Aug. 16, 2007

By Turner Walston

It's been said that football is a game won "in the trenches." If that's true, perhaps it helps explain why the Tar Heels managed just three wins in 2006. The team finished last in the ACC in run defense, allowing 172.8 yards per game on the ground. That was good enough for 100th among NCAA Division I-A teams. The Tar Heels also had just 23 sacks, placing them 10th in the ACC, ahead of only Maryland and Duke.

The 2007 defensive line aims to change that. Senior defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer said the unit has higher expectations for themselves than perhaps those outside the program.

"I think we're a lot better than what they're predicting us as a unit," he said. "I think we all have got something to prove as a team, because I don't think we're a 3-9 team."

Head coach Butch Davis said the wealth of talent along the defensive line means a lot of players could see the field.

"I think (defensive line coach) John Blake is blessed in the sense that we've got a lot of guys," Davis told reporters this week. "I think that that's one of the real fortunate things about this team is that you'll see legitimately as few as seven, and maybe as many as 10 guys play almost every single Saturday."

Seniors Kyndraus Guy, Hilee Taylor and Balmer return as starters along the defensive line. Taylor is the only returnee to have started all 12 games as a junior, at defensive end. Guy, who missed spring practice and continues to work his way back into shape, started the first four games of the 2006 season at right defensive tackle, with Balmer taking over for the final eight.

Joining them in the rotation are promising newcomers like true freshman Marvin Austin and redshirt freshman Darrius Massenburg. Sophomores E.J. Wilson, Cam Thomas and Tavares Brown hope to increase their contributions from 2006. Aleric Mullins practiced but did not play as a freshman last season.

Taylor said the seniors know they set an example for the young faces.

"We just go out there and help them and try to make it as fun as possible," he said. "If a guy's down on himself, we try to pick him up."

But the seniors themselves are adjusting to a new scheme under Blake and defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.

"It can be a little frustrating at first," Balmer said. "The terminology's going to be different, and every coach wants something different out of his players." However, the coaching staff has helped ease the transition, he said.

"They've been willing to work with us just like we've been willing to work with them, and I think it's going to be a positive effect in the long run."

The returning players used spring workouts as their learning period, and this fall have focused on improvement. Taylor said the goal is simple: now that they understand the scheme, it will be a matter of simple reaction rather than over-thinking every movement.

With so much of the battle of a football game being fought in the trenches, the players know that the defensive line serves as a foundation for the rest of the defense.

"We open up the holes for the linebackers and the safeties," Taylor said, like an offensive line opening up holes for running backs.

Davis said everyone along the defensive line has a specific role, and that allows for versatility on the roster.

"They'll have a role where guys can go out there and help us and play and compete and I think it'll keep them fresh," he said. "I think it'll keep them competitive, and by the same token, we're going to need them, to be a good defense."