Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL ó With a young quarterback and an experienced running back, James Hurst knows North Carolinaís offensive linemen will determine how well the Tar Heels move the ball this year.
ěObviously, thereís some pressure with it, but thatís what we wanted coming in,î said Hurst, a sophomore tackle. ěNow that thereís some attention, if you will, thereís more pressure and weíre going to try to live up to that and try to exceed everyoneís expectations for us.î
The Tar Heels have plenty to build around on the line with Hurst, guard Jonathan Cooper and center Cam Holland. Hurst started all but one game last year and earned freshman All-America honors from several outlets. Cooper, a junior, was a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference pick who started every game in 2010 and has 22 career starts. Holland, a senior, is entering his third year as the starting center and has 20 career starts.
North Carolinaís starters on the preseason depth chart all weigh more than 310 pounds, with Hurst, junior guard Travis Bond (three starts last year) and junior tackle Brennan Williams (played in 10 games in ë10) each at 6 feet, 7 inches. And with seemingly solid depth, offensive line coach Sam Pittman said thereís potential for the unit to have a strong year.
Pittman said the linemenís returning experience has allowed him to ětake it a little bit furtherî than just teaching fundamentals in training camp. Instead, the players can get in more advanced work to prepare for all the changing looks theyíll see from defenses in the regular season.
ěOne of the things about experience is a lot of guys already know the playbook,î Holland said. ěThey know what to do and know their assignments. That allows you to go out there every day and focus on technique and honing your skills. On top of that, if you have a good idea of the base offense, itís much easier to grasp the game plan as it changes from game to game.î
That unit will have to protect quarterback Bryn Renner, the sophomore likely to take over for four-year starter T.J. Yates despite having just two career pass attempts. It will also need to open running lanes for fifth-year tailback Ryan Houston, who redshirted last year and ran for 17 touchdowns in 2008 and 2009 ó mostly on short-yardage carries. But Renner said the line had more than held its own in early practices against a defensive line that includes NFL draft prospects Quinton Coples and Donte Paige-Moss.
ěIn these first … practices, Iíve never seen the offensive line like we have just explode off the ball and create holes,î Renner said. ěI canít say enough about them. Theyíre doing a fantastic job and I think theyíre only going to get better. I think my job is just to kind of stay out of the way this year: get the ball to (receiver) Dwight (Jones), hand off to Ryan, let the line take over and do my little role on the team.î
Still, the line will have to improve from last year in a few key areas. The Tar Heels didnít run the ball consistently last year and ranked 11th in the ACC (104th nationally) by allowing 37 sacks. Itís why Pittman cautions against expecting too much just yet.
ěWe havenít done anything yet on the field,î Pittman said. ěWe feel good about our unit as far as talent and experience go, but those particular five guys havenít necessarily played totally together a lot. Weíre just trying to make sure that we take care of each other, play as a unit, and that all five of us play hard and play well.î