Chapel Hill, N.C. — The past two seasons, the North Carolina football program had a cadre of touchdown-snagging receivers who allowed coaches to flip through their playbook and pick any variety of routes.
With Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster now all gone to the NFL, it hasn’t been that simple for the Tar Heels and their current younger and less experienced group of receivers.
“We haven’t tried to trick anybody about this,” UNC coach Butch Davis said. “We’ve made this statement since Aug.1, that [with] this group of young receivers, it is going to be a baptism under fire. They’re going to gain a little bit of confidence, a little bit of experience, a little bit of exposure. Hopefully each week, they will continue to improve.”
UNC receivers coach Charlie Williams said the receivers are developing, slowly but surely, into a dependable unit. The playbook remains wide open, Williams said, but coaches are aware of the group’s limitations. Two of them — Joshua Adams, who has started the first two games, and Erik Highsmith — were playing high school football this time last season.
“We could just dial up a pass play the last two years and Hakeem Nicks or Brandon Tate or Brooks Foster was going to make the play,” Williams said. “We’re still going to dial them up but it’s a growing experience. We’ll take our shots a lot more selectively than we did the last two years.”
Junior Greg Little had a career-best eight catches for 45 yards in the Tar Heels’ win over Connecticut and added five more catches last weekend against East Carolina. Little, a converted running back, is UNC’s most experienced receiver. With sophomore Dwight Jones, a projected starter, recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, junior Johnny White, Adams, Highsmith and redshirt freshman Todd Harrelson round out the receiver corps.
“We make no excuses ... for this group, regardless if they are freshmen, sophomores or juniors,” Williams said. “The bottom line is productivity. ... When we throw the ball, they are expected to catch the ball. When we run, they are expected to block.”
Thus far the Tar Heels have posted 52 receptions for 632 yards. Little, who entered the season with just 24 career catches, already he has 15 receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Tight end Zack Pianalto proved to be a reliable target in the opener with Connecticut, making seven catches for 87 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown before he injured himself in celebration of the TD. He dislocated the subtalar joint in his right foot and will miss up to a month.
Pressed into action after the injuries to Pianalto and Jones, the Heels’ young receivers recently have shown more consistency after changing their practice habits. Each practice, receivers strive for 200 catches per day. When the special teams take the field, receivers stand on the sidelines catching balls from a machine.
Dropped passes are charted and players judge themselves harshly for each one.
“That’s the highest penalty that can be asked. ‘Does it bother you when you drop it?’ ” Little said. “That’s going to make us better. Guys want the ball in their hands. They want to make a difference. They want to contribute.”
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