When North Carolina punched, our offense punched back harder. Former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards watched it twice and couldn't find a complaint.
His grade: A+.
This was a road game against a coach with a defensive reputation, in a game that turned into a shootout.
"Now I feel like they're playing better as an overall unit."
The tackles were good all night. Samson Okunlola and Matthew McCoy all played their best game of the year.
And we did. UNC sped Darian Mensah up a few times, but he did exactly what we've asked him to do and used his legs late.
Ahmmon had flagged before the game that UNC's corners sit on routes and stare into the backfield, and right before half we hit them with a double move for the explosive play we needed. Daylyn Upshaw had two catches that don't show up on a highlight reel but kept drives alive, one to move the chains and one to set up a manageable third down.
Ahmmon gave Shannon Dawson credit for a plan that had an answer for everything a defensive-minded staff threw at it.
Then there's Elija Lofton. We've said for a while he might be the best pure football player on the team, and people pushed back because he isn't a first-round tight end.
Ahmmon's definition is more grounded but still high praise: a guy who can do a bunch of different things with physicality and instincts.
"Just give him the ball, and he is able to make plays down the field," Ahmmon said.
You can line him up at fullback or tight end, send him in motion or throw him a screen, and with the ball in his hands he turns into a running back.
Defenders have seen the Clemson tape and now they're trying to side-tackle him instead of squaring up. His catch late was the play that zapped UNC's momentum.
He put Toney in the company of Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Santana Moss, and compared his style to Antonio Brown: a smaller guy who can line up outside and just go get it. T
hen he walked through the first touchdown. It was an over-the-shoulder catch with a defender on him, two feet down, fingertips, and possession all the way through a fall he knew was coming.
"He just does it, and it looks so easy," Ahmmon said.
The red-zone breakdown was even better.
Those plays are play-action RPOs, so a receiver who rushes his route runs out of the window or out of bounds. Toney doesn't rush. He understands the quarterback has an extra couple of seconds, gets the defensive back where he wants him, and breaks right as the ball comes out, saving himself three or four yards of sideline. And his fade and his slant look exactly the same off the line.
Against Florida State he ran the slant, then the fade. Against UNC he flipped it.
"If I have you in reaction mode, I won," Ahmmon said. "Because now I'm getting to my spot before you can ever get there."
His other point is the one people underrate: Toney's competitive fire never fades. Plenty of guys make a play in the first quarter and disappear. Toney never disappears in prime time.
Notre Dame is the next test, and it's a much bigger one. But this offense has answered every question so far.
Catch the full breakdown with Ahmmon on the CanesInsight YouTube channel.
His grade: A+.
This was a road game against a coach with a defensive reputation, in a game that turned into a shootout.
The line kept Mensah clean
Ahmmon started up front, and he started with SJ Alofaituli. He's been one of the guys we've challenged on this show, Ahmmon especially. On Saturday, Ahmmon saw a different player than the one from Week 1: better pad level, better feet, better hands."Now I feel like they're playing better as an overall unit."
The tackles were good all night. Samson Okunlola and Matthew McCoy all played their best game of the year.
Mensah never blinked
The thing that stuck with Ahmmon was Mensah's demeanor when UNC went up. He was almost smiling. The energy was simple: we can do this all night.And we did. UNC sped Darian Mensah up a few times, but he did exactly what we've asked him to do and used his legs late.
Ahmmon had flagged before the game that UNC's corners sit on routes and stare into the backfield, and right before half we hit them with a double move for the explosive play we needed. Daylyn Upshaw had two catches that don't show up on a highlight reel but kept drives alive, one to move the chains and one to set up a manageable third down.
Ahmmon gave Shannon Dawson credit for a plan that had an answer for everything a defensive-minded staff threw at it.
The run game, and a "football player"
Mark Fletcher Jr. had more bounce than we've seen lately. He was running through people and chopping his feet instead of going down. Javian Mallory came in late and helped ice it. Israel Briggs was in there cleaning guys up.Then there's Elija Lofton. We've said for a while he might be the best pure football player on the team, and people pushed back because he isn't a first-round tight end.
Ahmmon's definition is more grounded but still high praise: a guy who can do a bunch of different things with physicality and instincts.
"Just give him the ball, and he is able to make plays down the field," Ahmmon said.
You can line him up at fullback or tight end, send him in motion or throw him a screen, and with the ball in his hands he turns into a running back.
Defenders have seen the Clemson tape and now they're trying to side-tackle him instead of squaring up. His catch late was the play that zapped UNC's momentum.
Toney, the technician
We asked Ahmmon to put Malachi Toney in context from a receiver's perspective, and he went back to Toney's first game against Notre Dame. Ahmmon had never watched him in high school. He saw him live from a suite and told everyone around him the record was done.He put Toney in the company of Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Santana Moss, and compared his style to Antonio Brown: a smaller guy who can line up outside and just go get it. T
hen he walked through the first touchdown. It was an over-the-shoulder catch with a defender on him, two feet down, fingertips, and possession all the way through a fall he knew was coming.
"He just does it, and it looks so easy," Ahmmon said.
The red-zone breakdown was even better.
Those plays are play-action RPOs, so a receiver who rushes his route runs out of the window or out of bounds. Toney doesn't rush. He understands the quarterback has an extra couple of seconds, gets the defensive back where he wants him, and breaks right as the ball comes out, saving himself three or four yards of sideline. And his fade and his slant look exactly the same off the line.
Against Florida State he ran the slant, then the fade. Against UNC he flipped it.
"If I have you in reaction mode, I won," Ahmmon said. "Because now I'm getting to my spot before you can ever get there."
His other point is the one people underrate: Toney's competitive fire never fades. Plenty of guys make a play in the first quarter and disappear. Toney never disappears in prime time.
Notre Dame is the next test, and it's a much bigger one. But this offense has answered every question so far.
Catch the full breakdown with Ahmmon on the CanesInsight YouTube channel.
