A point of concern

Immediately after the game ended, the Kenan Stadium scoreboard reset to where it began Saturday, boasting a 0-0 score between Carolina and Wisconsin with 15 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

North Carolina's offense could have used that do-over.

The Tar Heels proved unable to muster any semblance of an attack until the game's waning moments, falling 14-5 to Wisconsin. The defeat leaves the Tar Heels (0-2) needing a significant turnaround if they hope to match last season's total of six wins.

While the Badgers (3-0) came into the contest having scored a whopping 121 points in their first two games, it was their defense that kept their record perfect Saturday.

Even though UW surrendered 338 yards to the Tar Heels, UNC's offense could not penetrate the Wisconsin 24-yard line until many of the blue-clad fans had already begun to head for the exit.

UNC's attack had myriad problems - penalties, dropped balls, poorly thrown passes and a running game that was nearly nonexistent for the second of as many games.

Unlike last year, when UNC's running back triumvirate of Jacque Lewis, Ronnie McGill and Chad Scott averaged 161 yards per game, this year's duo of Cooter Arnold and Barrington Edwards has failed to establish a ground attack.

They combined for 50 yards in the season opener against Georgia Tech and barely upped that to 55 Saturday. Edwards had 37 yards on 11 carries, while Arnold mustered 18 yards on seven attempts.

"If we don't run the ball better than we did today and last week, we're not going to win very many football games," said quarterback Matt Baker. "What we did out there (Saturday) is not going to cut it."

Baker did not fare much better than his backfield, completing 16 of 37 passes. The quarterback also gave Tar Heel fans a scare when he could not get up after a hit by UW linebacker LaMarr Watkins early in the fourth quarter.

Baker missed a play, as backup QB Joey Bozich took his first-career snap under center, but the senior quickly returned to the field despite being hobbled by bruised ribs.

"I couldn't breathe at all for about a minute out there," Baker said. "And then the ribs hurt. Then, I got hit twice more after that, and that made it feel a little bit worse."

The offense was also hobbled by a couple of crucial incompletions.

The first came early in the second quarter - with the Tar Heels facing a third-and-long from the Wisconsin 35.

Baker dropped back and dropped a perfect throw into the hands of receiver Jesse Holley, who had reached the end zone after running a post route. The pass fell threw the junior's hands and hit the blue-and-white grass.

Later, fellow receiver Wallace Wright foiled another opportunity, an incompletion that essentially assured a Badger victory.With UNC trailing by 11 and facing a fourth-and-one with five minutes to play, Baker found Wright wide open in the flat. Though the pass was low, Wright could not secure the football.

"You have to make plays," head coach John Bunting said of his receiving corps. "I've been thinking that we have an elite group in this ACC, and to date we're not making enough plays with our wideouts."

The Badger offense - deemed "bludgeon ball" by Bunting earlier last week - methodically handed the ball to star back Brian Calhoun. The junior tallied 171 yards on the ground, 40 of which came on two consecutive fourth-quarter plays.

The two big runs left the Badgers, who led 7-3, needing 18 yards to extend their lead to 11.

And four plays later, Calhoun found a hole on the right side of the field stretching to the end zone, giving Wisconsin its first points since an eight-yard Calhoun touchdown run late in the first quarter.

And it could get even worse for the Tar Heels, as Bunting announced Sunday that starting linebacker Doug Justice likely will be out for the year with a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

But despite the defeat, the injury and Calhoun's impressive yardage total, the defense kept the team in the game, a rare sight after UNC's well-documented defensive woes of the past three years.

"We stopped that run," said tackle Kyndraus Guy. "We played good ball. What they have, 60 points average a game? We held them to 14. That's - good right now. We're loving that."

But heading into a crucial showdown next weekend at N.C. State, the Tar Heels would love a victory even more - and desperately need one.

 

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.