CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- While North Carolinas record-setting offense commanded headlines, the Tar Heels defensive improvement from awful to merely adequate was a key factor in matching a school record with 11 wins.For defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, the next step for that unit is obvious entering the opener against Georgia and beyond.We have to get better at stopping the run, Chizik said, and we know that.Its easily the biggest focus for the Tar Heels defense in training camp. They ended last year by giving up nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in their last two games against high-powered offenses, and finished last in the Atlantic Coast Conference against the run.It was not a recurring thing of any sort, Chizik said. Sometimes it was (game) situation. Sometimes it might have been a missed tackle. Sometimes it might have been a guy that wasnt placed correctly in his gap. I think those are all the kind of scenarios you would encounter when youre not playing the run as well as youd want to.After building elite defenses at Texas and Auburn before winning a national title as the Tigers head coach, Chizik added another line to his resume in his first year in Chapel Hill just by getting the Tar Heels to stop giving up big plays all over the field.North Carolina surrendered more points and yards than any team in school history in 2014, allowing 497.8 yards and 39 points per game while also surrendering 11 touchdowns of at least 40 yards. Chiziks overhaul cut those numbers to 24.5 points and 435.9 yards with just five 40-yard touchdowns for a bend-but-dont-break unit.The biggest improvement came against the pass, where the Tar Heels ranked 12th nationally in pass efficiency defense, while the rush defense finished 121st nationally by allowing 247.4 yards per game.Those numbers were skewed by the final two games, first when then-No. 1 Clemson ran for 319 yards in a 45-37 win. Then Baylor ran for 645 yards -- the most ever allowed by UNC -- and seven scores in a 49-38 win in the Russell Athletic Bowl.The Tar Heels had allowed about 198 yards in their eight ACC regular-season contests.We played at a good level, but we have to step it up and play great, linebacker Andre Smith said. So we cant just keep settling for that but we have to raise the bar.Chizik pointed to other factors, too, such as time-and-score situations that sometimes had UNC playing conservatively while protecting big leads. Of note: Miami ran for 91 of its 99 yards after falling behind 45-0 in the third quarter, while rival North Carolina State ran for 265 of its 308 yards after UNC rolled to a 35-7 first-quarter lead.The Tar Heels will get an immediate indication of whether theyve improved in 2016. Theyll face star Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb in his return from a knee injury in the Sept. 3 opener in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta.If they can get 80 yards down the field and cant score, its not a big deal to us, cornerback Des Lawrence said of stopping the run this season. The yards are what the media is interested in. We dont really care about that.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college football site at http://collegefootball.ap.org Jaylen Brown Jersey . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. 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On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Walter Brown Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Every Friday during football season, ESPN Chalk will ask some of Las Vegas top oddsmakers where the action has gone over the course of the week. Here is the latest installment?of their insights into the betting action coming in on college football this week.1. Which game(s) have had the biggest line move so far?Jason Simbal, vice president of race and sports at CG Technology: The Kansas game flipped from the Jayhawks opening as a 1.5-point underdog to them now being a three-point favorite. Akron has gone from a 25-point underdog to a 23-point dog, and Oregon has moved from a 23-point favorite to a 25-point favorite.Chris Andrews, sports book director, South Point casino: The biggest college mover so far has been North Carolina vs. Illinois. We opened UNC at minus-10, which is now at minus-7.5.Nick Bogdanovich, director of bookmaking for William Hill: As of Thursday afternoon, the biggest moves for Week 2 involve Oklahoma, Air Force and UConn. We opened Oklahoma minus-44 against UL-Monroe, and the line is now minus-46.5. Air Force opened at minus-18 and now the line is at minus-20. UConn was a six-point underdog to Navy, and the line is currently Navy minus-4.2. Which game(s) have had the biggest public action?Simbal: Texas and Alabama, which is not a surprise coming off their Week 1 performances.Andrews: Biggest public action so far is Ohio State-Tulsa. Good action on both sides.Bogdanovich: The biggest public action is on Louisville and Notre Dame. The three most popular gaames at our books are Louisville-Syracuse, Western Kentucky-Alabama and Nevada-Notre Dame.dddddddddddd Ninety-eight percent of the money is on Notre Dame in their game against Nevada, and 89 percent of the total dollars bet on Louisville-Syracuse are on Louisville.3. Which game(s) have had the biggest wiseguy action?Simbal: Kansas and Akron.Andrews: Illinois has had the most wiseguy action.Bogdanovich: A lot of wiseguy plays so far on Western Kentucky against Alabama. Fifty-two percent of the total dollars bet on that game are on Alabama, which to us is a sharp play on Western Kentucky. Some more games that are leaning sharp: Ball State vs. Indiana, as 91 percent of the total dollars are on Ball State. Theres been a big move on Akron as well, with 91 percent of the total dollars wagered on that game are on the Zips against Wisconsin.4. Whats your greatest College Football Playoff liability?Simbal: Iowa is our worst-case scenario, followed by Georgia.Andrews: Tennessee is biggest exposure for the playoffs. Im not sweating it -- not yet, anyway.Bogdanovich: Of the teams that we offer, Nebraska would be the worst-case scenario, with West Virginia and Georgia as the other big liabilities. All three do have a chance to win their conference if they win some big games and play out of their minds. Nebraska is the worst-case scenario of the group, though. ' ' '