April 7, 2008

3:30 p.m.
Spring practice for Butch Davis and the Tar Heels will culminate in today's scrimmage. The game was postponed from Saturday due to the threat of inclement weather. Conditions today are cool, but not as wet as the weekend.

4 p.m.
Not all of the Tar Heels are available for today's practice. Inactives and their injuries include:
LB Bruce Carter - knee
OT Kyle Jolly - foot
S Jonathan Smith - foot
OG Kevin Bryant - wrist
DE Darrius Massenburg - wrist
S Trimane Goddard - wrist
QB T.J. Yates - shoulder
LB Linwan Euwell - knee.

The game will get underway after stretching and warmups.

4:06 p.m.
T.J. Yates' recovery from shoulder surgery has given Mike Paulus and Cameron Sexton both opportunities to get reps with the first-team offense this spring. The two will have a chance to gain ground on the incumbent starter while he sits. The quarterbacks, as we speak, are running drills at the 25-yard line going toward the football center. The spring has also allowed Greg Little to work extensively with the first team at tailback. The rising sophomore took over the job late in 2007, and finished with 59 rushes for 300 yards. Johnny White has moved from tailback to cornerback, joining another former tailback, Richie Rich, who moved mid-season last fall.

4:10 p.m.
Speaking of tailbacks, Anthony Elzy is now getting reps at fullback, and just caught a Sexton pass from the position during a drill.

4:13 p.m.
The horn just sounded, and the entire team has gathered near mid-field. We may be about to get something underway.

4:16 p.m.
Jay Wooten put a a 35-yarder through the uprights. Reid Phillips' attempt from 40 yards just missed.

4:20 p.m.
Kickoff practice:Jay Wooten kicked off to Brandon Tate, who cut through the coverage team like a hot knife through butter, stopping at the 10. Cooter Arnold returned the next kick the same distance. We guess the coverage team hasn't been instructed to hit yet.

4:26 p.m.
Punt team now. Terrence Brown appears to be working on directional kicking.

4:28 p.m.
Walk-on punter Grant Schallock punted from the goal line to the 50.

4:30 p.m.
The second team defense will take on the second team offense, starting from the offense's 35.
Cam Sexton starts with a 14 yard hookup to Elzy, catching from fullback.
Ryan Houston then carried for four yards.
2nd down - Sexton scrambles for little to no gain, bringing up 3rd and 10.
3rd down - Sexton find Kenton Thornton at the 33 for an 18 yard gain.
1st and 10, 33 - Houston goes over the right side, cuts back and gains 18 more.
Ball at the 15 now. 1st and 10, 15 - Houston follows Elzy, then cuts to the middle for 8.
2nd and 2, 8 - Houston gets a few more for the first down.
1st and G, 3 - Houston is stopped for no gain.
2nd and G, Tate goes in motion, but the hand-off is to Houston, who plunges in for a score.
Scoring drive, 9 plays, 65 yards. We're supposed to go ten plays, so the offense goes for two. Brooks Foster takes an end-around hand-off, but he's stopped. Mike Paulus will bring the first-teamers against the first-team defense next.

4:38 p.m.
1-10, 35. Paulus over the middle to Tate for 11.
1-10, 46 - Little stopped by Quan Sturdivant for one yard.
2-9, 47 - Paulus's pass toward the right side is broken up by Sturdivant.
3rd and 9, 47 - Paulus in the shotgun, eludes a rusher and hits Nicks, who gets the ball down to the 30. Gain of 23.
1-10, 30 - Paulus under center now, and Little breaks through on the right for about four.
2-6, 26 - Play action to Tate is just enough for the first down.
1-10, 20 - Paulus under center again. Give is to Little, who goes right tackle for 8.
2-2, 12 - Little again, through the middle to the 5.
1-G, 5 - Little gets the carry for a score. Brooks Foster came around on what looked like it might be an end-around, but Little takes the ball in for six. Since the 2nd teamers went for two, so will this team.
Tate dances in thanks to a punishing block from Garrett Reynolds.Tate also gets his first penalty of 2008, for excessive celebration.

4:46 p.m.
Sexton is chased out of bounds by new-on-defense Vince Jacobs.
2-10, 35 - Sexton hits new receiver Cooter Arnold who drags Alex Crisp for the first down. Gain of 12.
1-10, 47 - Devon Ramsay is dragged down in the backfield by Jacobs.
Sexton under center, three step drop and his first incompletion on an intended pass for Thornton.
3-9, 46 - Sexton looks for Thornton deep, but it's broken up by Jabir Jones.
Since we've already practiced punts, Paulus's squad will take over. Both offenses are moving toward the Football Center, for what it's worth.

