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NCAA 2010 Top 25 Previews- #23 North Carolina

By Chris Marshall on | From atssportsblog.com

Last season North Carolina took another step forward under the guidance of third year head coach Butch Davis. The Tar Heels finished 8-5 overall and went 4-4 in the AAC. They had regular season wins over Miami (33-24) and Boston College (31-13) but finished the season on a disappointing note by losing to Pittsburgh 17-19 in the Meinke Car Care Bowl.

In Davis’s fourth season you can expect North Carolina to be even better as they return 10 starters on offense and have six All-Conference players returning on defense. When you add in some up and coming underclassmen to the equation, a 10 win season is well within their grasp in 2010.

T.Y. Yates returns as the Tar Heels starting quarterback. While his 2009 stats are modest at best (2,136 passing yards, 14 TD’s and 15 interceptions), as a senior he has experience on his side which should improve these numbers in 2010. His No.1 target in the passing game will be WR Greg Little, who led the team last season with 62 receptions for 724 yards. Also back are the second and third leading receivers from last year’s team; WR Erik Highsmith and TE Zach Pianalto. Another receiver to keep an eye on this year is sophomore Jheranie Boyd, who is coming off a solid spring.

The running game will be led by RB’s Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn. Houston led the team with 713 yards rushing in 2009 while Draughn added another 567.

The real strength of this Tar Heel team lies in their defense. DE Robert Quinn, a pre-season All American selection anchors the line, while two other potential All-Americans; CB Kendric Burney and FS Deunta Williams lead the secondary. Joining Quinn up front are Marvin Austin, Quinton Coples, and Tydreke Powell, giving North Carolina one of the more solid defensive fronts in the conference. North Carolina also has a solid core of linebackers led by All Conference players Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant.

All together this defense is shaping up to be one of the best in recent school memory and should be able to keep the game close against every team on their schedule.

The special teams features K Casey Barth, who was an All Conference selection last season and P Grant Schallock. In 2009 Barth connected on 21 of 25 field goal attempts, with his longest being from 42 yards out. He was also 34 of 35 on PAT’s.

North Carolina is currently plus 500 to win the ACC; tied with Clemson as the fourth favorite. Florida State and Miami are both at plus 250 and Virginia Tech is at plus 275 to win the conference. The Tar Heels are listed at plus 6000 to win the BCS title.

Post from: ATS Sports Blog

NCAA 2010 Top 25 Previews- #23 North Carolina

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