Citadel blue over Tar Heels' size, speed

During a recent preseason practice, a Citadel assistant coach went to the color chart to fire up his troops.

"They'll try to tell you its Carolina blue," he yelled. "But we know it's Citadel blue!"

And on a message board, a Citadel fan poked fun at Tar Heels supporters by claiming that "Carolina blue has a tinge of yellow in it."

No matter which brand of blue you prefer (and here's a secret -- when The Citadel orders its football uniforms from Nike, it orders "Carolina blue"), there will be lots of light blue on display at Kenan Stadium on Saturday night when the Bulldogs visit the No. 21 Tar Heels in the season opener for both teams.

But the 60,000 fans on hand and viewers on ESPN 360.com will have little trouble telling the teams apart -- the really big, really fast guys will be wearing Carolina blue.

North Carolina's defensive backs are about as big as The Citadel's starting linebackers. At an average of 6-2 and 228 pounds, UNC linebackers compare with Citadel defensive ends Erik Clanton and Dewitt Jones. And as for the Tar Heels' defensive linemen -- well, tackles Cam Thomas (6-4, 330) and Marvin Austin (6-3, 300) are among the biggest humans on the planet, and make defensive end Robert Quinn (6-5, 260) of Fort Dorchester High School look supermodel-thin in comparison.

"They look like Florida up front, they look like Clemson up front," Citadel coach Kevin Higgins said Monday at his first weekly news conference of the season. "They are big, strong and they have a lot of depth. Their guys up front will be a challenge for our guys to block. And their linebackers are the fastest group we've ever played against, including Clemson and Florida. They can all run."

Consider that The Citadel lost to Clemson, 45-17, and to Florida, 70-19, last season, and the Bulldogs' challenge becomes clear. With nine starters back on defense from last year's 8-5 squad, it's no wonder that North Carolina is a 32-point favorite.

Three UNC linebackers run the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds, topped by sophomore Zach Brown's 4.2 seconds. Linebacker Bruce Carter blocked four straight punts last season, an unofficial NCAA record. And junior middle linebacker Quin Sturdivant led the nation with 87 solo tackles.

OK, Dan DeHaven, how do you block these guys?

"It's a challenge," said DeHaven, The Citadel's 6-5, 290-pound left tackle. "You just have to focus on your technique, and you have to get every inch they give you. We've got to play with a low pad level and play with everything we've got, and just remember that Bulldogs never quit."

Complicating The Citadel's challenge against UNC's defense is the fact that the Bulldogs will have two walk-on freshmen, Remi Biakabutuka and Bucky Kennedy, playing their first college games at running back.

"I have confidence in both those guys," Higgins said. "They are both mature guys. I don't know if they will carry the ball 20 or 25 times in this game, but they will carry the ball as the tailback in various personnel groupings."

Notes

--On The Citadel's new depth chart, sophomore Rod Harland has moved up to a starting safety spot while sophomore Demontrelle Smith has been hampered lately by a groin pull.

--Four true freshmen made the two-deep, all on offense -- backup right tackle Robert Finke, backup receiver Greg Adams and the two walk-on running backs.

--RBs Terrell Dallas (knee) and Van Dyke Jones (broken hand) should both be ready for Princeton on Sept. 19, Higgins said.

--FCS (Division I-AA) teams have played North Carolina fairly close in recent years -- William & Mary lost 49-38 in 2004, Furman 45-42 in 2006, James Madison 37-14 in 2007 and McNeese State 35-27 last season.