bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668
CHAPEL HILL -- When No. 22 North Carolina visits Georgia Tech today, it will be facing the Yellow Jackets' unique triple-option offense.
And if the Tar Heels hope to win their first ACC opener in eight years, they will have to find a way to slow down the main piece of that offense, 2008 ACC player of the year Jonathan Dwyer. The junior leads an offense that is ranked first in the ACC with 243.7 rushing yards per game.
"At any moment, he can just break away for a 70-, 80-yard run, so he's the key to their offense," UNC defensive end Robert Quinn said. "If he gets going, then it'll be a long day for us."
The Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-1) are coming off a 33-17 loss to Miami on Sept. 17 in which its offense was held to 95 rushing yards. Dwyer was slowed by a shoulder injury in that game, finishing with 7 rushing yards on five carries, but he is expected to return to the field today.
"Like all good running backs, he has great explosion and speed," UNC coach Butch Davis said. "You can't play the position he's playing, particularly, without being tough. He has proven that he's a very physical kid because he's one of the few running backs in college football that gets hit every single play, whether he has the ball or doesn't have the ball."
UNC beat Georgia Tech 28-7 a year ago in Chapel Hill, but Dwyer finished the game with 157 rushing yards. Most of that yardage came from an 85-yard touchdown run in the final six minutes of the game.
"He's got good vision," Davis said "We learned that the hard way when he hit that big home run play last year, when he saw the cut back and he immediately cut behind the tackles and cut behind the middle linebacker and took it to the house."
And while Georgia Tech boasts the top running attack in the conference, UNC (3-0) counters with the ACC's top running defense. The Tar Heels are giving up just 52.3 yards per game on the ground and are ranked third in scoring defense (11 points per game) and total defense (198.7 yards average).
"Defensively, North Carolina has eye-popping numbers," Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said earlier this week. "Anytime you give up less than 200 yards a game, I do not care who you are playing, that is pretty good."
Davis said the Tar Heels' defense will have to be disciplined against the dangerous triple option, and he's glad this isn't the first season UNC will be playing against the scheme. The Yellow Jackets put up 423 yards of offense a year ago, but the Tar Heels pulled out the victory.
Davis said the Yellow Jackets have added more wrinkles to the triple option this season, and Dwyer isn't the only threat. Junior Josh Nesbitt is a mobile quarterback who is ranked fourth in the ACC with 71 rushing yards per game. And while the Yellow Jackets have attempted just 42 passes in three games, they're averaging 24.2 yards per completion.
"There's a lot of moving parts to this offense, and you have to show respect to all of them," Davis said.
NOTES -- Wide receiver Josh Adams (shoulder) and offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper (ankle) are questionable for today's game. ... Linebacker Linwan Euwall (ankle) and cornerback LeCount Fantroy (thigh) are doubtful. ... Tight end's Ryan Taylor (knee) and Zack Pianalto and center Lowell Dyer (shoulder) are out of the game.
