Tar Heels Handling Moving Parts On Offensive Line

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The moving parts along North Carolina’s offensive line has made finding cohesion difficult, and the Tar Heels continue to search for it ahead of Saturday’s game against Clemson.

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UNC has started three different offensive line combinations in the first four games of the season. The unit has seen injuries to some key contributors, with starters Austin Blaske, Christo Kelly and William Boone all having missed at least one game. Bill Belichick said on Tuesday that the team has worked to maintain a solid rotation to lean on despite the injuries that have popped up.

“I think ultimately, the conversation comes down to getting your five best players on the field, but also playing the best combination,” Belichick said on Tuesday. “The five players who, in combination, would play the most effectively. It’s kind of in baseball, it’s hard to have two catchers, even though they might be your two best players. So we have to kind of balance out what’s our best line versus trying to get our best players on the field.”

Kelly played 19 snaps against TCU and hasn’t made it back on the field since. Boone was out for the first time this season when the team faced UCF. He exited the Richmond game early the week prior. Trevyon Green, who was in his fourth season at North Carolina, left the team after playing three games. His name was removed from the roster during the bye week.

Blaske suffered a non-contact foot injury during training camp and missed UNC’s first three games. He returned against UCF and started at left tackle, playing 62 games. Blaske started at center throughout last season but switched positions upon returning to the field. Belichick credited Blaske for his positional versatility.

“With Blaske, he’s awesome because he can really play every position,” Belichick said. “He’s played center, guard, both tackle spots. So he gives us a lot of flexibility. And I think it will help us find the rest of the line and the consistency with it.”

Chad Lindberg has started at the tackle spot for the Tar Heels in the last three games. He played 30 snaps at center in the season opener.

Lindberg transferred to UNC last offseason out of Rice, and before that, he played three seasons at Georgia. At both stops, though, Lindberg didn’t see action at center, just playing guard and tackle. Blaske and Belichick gave him positive reviews on Tuesday for how he’s fared as UNC’s starter in the middle so far.

“I think he’s done a great job of communicating and just playing hard and being the anchor force at center,” Blaske said. “Just being a great leader and telling the guys what to do, what not to do. I think he’s done a great job.”

Belichick added: “I think Chad’s done a good job of taking advantage of the opportunity to play center, and he’s actually played pretty competitively in there for somebody who hasn’t done it.”

Belichick added that guard Daniel King and tackle Jakai Moore, who have both started in all four games, have done a “pretty solid job” on the right.

North Carolina ranks eighth in the ACC in sacks allowed, giving up six in four games. The Tar Heels rank 12th in the conference in rushing yards, averaging 113.5 yards per game. UNC will face a Clemson team on Saturday that ranks eighth in rush defense (121.75 yards allowed per game) and seventh in sacks (10).

Coming off the bye week, Belichick’s Tar Heels will look to further establish chemistry and a sense of rhythm up front on offense.

“We have settled in on more consistency with who is getting the reps, and there’s more consistency to those players,” Belichick said. “It’s not just the individual player, it’s who you play next to and how you work in conjunction with that player or even the adjacent player after him. The center, guard and tackle a lot of times are working together in three-man combinations. It’s not just a guard and tackle or the center and the guard. It can be more than that. We’re getting better at all that.”