One week after slugging it out against Georgia Tech and the triple option it's about to get dramatically more interesting for the North Carolina secondary.
Meet Darrius Heyward-Bey.
At 6 feet 3 inches and 206 pounds" the junior Maryland receiver stands as the biggest challenge for a UNC road victory Saturday.
""Heyward-Bey … is one of those guys that kind of takes your breath away"" coach Butch Davis said during Monday's news conference. The jailbreak screen that he caught against Virginia Tech … just electrifying speed.""
On that play" Heyward-Bey grabbed a short pass from quarterback Chris Turner and sprinted up field toward the end zone. Heyward-Bey isn't the type to lose a footrace — touchdown Terrapins.
But it's not as though these sort of moments have been rarities for the Silver Spring Md. native this season.
Through nine games he's caught a team-high 30 passes for 496 yards and five touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. Not necessarily the gaudiest of numbers but Heyward-Bey's resume has no shortage of highlights and he's playing his best football of late.
In the past three games he has 18 receptions and two scores showing what can happen when he combines his mismatching size with game-breaking speed.
That mix sums up the problem facing the Tar Heel secondary.
Play Heyward-Bey close to the line and UNC runs the risk of getting beat deep over the top. Give the Maryland receiver a 12-yard cushion" and there's the chance he'll make a defender miss and break into the open field.
""He'll be the top receiver that we've faced all year" North Carolina cornerback Kendric Burney said before Tuesday's practice.
He has the build of a big-time receiver and he has the speed of a slot receiver. I definitely got to be ready" and my other corners — we've definitely got to be ready.""
That shouldn't be a problem for Burney and the rest of the UNC secondary.
They had a break from coverage last week against the Yellow Jackets"" when the game plan centered on stopping the run. Burney said that he's happy the Georgia Tech game's in the past and that he's eager to ""get back to the business of covering.""
It just so happens the receiver waiting to welcome Burney & Co. back to reality is the kind of big and fast receiver normally seen on Sundays in the NFL — not Saturdays in the ACC.
""As the pro scouts have come through here" they've talked about different guys in the ACC" Davis said Monday. He's one of the guys that comes up all the time as a future high-round draft choice.""
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
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Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
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