UNC Spring Camp Position Breakdown: Running backs
With spring camp underway, North Carolina brings back most of its rushing production but is counting on Demon June, Benjamin Hall and a revamped depth chart to help fix an offense that ranked near the bottom of the nation last season.
Compared to some of the other position groups, North Carolina’s running backs return most of their production from last season. Demon June is back after leading the Tar Heels in rushing as a freshman, and Benjamin Hall returns to provide power in the backfield, but the offense — especially the running game — struggled mightily. North Carolina finished last season 119th nationally in scoring at 19.
3 points per game and 129th in total offense at 288. 8 yards per game — a sharp drop-off after fielding one of the nation’s top attacks in all five seasons under former coach Mack Brown. A key issue was the running game, which averaged just over 105 rushing yards per game, ranking 120th nationally and 14th out of 16 teams in the ACC.
The regression in Bill Belichick’s first year in charge led UNC to part ways with offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and bring in renowned yet controversial Bobby Petrino. If North Carolina wants to go 8-4 instead of 4-8 as it did last season, it needs to have a solid running game. Here is a breakdown of the running back room..
Returners Demon June, Sophomore (5-11, 215) June was UNC’s leading rusher last season. He had 84 carries for 464 yards with two rushing touchdowns and also hauled in 17 catches for 159 yards, which was the third most on the team. He broje the 100-yard mark twice last season when he ran for 148 yards against Richmind on Sept.