North Carolina Football: Two backs can’t be too much for UNC

As the week progresses and the North Carolina football fan base turns its attention towards Saturday, when UNC will host Idaho in their last non conference game of the season, in what is Military Appreciation Day at Kenan Stadium, there is a story line I am looking at. While there is no doubt that the team is progressing, and unlike other programs around the college football landscape Carolina does not have a quarterback controversy, one question has arisen on the offensive side of the ball: how can head coach Larry Fedora incorporate Romar Morris into the offense now that Giovani Bernard is back.

With Bernard on the sidelines Morris and A.J. Blue filled in quite well in his absence, with the redshirt freshman getting ACC Receiver of the Week after his great game against Top 25 Louisville. In that game Morris had 149 yds receiving, 23 yds rushing and 30 yds on kick returns. The young man also had two receiving touchdowns in that game against the Cardinals.

A week later, when North Carolina faced East Carolina at home, having Bernard back on the field, Morris went from being a major part of the offense to one that was basically non existent, rushing four times for 19 yds and grabbing a pass for another 12 yds in a game where the Tar Heel offense had a total of 450 yards.

Both Bernard, who had 45 catches last season and 8 this campaign, and Morris have shown they can catch the ball out of the back field. Having both of them on the field could do nothing but confuse the defense who would have to think on the fly about either a power run down the gut for UNC’s starting tail back, a wide run by its replacement, or a pass play where the backs can stay in to block for max protection, one go out or both. So, maybe better said, with the pair of backs in the game the offense would not regress.

There is no doubt in my mind that Bryn Renner would find either of the backs. In the games against Wake Forest Renner found eight different targets, as he did against ECU, while he found six team mates in the game against L’Ville. Proving that the young man under center can spread the ball around no matter who is on the field.

In the end too much talent is not a bad problem to have, how to manage it that all get into the offensive groove is. However, with Carolina being pretty thin at the wide receiver spot I am sure that the coaching staff will find a way to use Bernard, Morris and even Blue enough to make a difference during the games. With conference games looming just past Idaho the Tar Heels need as many offensive juggernauts as they can find in order to get through the second half of the season. Morris is without a doubt one of them.

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