frequently or a breeze off the gulf.  I have family still down there and many times when they come up here (mobile, al) they are surprised thinking it would be cooler bc they drove 400 miles north, but that's not the case.

If it was a northern team, I may buy into it, but anyone in the SE is going to be heat conditioned.  The fact is, whoever's defense is left on the field for long periods of time is going to wilt in this heat no matter who you are.  Want evidence?  Look at how the Bucs got creamed all last year despite this "heat advantage" by teams from farther north.

Whoever gets the most 3 and outs on defense is going to have a huge advantage saturday.

[usfbullscountry]

http://cfn.scout.com/2/650788.html

North Carolina (1-2) at South Florida (2-0)    12:00 PM ESPN2

Why to watch: Okay, South Florida, now that the rest of the nation knows who you are, can you keep the momentum going and win with a big, fat target on your chest?  When we last saw the Bulls two weeks ago, they were shocking Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in a landmark win that propelled the program into the Top 25.  With the Tigers now in the rear view mirror and a visit from West Virginia just six days away, the young team needs to avoid a letdown in a dangerous sandwich game with North Carolina.  The Tar Heels are learning their way under Butch Davis, losing the last two to East Carolina and Virginia by a combined five points and showing more competitiveness than in recent years.  With a new direction and a ton of fresh faces, such as rookie QB T.J. Yates getting reps, North Carolina is headed, well, north, even if it’s not evident in the standings.

Why North Carolina might win: In what should be a low-scoring game, Yates is quickly developing into the type of quarterback that can keep his team in the hunt, especially against a South Florida offense that lacks a knockout punch.  The freshman has thrown three touchdown passes in each of the Heels’ three games, and is flanked by a terrific set of receivers.  Even against Elon, the Bulls failed to reach the 30s, leaving them vulnerable to an improving North Carolina offense.

Why South Florida might win: If DE George Selvie and the sack-happy Bull defense don’t do in the Tar Heels on Saturday, turnovers will.  Consistent with its youth, North Carolina is losing the always critical turnover battle this season, a big reason the team hasn’t been able to pull out the last two close games.  South Florida, on the other hand, is loaded with ball hawks, and is currently No. 4 in the country in turnover margin.  After watching Virginia RB Cedric Peerman rip Carolina for 186 yards last Saturday, the Bulls are going to administer a heavy dose of freshman RB Mike Ford.

Who to watch: The chess match between the Tar Heel receivers and the veteran Bull secondary ought to be fantastic, and go a long way to determining the outcome of the game.  While Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, and Brooks Foster form Carolina’s best pass-catching trio in years, they’re going to hit a brick wall that features top-flight corners Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins, and Nate Allen, a budding star at free safety.

What will happen: As hard as Jim Leavitt tries to keep USF focused on the task at hand, don’t discount the danger of a look-ahead game.  The Bulls will start slow before QB Matt Grothe lights their fuse, and Carolina’s youth and inconsistency once again prevents an upset.

CFN Prediction: South Florida 28 ... North Carolina 16 ... Line: South Florida -13.5

Must See Rating: (5 Curb Your Enthusiasm - 1 Kid Nation) ... 2.5       

UNC beating the spread? Hopefully CJL opens up the offense to prove the nation wrong

[Bullpride08]

Brown, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's often HOTTER actually NORTH of Tampa during the dog days of summer.  At least in Tampa, you usually get rain frequently or a breeze off the gulf.  I have family still down there and many times when they come up here (mobile, al) they are surprised thinking it would be cooler bc they drove 400 miles north, but that's not the case.

If it was a northern team, I may buy into it, but anyone in the SE is going to be heat conditioned.  The fact is, whoever's defense is left on the field for long periods of time is going to wilt in this heat no matter who you are.  Want evidence?  Look at how the Bucs got creamed all last year despite this "heat advantage" by teams from farther north.

Whoever gets the most 3 and outs on defense is going to have a huge advantage saturday.

Ruger during the humid summer a lot of it has to do with altitude as well as geographic location.  Charleston, SC is probably hotter and more humid then all of central and NC FL, but that's because it sits at sea level, and is surrounded by water.  Chapel Hill, on the other hand is about 300 miles north.  I've been to the Raleigh/Durham area tons.  It gets humid, it gets hot but not day-in and day-out quite like FL gets.

With that being said you are right that it is going to be critical on which defense has the most early success to determine who gets wore out quicker.  I will say our defense is slightly bigger, and deeper, and given the weather situation it would probably take them slightly longer to get wore out if it's a real hot day.  But I certainly don't want to test the theory.

[Ruger7mmmag]

Bien, you know more than me on UNCs location so I'll yield to you on that one, but I think the main point I'm making is the advantage of where you're from is less than who stays out there longer.  We could be playing a team from Alaska, but if we're the ones on the field all day, we'll be the ones cramping up.

If we can get some 3 and outs so our DBs can stay fresh, then there's alot less likely chance one of those speedy WRs slip by one of our guys for a big play.

[BrownBullsFan]

Brown, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's often HOTTER actually NORTH of Tampa during the dog days of summer.  At least in Tampa, you usually get rain frequently or a breeze off the gulf.  I have family still down there and many times when they come up here (mobile, al) they are surprised thinking it would be cooler bc they drove 400 miles north, but that's not the case.

If it was a northern team, I may buy into it, but anyone in the SE is going to be heat conditioned.  The fact is, whoever's defense is left on the field for long periods of time is going to wilt in this heat no matter who you are.  Want evidence?  Look at how the Bucs got creamed all last year despite this "heat advantage" by teams from farther north.

Whoever gets the most 3 and outs on defense is going to have a huge advantage saturday.

I can agree with you on that it gets really hot up in NC but I just can't see that they get the kind of Heat Indexes we do.  While we might have the same temperature, we are usually about 15 degrees hotter because of the humidity.  Regardless, last years Bucs couldn't have been saved by the heat anyway because they couldn't tackle. lol

[BigShoop]

How many sacks have they given up? Special teams?

[CousinRicky]

I love Jenkins, Williams and Allen in the defensive backfield, but these guys aren't perfect.  Anyone else notice the Auburn QB missing a couple of wide open targets deep down the middle?  And Trae bites on the stop and go move a bit more than I care to see.  Again, overthrown balls helped avert disaster.  Friends up in NC tell me that their receivers are for real. 

Go BULLS !!!  Finish Strong!!!