Tar Heels at glance

2001 schedule Aug. 25 at Oklahoma Sept. 1 at Maryland Sept. 8 at Texas Sept. 15 vs. SMU Sept. 22 vs. Florida State Sept. 29 at N.C. State Oct. 6 vs. East Carolina Oct. 13 vs. Virginia Oct. 20 at Clemson Nov. 1 at Georgia Tech Nov. 10 vs. Wake Forest Nov. 17 vs. Duke 2000 results (6-5, 3-5 ACC) Tulsa W 30-9 at Wake Forest W 35-14 at Florida State L 63-14 Marshall W 20-15 Georgia Tech L 42-28 N.C. State L 38-20 Clemson L 38-24 at Virginia L 17-6 at Pittsburgh W 20-17 Maryland W 13-10 at Duke W 59-21

OFFENSE
Offensively, the Tar Heels will be looking for a breakthrough year from talented but inconsistent senior QB Ronald Curry. One of the problems has been a lack of continuity. Curry will be working with his third offensive coordinator in four years, with Gary Tranquill now directing the attack. By the way, the Tar Heels appear to have a bright young QB prospect to develop as the heir apparent to Curry. Freshman Matt Baker will be given the opportunity to compete right away for the No. 2 job, allowing him the necessary reps to be prepared to take over next season.

Curry has plenty of weapons to throw to as well as a competent, albeit unspectacular, running game. At tailback, the primary headliner is sophomore Willie Parker, but also in the mix are sophomores Andre' Williams and Brandon Russell. Russell played baseball in the spring, so he'll enter fall practice looking to do some catching up. Talented freshman Jacque Lewis -- a 5-11, 188-pounder with exciting potential -- could also make an impact.

The Tar Heels are in excellent shape at wide receiver. Junior Bosley Allen is the go-to option, with Sam Aiken and Kory Bailey also providing good targets for Curry. The concern is tight end, where UNC must adequately replace Alge Crumpler and Dauntae Finger, both of whom are now in the NFL. Senior Doug Brown is the starter going into fall practice, but you can expect highly regarded freshman Brian Chacos (6-5, 253) to get a long look; he could provide an immediate impact.

On the offensive line, the Tar Heels return just one starter, senior center Adam Metts. Four inexperienced sophomores will be operating at the guard and tackle spots.

DEFENSE
The Tar Heels' strength is up front on defense, highlighted by dominating DE Julius Peppers. The gifted fourth-year junior is now at 285 pounds and rising after working out diligently this summer with his focus strictly on football. Remember, UNC basketball has been a major part of the equation with Peppers.

Last season, Peppers led the nation with 15 sacks and should be a one-man wrecking crew this season. That's because the opposition also has to deal with seniors Ryan Sims and Joey Evans. Operating at DT, Sims recorded six sacks last season and has the potential to take his performance to a new level in 2001. Evans has shown flashes of big-time ability, but he needs to develop more consistency.

The graduation loss of Sedrick Hodge and Brandon Spoon figures to cause a dropoff at linebacker, but Merceda Perry is back from the injury list. He went down early last year with an ankle injury. In addition, senior OLB Quincy Monk has been a solid and underrated performer in the ACC. Taking over at MLB will be junior Robert Harris, a former walk-on who has seen only spot duty in the past.

In the secondary, there is plenty of experience and depth. At cornerback, Errol Hood was spectacular as a sophomore (11 pass breakups, five interceptions) and OK last season, but not up to his previous level. If he performs like he did in '99, the Tar Heels could have a shut-down cover man. At the other CB spot is junior Michael Waddell. Sophomore FS Dexter Reid has shown star quality, while senior SS Billy-Dee Greenwood has been a starter since his redshirt freshman season in '98 but needs to become a more reliable tackler. UNC is fortunate to have quality reserves in the deep patrol, led by junior FS DeFonte Coleman.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Half of the kicking game is in excellent shape. Senior Jeff Reed is coming off a 2000 campaign that saw him rank as one of the more reliable field-goal kickers in the country. He connected on 16-of-20 field goals (including a 48-yarder) and didn't miss a PAT. The punting situation, however, must show major improvement. Sophomore Blake Ferguson averaged just 36.9 yards last season.

Overview: Bunting knew going in that the schedule was brutal yet still opted to play Oklahoma on Aug. 25, figuring the Tar Heels can benefit from having to raise their performance level against the defending national champions. The hope is that slugging it out with OU in Norman will assist the Tar Heels in future road battles this season against Texas, Clemson and Georgia Tech (plus a home game vs. Florida State). And how about this for a demanding schedule: After three straight road games to open the season, UNC has a stretch of six consecutive games from Sept. 22 to Nov. 1 against teams that played in the postseason last year.

Offensively, the key performer is QB Curry. He has talent and has shown glimpses of star quality but needs to achieve consistency on a game-to-game basis. The running game should be solid, with Lewis a young freshman to watch closely. There is ability at WR, led by a difference-maker in Allen. The concern, though, is at TE and on the O-line, which returns just one starter and is comprised of four sophomores. TE Brown and talented freshman Chacos have to pick up the slack for the loss of Crumpler and Finger to the NFL.