task of replacing Brown. The Tar Heels also lost tackle Willie McNeill from the line, but sixth-year senior Skip Seagraves was the obvious replacement, making center the only spot on the offensive
line that features an inexperienced
player.
Two candidates with little experience
at center emerged almost out of necessity as North Carolina entered training camp this summer:
Bell and sophomore Ben Lemming.
The veteran Bell started the last two games of 2004 at guard, while Lemming was in the rotation at tackle during his freshman campaign.
Switching from guard or tackle to center is a challenging
undertaking,
even though Brown - who played his freshman
season at tackle - made it look easy during his three-year run.
First, a center has to adjust to snapping the ball back to the quarterback before looking up to face the 300-pound behemoth charging at him. And, by the way, instead of lining up two feet away from another lineman, that behemoth
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crouches a mere six inches from the center before the ball is snapped.
"They're firing off," Bell said. "All they want to do is blow up the center. You have to have control of your body a little bit better."
The battle between Bell and Lemming remained heated throughout camp, with Bunting refusing to name a starter in the final week before the opener at Georgia Tech.
Bell eventually earned the start, but ended up playing much more than he had expected.
The senior played 64 snaps in Atlanta, although he had never played a down at center in his career. Bell was thrust into heavy action after Lemming injured his shoulder during the Tar Heels' second offensive series. Instead of stopping play, Lemming decided to just sprint off the field, unbeknownst
to his coaches - and to Bell.
"I see him just thundering at me and Coach (Bunting yelled): 'Bell! Bell!' just screaming," he said. "So I just grabbed my helmet and threw it on and sprinted
out there. I had to get the call at the line of scrimmage."
Lemming is out again this week, leaving another untested
reserve - Arthur Smith - as Bell's backup until Lemming's as yet unannounced return.
Despite getting more action than he expected against the Jackets, Bunting said Bell filled in admirably.
"Steven played pretty well last week," said Bunting at his Tuesday press conference. "For starting his first game and playing the entire game, that's pretty good."
Though Bell might have been good in Bunting's eyes, the offensive line left something to be desired last Saturday against the Yellow Jackets.
Open holes were few and far between for the Tar Heel rushing attack - North Carolina rushed for a measly
61 yards in the game. In addition, Baker was sacked twice for 27 yards and rushed into inaccurate throws several more times - including the game's decisive interception.
With more repetitions, however, Bell said the unit should improve, since playing on the line requires excellent chemistry.
"It's one of those things where you have to know what the person next to you is probably going to do without saying anything," he said. "How he's going to block, how he's going to respond to the situation."
How Bell and his line respond will set the tone for the offense - and the Tar Heels' season as well.
