by Rich Cirminiello

Updated: July 7, 2008, 11:30 AM EST 11 comments

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Head coach Butch Davis' sleeping giant should be ready to take a monster step in its quest to be a perennial contender in the ACC, but now it's time for all the young players to come through and pay off after going through growing pains last year.

Young teams usually have problems knowing how to win, and they tend to have the most problems in tight games. While the Tar Heels came up with close wins over Maryland and Duke, they also lost six games by seven points or fewer, including a battle with eventual ACC champion Virginia Tech.

Now the payoff is expected. There's experience everywhere, including at quarterback, where sophomore T.J. Yates is hoping to recover from shoulder surgery in time to start for a second season. He leads a promising offense with great upside, but it needs to start putting up points after scoring 16 or fewer five times.

Davis has the defense in place, doing a better job than it might have seemed for a 4-8 team. The overall goal will be to let the defense do its job and be solid, get more big plays from the offense, win the turnover battles and generate more wins. The hope is for things to be that simple. Not as easy will be keeping Davis in Chapel Hill if the success starts to come.

Davis turned away a few suitors since the end of the season, likely sensing that the Tar Heels have enough young talent and momentum to get where Wake Forest has been the last couple of seasons. While a jump back to the NFL is unlikely, Davis could be on the short list for any big opening in the next year or two, but it's possible he'll make North Carolina one of those big programs soon.

The second year under Davis is all about building on last season, getting better on offense, and changing the culture of losing that's prevailed in Chapel Hill for a decade. They'll have to navigate a tough schedule to do so, but the Heels are inching closer to winning six games and qualifying for a second-tier bowl game. A 13th game is just the kind of event that would instantly put the program's rebuilding efforts into overdrive and make this the hot team going into 2009. Davis wouldn't mind speeding the timetable up.

What to watch for on offense: Running back Greg Little. The former receiver took over the ground game late last year, showing good quickness and surprising power for a wiry 6-3, 210-pound runner. Athletic enough to be a walk-on for the basketball team, he has a little bit of everything for the offense. After a great spring, he's the main man the running game will revolve around. He earned the job.

What to watch for on defense: The tackles. While the loss of first-round draft pick Kentwan Balmer will hurt, there's enough talent on the inside for the run defense to be strong in the middle. Marvin Austin was a big-time recruit a few years ago, and he's about to become the star good enough to replace Balmer. Aleric Mullins is a promising inside presence who should be a rock against the run. As long as the interior is sound, the coaching staff can work on the ends, which are a bit more of an issue.

The team will be far better if ... it grows up in a hurry and learns how to pull out the close games. Carolina lost six games by a touchdown or less a year ago, including heartbreakers to bowl-bound East Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. If even half of those outcomes go in the Heels' favor, the program would have qualified for a bowl game and would've come up with its first winning season since 2001. More often than not, the culprit was an offense that stalled repeatedly in the red zone and had trouble mounting long drives.

The schedule: The Tar Heels catch a monster break by missing Clemson, Florida State and Wake Forest from the Atlantic. They get Boston College at home, while Virginia Tech, the likely preseason Coastal favorite, has to come to Chapel Hill. Three of the four ACC road trips are against teams that didn't go to a bowl last year. The non-conference slate, outside of the opener against McNeese State, is challenging, highlighted by a Thursday-night showdown at Rutgers, but battles against UConn and Notre Dame are at home.

Best offensive player: Junior WR Hakeem Nicks. After just two seasons in Chapel Hill, Nicks is well on his way to becoming the best wide receiver in Tar Heel history. A big, physical target who can break containment at the line of scrimmage, he has already pulled down 113 career passes for 1,618 yards, including a school-record 74 catches last season.

Best defensive player: Sophomore S Deunta Williams. The reigning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Williams has the size and the run-stopping skills of a safety, yet moves with the grace and the confidence of a cornerback. A genuine playmaker out of the secondary, the converted wide receiver will keep getting better as he learns more of the nuances of playing on defense.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore RB Greg Little. Although he's only played a couple of games at running back, Little is the type of explosive athlete that can light a fire under the feeble Tar Heel offense. Carolina was 107th nationally on the ground, but Little closed strong with 243 yards and two scores in the final two games. The offense will need more of the same this fall to support a passing attack that has its own problems.

The season will be a success if ... Carolina bowls. Anything less would be a disappointment for a program that's a year older and quickly gaining ground on the ACC powerbrokers. With a schedule that's not particularly daunting, seven or eight wins is well within reach. And if the offense can finally make strides, the Tar Heels will be good enough to contend in a weak and watered-down Coastal Division.

Offense

If not for Duke, North Carolina would be home to the ACC's worst offense over the last two seasons. The Heels made modest progress in John Shoop's first season as coordinator, yet still averaged only 21 points a game. Part of the problem can be traced to having a freshman under center and losing presumptive starting RB Barrington Edwards before the season ever started. Neither will be issues in 2008. Carolina welcomes back record-setting QB Yates, who'll have to cut back on his mistakes to hold off hard-charging Cam Sexton and Mike Paulus. Whoever gets the ball will enjoy throwing to a stocked receiving corps that's led by Hakeem Nicks, and handing the ball to Greg Little, a sophomore on the verge of a breakthrough season.