4:50 p.m.
1-10, 35 - Paulus is under center with Ramsay in the back field. Apparent sack by Chase Rice.
2-15, 30 - Paulus in shotgun. He hits Quentin Plair on a slant for a gain of 9.
3-6, 38 - flag on the field. Holding against the offense will back up Paulus.
Somehow it's first down now from the 30. 1-10, 30 - The give is to Ramsay, #45 who's out to the 42, tackled by #45, Alex Crisp.
We missed the next play, but Ramsay's across the 50.
1-10, 49 - Paulus drops and hits Arnold over the middle, down to the 35 for 14.
1-10, 35 - Paulsu finds Plair over the middle for 18, down to the 17, where he's met by Brian Gupton.
1-10, 17 - Paulus falls down. Loss of 3.
2-13, 20 - Ramsay gets 3 before Hayden Hunter wraps hism up.
3-10, 17 - Paulus in shotgun with Ramsay beside him. Flag for delay of game will back him up to the 22.
3-15, 22 - Paulus under center now. Thornton catches for 9. Not quite enough but they'll go for it.
4-1, 8 - Ramsay across the 5.
1-G, 5 - Ramsay is met by Tydreke Powell for a loss.
2-G, 10 - Ramsay from ten for the score.

5:01 p.m.
Reset. 1-10, 35 - Paulus back under center with Little in the back field. He takes the hand-off right for 4.
2-6, 39 - Little goes over left guard this time. He maybe got two.
3-3, 42 - Paulus in shotgun. Pump fake toward Nicks, then tries to hit #88 at about the 30, but Nicks can't hold on to it. First down again
1-10, 35 - We are thoroughly confused, but now it's first team vs. first team. Houston gets nine catching out of the backfield.
2-1, 44. Houston over the left side for the first down, gain of 3.
1-10, 47 - Houston is behind Paulus who is under center. They tried to give to Tate but it's a false start.
1-15, 42 - Houston through the middle for two.
2-13, 44 - Sack by Darius Powell.
3-17, 40 - Paulus in shotgun. Looks for Pianalto but the soft pass is behind Zack. First down now.
1-10, 35 - Houston carries for 19, trucking over Jordan Hemby, but it's coming back thanks to an illegal shift.
1-10, 35 - Houston over the right side for three. Sorry we're not getting you more defensive players, but it's hard to see in the pile of blue players.
2-7, 37 - Jumpball is caught by Nicks at the 17, between Deunta Williams and Da'Norris Searcy for 45 yards.
1-10, 17 - Houston stopped for loss of two.
2-12, 19 - Paulus right side to Nicks at the 11.
3-4, 11 - Paulus under center, goes through his checks and then overthrows Kenton Thornton in the end zone.
4-4, 11 - Paulus scrambles, then has a pass broken up by Chase Rice. It's good to see Chase back in action, after he lost most of 2007 due to ankle surgery.

5:14 p.m.
1-10, 35 - Sexton is back. Tavares Brown gets through for a quick sack. Loss of 6.
2-16, 29 - Sexton under center now. play action, finds Elzy who is down to the 43.
3-3, 42. Ramsay again. He gets about 7.
1-10, 49 - Kenton Thornton catches at the 45, where he's met by Johnny White.
2-3, 44 - Sexton escapes before throwing out of bounds, but a block in the back will negate the play and move the offense back. Only in practice, it's the ol' re-do.
2-3, 44 - Devon Ramsay is tackled by Wesley Flagg after a short gain. This offense will start over from the 35.

5:20 p.m.

1-10, 35 - Sexton hits Thornton near the 50 for 14.
1-10, 49 - False start.
1-15, 44 - Sexton under center with Rome and Ramsay. Ramsay is across the original line of scrimmage for 6. 2-9, 49 - Sexton fumbles and Wesley Flagg picks it up. Paulus's offense is takes over at the 45.

5:23 p.m.
1-10, 45 - Little takes the hand-off for two.
2-8, 49 - Paulus in shotgun with Little. He finds Tate at the 47. Gain of 4.
3-4, 47 - Paulus hits Nicks for 9.
1-10, 40 - Give is to Little, who's hit after a short gain.
2-8, 38 - Paulus under center now. Little finds some room by juking a linebacker and gets 15.
1-10, 24 - Penalty flag backs the offense up.
2-15, 28, Paulus gives to Little, who looks left but is met hard by Kendric Burney.
3-14, 27 - Paschal with the sack. They're not actually having to bring down the quarterback for a sack, by the way, so don't worry too much about the health of the Carolina signal-callers.

5:30 p.m.
Sexton's group begins at the 45. He hits Elzy for 24 out of the backfield.
1-10, 31. Elzy with the carry across the 30. 2-8, 29 - Sexton under center now. Elzy gets maybe four.
3-4, 25 - Sexton calls a time out from shotgun.
After the timeout, Sexton is met by Tydreke Powell for a sack.
4-4, 24 - Sexton is intercepted in the end zone by Tavorris Jolly. Intended receiver was Kenton Thornton.

5:34 p.m.
Looks like some goal-line practice now. We're trying 2-G from the 3 - Paulus's play-action pass looking for Rome is broken up by Mark Paschal.
3-G, 2 - Elzy met in the backfield by Greg Elleby.
4-G, 1 - Elzy plunges in over the left guard.

5:37 p.m.
Sexton's group will take some goal-line snaps.
1-G, 4 - Houston gets down to the 1, bouncing off and through players like he does.
2-G, 3 - Houston down to the 1 again, this time off left tackle.
3-G, 2 - You've figured out that they are just going through reps now. Devon Ramsay is in standing up.
4-G, 2 - Sexton just gets in off a play fake, and that will wrap up today's practice, and spring practice for the Tar Heels. Thanks for checking out today's action. We're headed downstairs for some audio, so look for player interviews on TarHeelBlue.Com later tonight.