Tar Heels' 2nd-team defense lacks experience

North Carolina's first-team defense has nine regular starters returning and a combined 213 career starts.

The second-team defense has a combined six career starts, all by one player (linebacker Zach Brown).

That imbalance in experience is why UNC coach Butch Davis made an effort in training camp to give the younger players the bulk of the repetitions in scrimmages.

"Part of this training camp has been about these players and getting them more experience," Davis said.

Given the uncertainty created by the NCAA investigation into the program, and UNC's own investigation for academic fraud, a number of backups could be pressed into game-duty on Saturday against Louisiana State in the season-opener.

UNC did not release a depth chart on Monday but based on the preseason depth chart from the media guide, the second team consists of five sophomores, four juniors, one senior and one redshirt freshman. Brown, a junior, started six games in 2009.

Safety Jonathan Smith is the only senior on the second team. The first team features six seniors, five of which have been starting since their freshman season.

Davis was pleased with how his younger players performed in training camp.

"We've got a lot of young kids that are inexperienced but we think that they've got talent," Davis said.

Senior defensive Marvin Austin, who has been at the center of the NCAA investigation for improper contact with an agent, has been practicing with the second team. Unless he's cleared by the NCAA before Saturday, it's unlikely he will play against LSU.

In Davis' opening remarks on Monday he indicated UNC would not jeopardize the investigation or put itself in a position to have to later forfeit games for using an ineligible player.

"I'd like for this to be perfectly clear: there is no one single game that is more important, winning, than the character and integrity of this university and this football program," Davis said.

	1st team		2nd team
DE	94 Mike McAdoo, jr.	0	98 Donte Paige-Moss, so.	0
DT	90 Quinton Coples, jr.	1	78 Jordan Nix, jr.	0
DT	91 Tydreke Powell, jr.	4	97 Jared McAdoo, fr.	0
DE	42 Robert Quinn, jr.	25	55 Linwan Euwell, jr.	0
Will	52 Quan Sturdivant, sr.	31	47 Zach Brown, jr.	6
Mike	48 Kevin Reddick, so.	7	41 Shane Mularkey, so.	0
Sam	54 Bruce Carter, sr.	33	57 Dion Guy, so.	0
CB	12 Charles Brown, sr.	22	7 Mywan Jackson, so.	0
CB	16 Kendric Burney, sr.	38	37 LeCount Fantroy, jr.	0
SS	21 Da'Norris Searcy, sr.	14	28 Jonathan Smith, sr.	0
FS	27 Deunta Williams, sr.	38	25 Matt Merletti, jr.	0
Career starts		213		6

-- J.P. Giglio