What we learned from the UNC spring football game in the rain
North Carolina coach Mack Brown noticed running back Ty Chandler mumbling the words to the fight song after Saturday’s spring football game. He’ll have to learn it by the time fall camp rolls around, but he appears to have figured out everything else.
Chandler gained the separation Brown has mentioned throughout spring practice where a spot in the rotation has yet to be claimed. The graduate transfer from Tennessee took his snaps with the first team offense during their scrimmage in Kenan Stadium on Saturday. He was in the middle of the entire team breakdown after warmups. He seems to be fitting in like he’s played in Chapel Hill all along.
“I am really, really impressed with Ty Chandler, as a person, a leader, he fit in, he’s made the transition well,” Brown said.
Fit is as important as talent for the Tar Heels as they attempt to jump from good to great next season. Michael Carter and Javonte Williams both weren’t just 1,000-yard rushers that they lost to the NFL. They were great teammates who didn’t complain about splitting carries almost evenly with each other.
Finding the right fit
In Brown’s search to replace them, Chandler will factor big into the equation, and Brown said he’d like to have two more backs that he feels comfortable using when fall camp concludes. Based on the spring game performances, the race for the next two slots will be one of the most intense of fall camp.
Quarterback Sam Howell said he really didn’t know what to expect at running back because aside from Chandler, the group is largely inexperienced. But now he believes he knows the strengths of each one.
“We were really pleased coming out of 15 practices with what we have (at running back),” Howell said. “We were kind of unsure what that room was going to look like going in spring ball.”
Chandler only had two carries for 10 yards. D.J. Jones was the only other back to take snaps with the first-team offense. He finished with 11 yards on five carries and a score.
Caleb Hood and Josh Henderson had arguably the best outings, gaining 35 and 33 yards, respectively, and averaging more than 5 yards per carry. Carolina’s spring game format never pitted its first-team offense against its first-team defense, so Hood and Henderson’s runs came against the first-team defense.
Elijah Green and British Brooks combined for 16 carries and will be competing for a spot in the rotation.
“Coach (Larry) Porter and I have our hands full, trying to figure out, like the backup quarterbacks, how do we get that room separated?” Brown said. “… Because we can’t practice six backs. We’re gonna have to get it down to three, probably when we come back to get started in the fall. But it’s a good problem because they’re all good.”
The Tar Heels believe they have enough pieces in place to be great though. Brown is pleased with the overall depth he said they have built during spring drills, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. It’s something they don’t take for granted this year after having COVID-19 cancel their spring practices a year ago.
“This is a stepping-stone to the season, the foundation we build to our season, to where we want to be,” linebacker Eugene Asante said. “We know what we can do. We saw what we can do last season. But let’s be better and transcend and take it to the next level, and spring practice has certainly helped.”
Looking good
The steady rain during Saturday’s game kept both offenses from throwing a lot of passes. The search for Howell’s backup didn’t bring any clarity through the spring. Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye threw a combined 11 passes with the longest completion coming on Maye’s 11-yarder to Kobe Paysour.
With Howell under center, it looked a lot like it did last season despite the losses of Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome to the NFL draft.
Howell, who was 6-for-10 for 118 yards and a touchdown, completed two passes of more than 40 yards. Josh Downs hauled in a difficult, over-the-shoulder catch for a 48-yard strike after dropping the first pass thrown his way. Emery Simmons emerged from a crowded area for a 44-yard completion with Downs and two defenders surrounding him.
Antoine Green, who rounded out the receivers on the first team, caught a pair of passes, including a 13-yard fade route for a score.
Those three will certainly be in the mix, but Khafre Brown and Beau Corrales will be back competing for starting spots in the fall. Brown was out with a lower-body injury. Corrales could have played but was held out as a precaution.
“What we’ve got right now is a lot of really good players there,” Mack Brown said. “We’ve got to figure out who those great ones are that can help us win every game.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2021 at 9:20 PM with the headline "What we learned from the UNC spring football game in the rain."