UNC Receivers Exploit ECU Zone

Following his team's loss at Texas earlier this season, Bailey and the rest of North Carolina's wide receivers felt the heat when UNC coach John Bunting ripped the group for its lack of consistency.

All too often, the Tar Heels' wideouts couldn't find seams in their opponents' defenses. And all too often, the receivers dropped sure completions from quarterbacks Ronald Curry and Darian Durant.

The receiving corps had chances to shine in the team's 0-3 start, but it just wasn't happening for Bailey, Sam Aiken, Bosley Allen and Chesley Borders.

"It does a blow to your ego sometimes when you know you have the ability to play so well, and you're just not going out and getting it done," Bailey said. "We had opportunities in the Texas game and the Maryland game, and we weren't able to capitalize on those.

"We know that during the course of the game, you're not going to get an extremely large amount of plays, so you have to make them when you get the chance to."

Saturday against East Carolina, Bailey & Co. did just that, and it worked wonders for the Tar Heels' offense.

North Carolina set season records against the Pirates' mostly zone defense, racking up 412 yards of total offense, 278 of which came via the passing game.

The offensive outburst marked the third straight game in which the Tar Heels set a new season record for total offense.

In UNC's first three games, the offense averaged 257.7 yards per game. The Tar Heels have averaged 353.3 yards per game during their three-game winning streak.

Going into the ECU game, the Tar Heels' wideouts knew they'd have chances against the Pirates' cover-3 defense, a scheme that emphasizes the blitz but is susceptible to short passing routes in front of, or underneath, the defensive secondary.

"They were playing a really soft coverage," said Aiken, who reeled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Durant in the fourth quarter. "They were playing zone, so if you get in a open hole, you're wide open."

Curry and Durant had continued success finding their receivers in the gap between ECU cornerbacks and safeties. Bailey led the way for UNC with six catches for 95 yards, but Borders -- who played in just four games in 2000 -- was the biggest surprise, catching a career-high six passes for 83 yards and a second-quarter touchdown.

The Florida State game proved North Carolina's wideouts could stretch a defense, as Borders and Bailey caught 52- and 53-yard touchdown passes, respectively. The win against East Carolina showed how the receivers, and offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill, can adjust their styles to confound defenses.

"Everybody's getting on the same page," Durant said. "When everybody's on the same page, we're a clicking offense, and that's what happened the last couple of games."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.