I found an interesting article on the web site “Outkick the Coverage”, which talked about the twenty-five best college football jobs in America. From what I read the author, Clay Travis, used two factors when making the rankings: the size of the athletic department, which would give a rough idea of how much a school can afford to spend, and the ability to recruit, as that is the true backbone of any college program. The article also goes on to say that before writing this they spoke to a “bunch” of coaches and agents, and while it’s hard to quantify what a bunch is, it shows that there was plenty of leg work behind this article. I have to say that once you read the list and the reason given for each none really seem out of place, but I did find interesting that not even one of the teams from this season’s Big East conference was on the list.

For North Carolina, who this year have a new athletic director in Bubba Cunningham and football coach, Larry Fedora, it was nice to see them at the number twelve slot in the ranking. The interesting sentence about the program from Chapel Hill: “the ACC is a conference that can be dominated with the right coach.” I can agree with that, but it’s not as simple as those words sound. Especially when on the list there are other three teams from the conference, including two teams from the sunshine state in #4 Florida State and #15 Miami along with Virginia Tech, which was the last team on this list.

For something non carolina blue, just about UNC the author ranked Penn State, talking about the fact that before the scandal the program laid claim to the Northeast. Then added that he was keeping the Nittany Lions ranked high because there was no way to see what lasting impact the debacle would have on the football team. I have to wonder, would PSU be even higher if not for scandal? I am not sure, but it’s one of those great discussions for the water cooler!

After many stories talking about the fact that Southern Miss’ head coach Larry Fedora is going to be the next head man at North Carolina the school has made it official with a post on Tar Heel Blue. For my views on the new man in charge check out my posts over at isportsweb, where I think that with the high powered mentality of coach Fedora and the returning talent in Chapel Hill it should be a good year for the offensive side of the ball. I also thought about the fact that the new boss of the program will need to bring in the right assistants and coordinators in order to make this program go forward and push to the top of the conference. But for now, whether this was your choice or not, let’s unite and support the hire made by the school and give Larry Fedora the same chance that we gave the coach before him.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will hire Larry Fedora, who led Southern Miss to an 11-2 record and 2011 Conference USA championship, as the Tar Heels’ next head football coach, pending final Board of Trustees approval at a 9 a.m. meeting Friday (AlumniHall III, George Watts Hill Alumni Center).

The University expects to hold a press conference at 1 p.m. on Friday in the Concourse Club at the Loudermilk Center. The public is invited to attend.

“We identified and spoke to a number of highly qualified coaches and the person whom we believe is the best to lead the Carolina football program forward is Larry Fedora,” says UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham. “We share great expectations for the potential of Carolina football and we are excited that he has agreed to be our next head coach.

“Larry has a strong record both as the head coach at Southern Miss and for 18 years as a college assistant coach. Throughout his career his teams have been known for their exciting and highly productive offenses and aggressive defenses.”

Fedora’s first team at Southern Miss broke 36 school records. In 2011, the Golden Eagles compiled a school-record 6,123 total yards of offense, won 11 games and the Conference USA championship.

“Coach Fedora has a plan and a vision for the future of Carolina football that I strongly believe will make us successful on and off the field,” says Cunningham. “He has more than 20 years experience in college football, has tremendous enthusiasm, understands the academic and character values that are important to the University of North Carolina, is committed to fully developing the student-athletes who are under his charge and has the ability to excite both our fans and prospective student-athletes about the potential for great success here.

“We are fortunate to have outstanding student-athletes and coaches at UNC who have had a winning season and will be competing in the Independence Bowl. Our interim head coach Everett Withers will coach the Tar Heels in that game. I especially want to thank Coach Withers, who did an outstanding job in leading the football program this year. Everett is an excellent football coach and a first-class individual. He and his staff provided exemplary leadership under trying circumstances and I am glad they were rewarded with an opportunity to play in a bowl game.”

“I am very impressed with the search process that Bubba Cunningham ran,” says UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp. “He did a very thorough job of identifying and evaluating the best candidates and, ultimately, selecting Larry Fedora as our football coach. I think Coach Fedora will be a great fit for Carolina, and we look forward to giving him a warm Tar Heel welcome.”

I will post more on this after the press conference that is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST. You can check Fedora’s resume and see his all-time record from high school, to assistant, to coordinator, to finally head coach in the past four seasons…

Year School Position Record
1986 Austin College Grad. Asst. —
1987 Garland (Texas) HS Assistant —
1988 Garland (Texas) HS Assistant —
1989 Garland (Texas) HS Assistant —
1990 Baylor Assistant 6-4-1
1991 Baylor Assistant 8-4 Copper Bowl (L, 24-0 to Indiana)
1992 Baylor Assistant 7-5 Sun Bowl (W, 20-15 vs. Arizona)
1993 Baylor Assistant 5-6
1994 Baylor Assistant 7-5 Alamo Bowl (L, 10-3 vs. Washington)
1995 Baylor Assistant 7-4
1996 Baylor Assistant 4-7
1997 Air Force Assistant 10-3 Las Vegas Bowl (L, 41-31 vs. Oregon)
1998 Air Force Assistant 12-1 O’ahu Bowl (W, 45-25 vs. Washington)
1999 Middle Tennessee Assistant 3-8
2000 Middle Tennessee Assistant 6-5
2001 Middle Tennessee Assistant 8-3
2002 Florida Assistant 8-5 Outback Bowl (L, 38-30 vs. Michigan)
2003 Florida Assistant 8-5 Outback Bowl (L, 37-17 vs. Iowa)
2004 Florida Assistant 7-5 Peach Bowl (L, 27-10 vs. Miami)
2005 Oklahoma State Assistant 4-7
2006 Oklahoma State Assistant 7-6 Independence Bowl (W, 34-31 vs. Alabama)
2007 Oklahoma State Assistant 7-6 Insight Bowl (W, 49-33 vs. Indiana)*
2008 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 7-6 New Orleans Bowl (W, 30-27 OT vs. Troy)
2009 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 7-6 New Orleans Bowl (L, 42-32 vs. MTSU)
2010 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 8-5 Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl (L, 31-28 vs. Louisville)
2011 Southern Mississippi Head Coach 11-2 CUSA Champions (W, 49-28 vs. Houston)
Career record as head coach: 33-19 (4 years)
*Did not coach bowl game.

