Not ‘halftime adjustments’: here’s why UNC’s offense thrives in the second half

It usually starts with something small for the North Carolina offense: A safety lined up in a different position from what the defense has shown in games; A down and distance that leads to a known trend for how many opponents usually drop back in coverage; The way a linebacker stands that may tip off a blitz.

Anyone can be the first to observe it. Quarterback Sam Howell. Head coach Mack Brown. Wide receiver Dazz Newsome. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo. A Tar Heels in-game adjustment generally comes from someone noticing a defensive pattern and believing there’s a better way to attack it than they initially planned.

Just don’t call them halftime adjustments.

“You try to make the adjustments throughout the game,” Brown said on a recent video call. “(Against Syracuse) we probably made those adjustments in the second quarter. They just weren’t visible because we didn’t have the ball.”

In its lone game, UNC continued its trend of second-half success on offense — a trademark last season. The Heels outscored opponents 230-127 — including 120-51 in the fourth quarter in 2019 — and that continued in their opener. Carolina outscored the Orange 24-3 in the second half of its 31-6 win and that included a 21-0 burst in the fourth quarter.

The Heels only gained 65 more yards from scrimmage in the second half than in the first. But they gained more average yards per play (8.0-5.4) in the second half and that takes into account that Brown pulled the starters with nearly eight minutes remaining.

“The staffs and the teams that do the best job making halftime adjustments are the ones that are all in-sync,” Longo told reporters on a video conference. “We all understand the offense. We all know exactly what it is we want from these plays.”

Sam Howell, offense maturing together

Howell said it took playing last year for him to gain that understanding. While he could recognize what new wrinkle an opposing defense applied that he hadn’t seen before in video clips he’d studied, Howell wasn’t that confident in suggesting how the offense should counter it.

“Now I have a lot better understanding of what defenses are doing,” Howell told reporters on a video call. “So when they do something different that we haven’t seen, I pretty much know what it is and know how to beat it.”

Howell said he devoted more time in the offseason trying to extend his knowledge of defenses and that has led him to give Longo better feedback of what he’s seeing during a game.

The Heels may need to adjust to offset their extended time off after the Charlotte game got canceled. When — and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s wise to say if — they play at Boston College on Oct. 3, it will be their first game since Sept. 12. Howell said it could actually help the timing between himself and receivers because they’ve had more time to practice. But it’s been challenging to try and stay sharp.

“We have a pretty mature team,” Howell said. “Everyone’s in a good place mentally. We know, this season, any game can be taken away from us at any time.”

Longo said the position coaches generally are making adjustments for their individual group in real time on the sideline. Richards said he actually likes those talks better because every game an opponent is going to show something it has never shown before — or at least not in some time.

“I feel like it’s easier because you know they’re not going to do the same thing they put on film especially during the first game,” Richards said. “So we talked about it and then in halftime we we actually make some more adjustments and then it’s easier to come out and execute it better.”

What halftime affords is a chance to take a longer view of the bigger picture. Brown let’s the coaches collectively know what he’s seeing and thinking and they agree on what steps they’ll take next.

“There aren’t a lot of changes that are made, but they’re pretty definitive,” Longo said.

UNC football took what was given vs. Syracuse

And more often than not, the Heels seem to get the desired results from the changes they make. Sometimes changing things up requires a shift in philosophy, not necessarily changing how plays are executed. That’s what happened against the Orange when instead of trying to connect on deep passes, which was also a trademark of the offense last season, the Heels decided to take the underneath passes that Syracuse’s coverage was willing to concede.

Howell completed 10 of 13 attempts in the second half for 153 of his 295 passing yards. Given their history of getting more productive as the game progresses, Howell said there was no panic in the offensive huddle even as they didn’t score after their first possession and held a slim 7-6 lead late in the third quarter.

“There really is no stress, we know what we’re capable of doing on the offensive side of the ball,” Howell said in his Syracuse postgame remarks.

Brown said Howell and Longo’s relationship helps make any changes go over smoothly because they talk so much. He added that it didn’t take Howell long at all before he felt comfortable chiming in on plays.

“He’s the son of a coach so he grew up in a film room,” Brown said. “He was comfortable when he got here last spring talking and, actually, when he won the job, I would think it’s when he was most comfortable saying, ‘Yeah, I like this. This one’s harder for me,’ and here’s why.”

The results, especially on the second half scoreboard, speak for themselves.

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 6:01 AM.