Cornerback Storm Duck returns to secondary rotation at perfect time for UNC
Cornerback Storm Duck tried returning to North Carolina’s lineup against Virginia on Sept. 18 because it had been long enough. But it wasn’t quite long enough.
He missed 12 games in-between, the equivalent of a full season, since he suffered a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter of the Tar Heels’ 26-22 win at Boston College on Oct. 3, 2020. But after making that brief appearance against the Cavaliers, he knew he still wasn’t ready. Duck said he just wasn’t comfortable in what he could do.
Duck feels different this time after taking the field in Carolina’s 58-55 win over Wake Forest on Saturday. He played more than 40 snaps for the first time since Carolina’s season-opening win against Syracuse in 2020. He was locked in coverage with Wake’s A.T. Perry on a critical fourth-down stop with less than 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“Not being able to play for that long was hard, but the mindset I have is there’s always someone in the world that has it worse than you,” Duck said. “You can’t just sit down and complain about it. You just got to keep moving on with life.”
Duck didn’t play in the spring game and had a setback in the summer that threw off his recovery time. That’s why freshman linebacker Power Echols said it was, “a beautiful thing,” to watch Ducks’ return to action after watching him work so hard to get back.
“It means everything; he’s a spark on the defense for sure,” Echols said. “He sure did bring the juice out when we was out there and had me hype on a few plays. Just seeing him bat some balls down, it was real fulfilling to see.”
Duck was a starter in 2019 as a freshman and entered last season considered by most to be the Tar Heels’ best cornerback. UNC coach Mack Brown said he’s not too far off form now. Brown didn’t know Duck was going to play because even last week, he was still limited in what he could do in practice.
“It’s really amazing how well he played after not playing for nearly two years,” Brown said. “And I’m proud for him. It also shows how talented he is, because he had no practice.”
Duck credited assistant strength and conditioning coach A.J. Blue for helping Duck get back to playing shape. But it wasn’t just about the mechanics of working out and doing drills. Blue, a former UNC running back who was a team captain in 2013, could relate to what Duck was having to endure.
Blue was coming off his best individual season in 2012 as a junior when he rushed for 433 yards and nine touchdowns. But his senior year wasn’t as productive and then he got injured, too. It’s why Blue has been a good sounding board for Duck.
“He does everything, mentally, physically — everything,” Duck said. “He’s one of the best in the nation, and I’ve been blessed to work with him. I talk to him about pretty much everything. He just keeps my mind straight.”
Duck’s timing was sorely needed for the Tar Heels (5-4, 3-3 ACC) as they travel to face No. 25 Pitt (7-2, 4-1) on Thursday. UNC was down to just starters Tony Grimes and Kyler McMichael as cornerbacks with experience.
The school announced last week Don Chapman was injured during the Notre Dame loss and will miss the rest of the season. Chapman made his first start against the Irish in place of McMichael.
Reserve cornerback Dae Dae Hollins was injured earlier and was ruled out the remainder of the season after he played in the win over Georgia State.
“Storm is an elite player; we’re a lot better when he plays,” UNC co-defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said. “It allowed us to rest Tony some and allowed us to rest Kyler some, which made them more effective. You always want to be able to play with three guys if you can.”
Especially facing yet another top quarterback in Kenny Pickett. Like UNC quarterback Sam Howell, Pickett was named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award that honors the nation’s top quarterback. Pickett ranks third nationally with 29 passing touchdowns and is averaging 379 total yards per game.
“Storm is an absolute savior coming in at this time of the year,” Brown said. “We were down the two corners that have any experience at all. So this is a huge lift for us the last three games.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Cornerback Storm Duck returns to secondary rotation at perfect time for UNC."