Nov. 11, 2009
By Turner Walston
•"It certainly is not an enviable task," Butch Davis said Monday of replacing Shaun Draughn at tailback, after Draughn fractured his shoulder on Saturday. "It's something that's happened, and we're going to have to deal with it, and we're going to have to find something to compensate for it."
After A.J. Blue and Jamal Womble were lost for the season in the Georgia Southern game, the coaching staff moved Anthony Elzy from fullback to tailback, where he began his career two seasons ago. Elzy briefly spelled Ryan Houston against Duke, and had two carries for 12 yards. In 2007, Elzy had 92 rushing attempts for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Behind Elzy on the depth chart at tailback is freshman Hunter Furr. "Anthony's going to have to come in and play. He's going to have to play regular downs and distances," Davis said. "I don't see it changing a great deal."
•Ryan Houston established a career high toting the ball for 164 yards on Saturday. His 37 carries against Duke were the most by a Tar Heel since 1990. Following the game, he said, he felt some soreness he hadn't felt since his high school days in Matthews. "I was kind of hurting [Sunday], and I'm a little sore right now, but I've just got to fight through the soreness," he said Monday.
As a high school senior, Houston rushed 377 times for more than 2,200 yards. "Every Friday, I was hurt," he said this week. "I used to never go out on Saturdays, because I'd be too hurt because I'd get the ball like this (37 carries). Sunday, I'd be hurt still, but Monday and throughout the week, I'd just take care of my body and I'd be ready to go again on Friday."
His postgame ritual in high school? Sleep. "I didn't even take showers. I'd just pass out, I was so hurt." This past weekend, however, he tried something new. "I got a massage for the first time this Sunday, and that felt wonderful," Houston said Monday. "So I'm probably going to start doing for the rest of the season after games."
Houston's teammates have commented on his improved footwork and finesse moves, which appeared to be new this season. But the back said he's had them in his bag of tricks all along. When he arrived on campus, coaches encouraged him to use his size and run straight ahead rather than incorporate finesse moves.
"They'd be like, `You're too big, you don't need to be doing that,' and `It's not going to work," Houston said. "But it's just reaction. I don't mean to just be a scat-back, I just feel like on the field, if somebody's coming at a weird angle at me, and I know I can't run them over, I'm going to side-step them, or do something to make them miss."
In the coaches' defense, Houston has traditionally been used in short-yardage situations, when side-steps and spin moves aren't typically called for. "I guess that's why they say I have straight-ahead, because 3rd and 1, 3rd and 2, I'm not trying to make them miss, I'm just trying to get the first down."
•One Tar Heel cornerback gave his early take on Miami quarterback Jacory Harris. "He's a guy that can run; he's a guy that can throw, so we know we've definitely got our work cut out for us," Kendric Burney said. "He's grown so much over the summer. He worked himself out, but somebody's definitely taken his game to more than the next level, probably two or three levels up. . . We're definitely looking forward to the challenge. We love when challenges approach us."
The "Rude Boyz" love to brag to each other about their interceptions, but Burney said he hadn't heard too much trash-talking from Charles Brown and Deunta Williams, who both grabbed picks against Duke. "Not so much. They've pretty much left us alone. If Deunta says anything, I'll bring it back that I got in the end zone."
• Nine seniors will be honored on Saturday's Senior Day. E.J. Wilson said he for one will savor the moment. "It's going to be something that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life," Wilson said this week. "It's kind of something that I've been looking forward to, kind of finishing up what I started here. It's going to be a pretty emotional day for me."
Turner Walston is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly. Turner's weekly Tar Heel football podcast, The Walkthrough, is available on iTunes.
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