After going winless out of the gate last season against Oklahoma, Maryland and Texas, all on the road, North Carolina turned things around and finished 8-5 overall, culminating the season with a victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. The highlight of the year was the Tar Heels' 41-9 drubbing of Florida State at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.

	Darian Durant shared QB duties with Ronald Curry in 2001 and threw 17 TD passes.

This season, though, presents a number of challenges for second-year head coach John Bunting and his staff. First, they have to replace five offensive starters, with talented wideout Bosley Allen now added to the list after being dismissed following spring practice.

Where they were hit the hardest, however, was on defense, where eight starters have moved on. Included on the star-studded list of departed players are defensive end Julius Peppers, defensive tackle Ryan Sims, defensive end Joey Evans, outside linebacker David Thornton and outside linebacker Quincy Monk. All five were NFL draft picks, with Peppers and Sims going second and sixth overall respectively.

DEFENSE
The Tar Heel defense, which has been a team strength over the years, now becomes a major question mark.

Fortunately, some star power remains, with holdovers Dexter Reid and Michael Waddell in the secondary. In addition, the Tar Heels are keeping their fingers crossed that senior OLB Malcolm Stewart comes through big as a first-time starter the way Thornton did last season. Reid, a top-flight junior free safety, is the tempo-setter in the deep patrol, with Waddell, now a senior, ranking as a solid cover man in the ACC.

Up front, junior Will Chapman is expected to solidify the interior, provided he is 100 percent healthy. Last year against Clemson, Chapman went down with a knee injury that forced him to miss the last five games of the season. While he didn't participate in spring practice, he has been running and lifting, figuring to be ready in early August.

Junior Isaac Mooring, who came through with a fine effort in the Florida State upset, is being penciled in as the starter at Peppers' old spot. On the other side, sophomore Jocques Dumas, who was heavily pursued out of the prep ranks a few years ago, moves in as a front-line performer, with a group that includes senior Eric Davis, Donti Coats and former South Carolina transfer Carl Smalls looking to take over Sims' critical DT spot.

While Stewart must step up as a first-time starter at OLB, all eyes will be on highly regarded redshirt freshman Doug Justice to see if he can solidify the mike-man spot. Justice, who was heavily recruited out of the prep ranks in Florida, is coming off an excellent spring. In August, expect incoming freshman Victor Worsley to get a long look as he is expected to compete for playing time at OLB.

Joining Reid and Waddell in the secondary will be senior Kevin Knight and sophomore Chris Curry. Knight, who will work opposite Waddell at cornerback, gained a great deal of experience last year when he operated as the nickel back and primary reserve behind Erroll Hood. Curry takes over the strong safety job vacated by Billy-Dee Greenwood, who graduated.

OFFENSE
After saying he would transfer, sophomore quarterback Darian Durant decided to remain a Tar Heel after all. He is now locked in a battle for the starting job with physically talented junior C.J. Stephens.

While Durant is an elusive scrambler with big-game experience, Stephens has an edge in size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and arm strength over Durant. Mobility is also a major plus for Stephens as well. I'm told that the final decision on which QB will start the Aug. 31 season opener against Miami (Ohio) may not come until they near the conclusion of fall practice.

In the backfield, junior Willie Parker figures to open as the starter, although junior Andre' Williams and sophomore Jacque Lewis are heavily in the mix as well. Sophomore fullback Madison Hedgecock is expected to become an integral part of the Tar Heel offense. Last year the Tar Heel fullbacks carried the ball only one time. Look for that number to increase significantly this season.

With Bosley Allen no longer available, senior Sam Aiken is without question the Tar Heels' primary go-to option in the passing game. Last year Aiken led the way with 46 catches, eight of them for touchdowns. Opposite Aiken will be senior Chesley Borders. While Borders produced some big plays last season, he needs to be more consistent.

Brandon Russell, who made the switch from tailback to WR two years ago, will be in a battle with intriguing redshirt freshman Jarwarski Pollock to see who will contribute heavily as the No. 3 option. The cat-quick Pollock was the talk of spring practice. At 5-8 and just 166 pounds, he is greased lightning in the open field, showing the potential to become an offensive difference-maker. In the spring game, Pollock caught six passes for 100 yards, including a 41-yarder for a TD.

At tight end, senior Zach Hilton, an imposing 6-7, 275-pounder, is coming off a 12-catch season in 2001. He figures to share the spotlight with Kentucky transfer Bobby Blizzard, who demonstrated the ability to be a solid contributor in the spring.

For the first time since the 1999 campaign, the Tar Heels are returning three starters along the offensive line. Junior guards Jupiter Wilson and Jeb Terry return to their old spots, while sophomore Jason Brown is now anchoring the Tar Heels' offensive line after earning three starts at right tackle last season. The coaching staff is reported to be extremely high on Brown, a 6-3, 310-pounder who appears to be a natural for the center position.

At left tackle, sophomore Skip Seagraves moves into a front-line job. In his only start last season against Clemson, he showed he may have the necessary skills to get the job done. On the right side, sophomore Willie McNeill will be looking to show improvement as a second-year performer.

While junior John Lafferty returns to handle the punting duties after averaging around 40 yards a punt last season, the placekicking job is up for grabs. In contention are highly regarded true freshman David Wooldridge and junior Dan Orner, a transfer from Michigan State.

OVERVIEW
The Tar Heels lost a ton of talent, much of it to the NFL, although the players stepping in at certain areas have ability. How quickly they mesh is another story.

The Durant-Stephens battle will be interesting to watch, with the winner figuring to provide capable play at QB. The Tar Heels lack a dynamic, all-purpose RB, which is one of the reasons we should see the fullback Hedgecock become a key contributor. Aiken is a proven performer at WR, but the Heels need more consistency on a game-to-game basis from Borders, since Allen is no longer available. It will also be interesting to see if Pollock can build on his eye-catching spring performance. Up front, the interior looks extremely solid, with Brown a potential standout in the pivot. The question mark is at tackle, where Seagraves and McNeill will be on the spot to prove they are capable.

With so many new defensive starters, it's impossible to determine how things will come together. Compounding matters is the return of Chapman from the injury list. The DT needs to be back at full strength, while Mooring, Dumas and Davis have huge shoes to fill taking over Peppers, Evans and Sims. Stewart is a key at OLB, while Justice has to step in at MLB and bring back memories of Buddy Curry, Dwight Hollier and Brandon Spoon. The secondary should be a strength, with Reid being one of the nation's top free safeties and Waddell a proven cover man. The new starters, CB Knight and SS Curry, must hold up their end of the bargain.

For the first time since the early 1990s, the Tar Heel offense will be called on to carry the football team. Considering all the uncertainty and question marks, Bunting and his staff would deserve superior, awesome grades if they could somehow lead the Tar Heels to a .500 record this season. And with so many potential problem areas, even .500 seems awfully optimistic. The season opener against Miami (Ohio) will be critical.