Pollock happy to be back for fifth year at North Carolina

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Posted 8:19PM on Friday, August 12, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Jarwarski Pollock really wanted to come to North Carolina. In the media guide, he lists getting accepted by the school as his greatest athletic achievement. Because he was a partial qualifier academically the combination of his SAT score and high school GPA weren't quite high enough he sat out his freshman season. Pollock needed to graduate in four years to get that year back, and he did just that. ``I'm glad I got the chance to come back,'' he said Friday night after the Tar Heels' first practice of the season. ``I get to finish with the guys I started with.'' Pollock finished his African-American studies degree over the summer, and he's close to finishing up a second major, this one in communications. On the field, he is fourth on North Carolina's all-time receiving list with 147 catches, and he owns the single-season record with 71 in 2003. And until tailback Ronnie McGill returns from a torn chest muscle suffered in the offseason, Pollock is the leading returning rusher for the Tar Heels. He picked up 24 yards on six carries a year ago to finish sixth, but none of the top five is around at the moment. North Carolina has a host of possible replacements, including a handful of freshmen, and coach John Bunting needs one of them to show he's ready to carry the load. ``It's just one day, but they've got talent,'' he said. ``They've got some speed, they've got some burst. But if they're up and down, that's a mark of an inconsistent performer, and it's usually the mark of a freshman.'' One player Bunting is not worried about is Pollock. ``He's had a great career, and I would like to see him complete it with the best year of his career,'' Bunting said. Pollock is hardly physically imposing, standing 5-foot-8 and weighing only 170 pounds. He makes up for the lack of stature with sure hands and concise route running, and he isn't afraid to go over the middle in traffic to haul in a pass. But after spending his first three years catching balls from Darian Durant, he has to adjust to a new quarterback. Matt Baker takes over for Durant, who completed his career with about four dozen school records. ``Durant was a good quarterback to have back there, he was athletic and could scramble if he needed,'' Pollock said. ``Baker can do that, too. We have confidence in him, and he's going to do a good job.'' The Tar Heels ended a four-year bowl drought last year by qualifying for the Continental Tire Bowl, where they lost 37-24 to new Atlantic Coast Conference member Boston College. For them to again reach the postseason, the defense must improve. A year ago, North Carolina allowed 447 yards a game, which ranked 109th in NCAA Division I-A. The good news is nine starters return, and former starting defensive tackle Chase Page is back after missing 2004 with an injury. The bad news? These are the same guys who allowed 669 yards to Utah, the most in school history. ``We want to get better on defense,'' Bunting said. There are no such concerns with kicker Connor Barth. As a freshman last season, he made 14-of-18 field goals and beat Miami with a 42-yarder on the final play to give the Tar Heels perhaps their biggest victory ever. He was carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates and became an instant celebrity, but for now, he's ready to put that behind him. ``That was really fun and cool, and it's every kicker's dream to be able to win the game on the last play,'' Barth said. ``But this is a new year, and I'm just trying to get ready to help the team this year.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)