2008 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Preview

2008 North Carolina Tar Heels season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official North Carolina Tar Heels football preview as well as the 2008 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Schedule. When betting on college football against the bookmakers odds dont dismiss our NCAA football picks to help build your bankroll this year.

Coach: Butch Davis (2nd year at North Carolina)
Team Name: Tar Heels
2007 Overall Record: 4-8
Returning Starters: 18

The North Carolina Tar Heels (4-8 overall, 3-5 ACC) finished in fourth-place in the ACC Coastal. Over the past five seasons, the Tar Heels have been to only one bowl game, while averaging just 5.5 wins per season. This year should prove to be different.

The offense brings back eight of 11 starters, including sophomore quarterback T.J. Yates (365 ATT, 218 COMP, 2,655 YDS, 14 TDs, 18 INT). Yates showed talent and a strong arm, but he needs to make better decisions and cut down on his picks. The wideouts are a fine group led by junior Hakeem Nicks (74 REC, 958 YDS, 5 TDs) and featuring seniors Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster. The ground game needs to improve. The Tar Heels seemed to have their feet stuck in the tar last season, running for an average of just 99.2 YPG (107th nationally). Sophomore RB Greg Little has shown a lot of promise in spring practices. The offensive line is very solid.

The defense sees all four starters from the secondary return. Three are sophomores who are talented and skilled. There’s also some good depth in the pass defenders. DE E.J. Wilson (5 sacks) is the only returning starter on the frontline. Marvin Austin and Cam Thomas are both excellent run stoppers at DT. The linebacking group is problematic. There’s potential there, but it’s tough to find a leader. One will need to step up before the season starts.

Although one loss looks certain, versus Rutgers, seven wins look possible with four other games being tossups. Two straight contests in September are swing games—Virginia Tech on the 20th and Miami on the 27th. Boston College on October 25 and an away game on November 15 at Maryland can go either way.

The Tar Heels are blessed to have a forgiving conference schedule, but they do show a tough non-conference calendar. They field a good defense—better than they’ve shown in years. Their offense is improved. Head coach Butch Davis enters his second season with a team that is better than the 4-8 Tar Heels of 2007. A bowl berth could be in this team’s 2008 game plan.

North Carolina Tar Heels Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Aug 30	McNeese State	Home
Sep 11	Rutgers	Away
Sep 20	Virginia Tech	Home
Sep 27	Miami	Away
Oct 4	Connecticut	Home
Oct 11	Notre Dame	Home
Oct 18	Virginia	Away
Oct 25	Boston College	Home
Nov 8	Georiga Tech	Home
Nov 15	Maryland	Away
Nov 22	NC State	Home
Nov 29	Duke	Away

 

For more info on the 2008 North Carolina Tar Heels football program, view the Tar Heels sports website or scroll down below to read up on the rest of the ACC foes.