Hakeem Nicks made 74 catches as a sophomore, a UNC record. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Quarterbacks: Sophomore T.J. Yates already owns the school single-season record for passing yards and completions, but numbers alone won't earn him another season at the controls. Instead, he'll need to raise the level of his game after throwing 18 interceptions to go along with 14 touchdown passes and those Carolina-best 2,655 yards. Although Yates is the guy for now, he won't be handed the job, especially after getting shut down throughout the spring with the shoulder injury. He'll have to take it up a notch to stay ahead of hard-charging Cam Sexton and last year's star recruit, Mike Paulus.

Running backs: The running game has to make strides after finishing 107th nationally and failing to produce a 500-yard back. This time last year, sophomore Greg Little was a rookie wide receiver trying to avoid a redshirt year. Today, he's the Tar Heels' feature back and on the verge of a big season. Little switched positions last November, responding with 247 yards and two touchdowns as a starter in the final two games. Johnny White and Richie Rich have been shifted to the defensive backfield, a clear signal that the coaching staff believes Little is ready to be the every-down back. Ryan Houston and Devon Ramsay can provide reliable support in backup roles.

Receivers: All but two of last year's 220 receptions are back in Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels are loaded with depth and experience. Holding the banner for the wide receivers is junior Hakeem Nicks, a rising star in this offense and a returning member of the All-ACC second team. A physical 6-1, 210-pounder with good deep speed, he had a school-record 74 catches for 958 yards and five touchdowns. In Nicks, Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster, the Tar Heels have three receivers good enough to start and be the guy at times. Nicks provides star power, while Tate and Foster are outstanding complements who prevent defenses from doubling No. 88.

Offensive line: The Tar Heels lose just one letterman from a group that was overmatched through much of the 2007 season. The strength of the unit is on the right side, featuring returning starters Calvin Darity and Garrett Reynolds at guard and tackle, respectively. The Carolina line had moments a year ago, but still allowed way too many sacks, while not opening up enough holes for the backs. If the offense is going to have a chance in 2008, this unit has to be markedly more consistent.

Defense

When defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano left to coach the Baltimore Ravens, it opened the door for Everett Withers to return to his Carolina roots. An energetic teacher with a specialty for coaching defensive backs, he inherits far more young talent than he left behind at Minnesota. The Tar Heels will feature up-and-coming sophomores at each level, including DT Marvin Austin, LB Quan Sturdivant and FS Deunta Williams. Withers would like to turn his smallish, athletic group of defenders loose on the blitz periodically, but he'll need to have more confidence in a young and vulnerable group of cornerbacks that took its lumps a year ago. Finding a replacement for sack-happy DE Hilee Taylor will be one of the staff's main priorities.

Marvin Austin could be one of the ACC's dominant defenders. (Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

Defensive line: The Tar Heels will have work to do on a line that loses its two best players to graduation, DE Hilee Taylor and DT Kentwan Balmer. The hope is that Balmer's interior presence can be replaced by 6-3, 305-pound sophomore Marvin Austin, one of the most touted recruits in school history. Austin showed off his unique package of explosive speed and raw power, collecting 26 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, and a slew of postseason honors as a true freshman. Even after losing Balmer to the NFL, the Tar Heels have a ton of potential on the inside with Austin and Aleric Mullins and on the ends with Cam Thomas and Darius Powell.

Linebackers: While the Tar Heels lose the services of top linebacker Durell Mapp, they get back senior Chase Rice, who was lost for the season in the opener with a broken ankle. The return of Rice and the development of Quan Sturdivant and Bruce Carter give Carolina three quality athletes that started games a year ago and can carry out the staff's desire to create backfield havoc. Even without Mapp, this unit has a chance to be better than last year, provided it can make a few more big plays and its depth doesn't have to be tested. The top four of Sturdivant, Mark Paschal, Rice and Carter have a nice blend of youth and experience that could produce one All-ACC performer.

Secondary: The defense gets everyone back from a young secondary that showed signs of progress late last year. After finishing No. 11 in the ACC in pass efficiency defense and allowing 62% of opponents' passes to be completed, there's still plenty of growing to do. Everyone is a year older, which will help immensely if the corners don't wilt against the better passing teams. Although Deunta Williams is only beginning his sophomore year, he's already the star of the defensive backfield. A receiver before the season began, he made a seamless move to free safety, making 57 tackles and picking off three passes en route to being named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Heels are set at safety with Williams and Trimane Goddard, while the sophomore trio of Shaun Draughn, Da'Norris Searcy and Jonathan Smith give the second unit a jolt of young legs and substantial upside.

Special teams: The top priority on special teams will be to replace K Connor Barth, a four-year starter and the Heels' all-time leader in field goals. Redshirt freshman Jay Wooten was recruited for this exact moment. One of the top-rated kickers of 2007, the 6-3, 180-pounder is still a little raw, but has a huge leg on kickoffs. If Wooten fails to lock down the job, Carolina will be forced to turn to one of two sophomore walk-ons, Trase Jones or Reid Phillips. Senior Terrence Brown did a respectable job in his first year as the Tar Heel punter, averaging 41.4 yards a punt and downing more than a third of attempts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.