Five storylines for Carolina's second scrimmage

Carolina kicks off its second scrimmage of training camp at 10 a.m. Saturday in Kenan Stadium.

Last time out, the defense was better by a wide margin, as Mack Brown said the Tar Heel offense threw two interceptions, lost a fumble inside the 5-yard line and committed a few costly penalties.

With kickoff against South Carolina two weeks away, here are the storylines leading into this one:

It's getting real

Not that the first scrimmage didn’t reveal anything, but it was more about getting everyone’s feet wet and getting a taste of game-speed than drawing conclusions regarding execution and efficiency.

With that scrimmage just eight days into camp, offensive coordinator Phil Longo cautioned that the playcalling was geared more toward sharpening some plays that the Tar Heels weren’t executing at a high level in practice.

Players also said the scrimmage wasn’t especially long.

With the install complete and another week of work under their belts, expect something more closely resembling a game this time around.

Will a quarterback separate?

So far, Brown and Longo say that hasn’t happened.

“To be honest with you, I would have hoped, maybe, we were starting to have a little bit of a pecking order but they’re competing their tails off right now,” Longo said on Monday.

Jace Ruder sat out last Saturday’s scrimmage with a lower-body injury, but returned to practice Sunday and says he’s ready to go this time.

Every indication is that he, along with Cade Fortin and Sam Howell, will see equal opportunity in the scrimmage to make their case for the job.

Longo says Fortin is the best passer and Ruder is the best runner of the group, while Howell is the best combination.

As noted here, Longo has used pocket passers and dual-threat quarterbacks over his past five seasons as a coordinator. Twice, he’s had two quarterbacks play major roles in the same season.

Is it OK to get excited about the defense?

Obviously, no team is saying anything negative about its team at this time of year, but reviews for the Tar Heel defense have been universally positive since the start of camp.

In addition to the positive reviews, Brown and his staff have been willing to talk honestly about the problem areas they’ve seen, with penalties becoming a concern almost immediately.

All that’s to say, is it time to start believing the hype for the defense?

A few key words keep popping up when players discuss their work under new coordinator Jay Bateman: speed, versatility and complex.

Last Saturday, offensive players weren’t afraid to admit they’d been bested.

“They’re going to heat you up every single play,” senior left tackle Charlie Heck said. “They’re never just going to base you; they’re going to be moving guys, they’re going to be pinching guys, they’re going to be bringing blitzes so you’ve got to know your job inside and out, every single play.”

A second straight dominant performance would be another positive step for a group that has struggled mightily over the past two seasons.

Will a playmaker emerge at receiver?

Longo has plenty of potential and talent at wideout, but beyond Dazz Newsome, none of them have proven it in games.

“I think our maturation process at receiver between now and the opening game is probably the biggest focus,” Longo said.

Newsome has drawn consistent praise throughout camp, as has Toe Groves. Dyami Brown has been mentioned by teammates as progressing, while his younger brother Khafre, has been named as a potential contributor as a true freshman.

Emery Simmons, who teammates say made a spectacular diving catch last weekend, was called the most improved receiver since the spring by Longo.

These snaps are incredibly valuable

For all the positive things the defense has done in camp, the Tar Heels’ lack of depth makes the margin of error razor-thin.

At defensive tackle, Aaron Crawford and Jason Strowbridge are as good as anyone in the league.

The same goes for Myles Dorn and Myles Wolfolk in the secondary.

Behind them?

Carolina has an awful lot of inexperienced players that will be forced to play this season, for better or worse.

On the line, freshmen Tomari Fox and Jahlil Taylor are expected to be in the rotation, while Bateman said freshmen Gio Biggers and Don Chapman are getting all of the backup reps.

With an SEC opponent looming in two weeks, every rep is important to get those guys up to speed.

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