As I said in my other preview on isportsweb this game between North Carolina (6-5, 2-5 in the ACC) and Duke (3-8, 1-6 in the ACC) is to determine who is going to be the bottom dweller for the division. Not the way anyone had envisioned this Senior Day to be when the season began in September. But that is how it ended up, and for 17 seniors and probably interim head coach Everett Withers, this is going to be the last game they have in the friendly confine of Kenan Stadium. It’s also the battle of the “Victory Bell” and unfortunately it’s going to be on ESPN3 for those out of the ACC area, with kick off being at 3:30 pm EST. I know this is an overused cliche, but when it comes to this squad and season “it is what it is” sure does come to mind over and over.

What it has been is a season with lots of let downs and head scratching as the talent on the roster has been far superior than a 6-5 record which includes being shut out by in-state rival N.C. State. While this game can be the silver lining for both teams, the reality is that neither do get much out of it, even if UNC has more to gain from it. For the Tar Heels their bowl game slots are still up in the air, but are not many to choose from. Win or lose for the Blue Devils the season ends with this one. For Carolina not even the “win for the coach” could be a factor as it seems more than likely that AD Bubba Cunningham will be hiring someone new to guide the team next season.

The one thing that both teams have to fight for is the “Victory Bell” and it has been the trend of late that no matter the records the two teams have played this game tight. While UNC has win the last 20 of 21 games, the last handful of games almost all have been decided by eight points or less. The oddsmaker put Carolina as a 13 points favorite, I do not see the Tar Heels covering that, but do see them winning by the final of 28 to 20.

As I said in the recap I do at isportsweb the play that resembled this football team in 2011 is the second onside kick, where all was rightly done, but it was just not long enough. The game between North Carolina (6-5, 2-5 in the ACC) came close to winning the game against #9 Virginia Tech (9-1, 6-1 in the ACC), but in the end falls 24 to 21. In a season where the Tar Heels have just not lived up to the talent they have on paper this game was just another reminder of what could have been. In reality if the squad had played most of the year as they did in the last fifteen minutes of this match up interim head coach Everett Withers’ team could easily be a double digit wins team. Instead it seems that they just have had a tough time putting one complete game together, landing them at the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and not at the top.

The sad reality of this team is that with the other major sport, men’s basketball for those that do not know what I am talking about, beginning their season, the fan base is already shifting focus from the gridiron to the hardwoods. A win last Thursday could have brought back some fire to the fans, but once again they were let to believe until the end, just to come up short once more. Now all one can hope for is to have a good showing for Senior Day against another in-state rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, something that would have been a lot more secure if this team had 1-2 more wins than they have now. Reality being they should, because the loss to N.C. State, even if they beat Clemson today, is unexplainable to me and this last game, with a bit of offensive charge between the first 10 minutes and the last 15, could have easily been a W as well for Carolina. Instead this team now plays Duke this week with the loser being the bottom dweller of the Coastal Division.

Adding insult to injury, besides the loss tail back Giovani Bernard, who had a touchdown and 45 yards, suffered a mild concussion in the game, and maybe had he been in the game the fumble at the Va Tech’s five yard line would not have happaned and UNC would have been up by 10 or 14 instead of the opponents tieing up the game later on. The fumble was Ryan Houston, who had 42 yards and a touchdown as well on the night. After that fumble for the Tar Heels it was a variety of mishaps, some bad moves on the defensive side along with some play calling to make you scratch your head at, and not only until the game was basically out of reach did QB Bryn Renner (14 for 26 ~ 224 yds ~ 1 TD ~ 0 INTs) and Company come back to life. But it was just a bit too little and a bit too late, bringing us once again to the fact that this team could have been a lot better than their record shows. From the looks of it, because of the season that they have had, six teams, Va Tech, Clemson, FSU, UVa, WF and Ga Tech, will be taken ahead of the Tar Heels when it comes to the bowl games. You have to wonder what will be left for Carolina as far as games are concerned.

Like it or not, want it or not, this team next week will be lead by someone else, at first it seemed that it could be Auburn’s offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, now the new hot name being tossed around is the one of South Florida’s head coach, Skip Holtz. While I am not sure about the first one, the second one I have always liked and the plus side is look how much more coverage we would get from Lou Holtz. Kidding aside, whomever is picked for this job will have to work hard to bring it back to the expectations that were set just prior to the scandal that brought down the Butch Davis era in Chapel Hill.

Going into tonight’s game UNC is not looking for the sixth win to be bowl eligible, what North Carolina (6-4, 2-4 in the ACC) is looking for tonight at 8:00 pm EST (on ESPN) against #8 Virginia Tech (9-1, 5-1 in the ACC) is a signature win to get a better bowl game. Add that to a win next week against Duke and the 8 win plateau would help interim head coach Everett Withers’ squad find themselves playing later in December. As I said in my other preview on isportsweb there is something wrong when this team, filled with players that should be going on to the next level, is just at six wins on the season and under .500 in the conference. After the shut out loss to in-state rivals to N.C. State this team could truly use, as said before, a signature win. On the other side Va Tech needs this game to seal up its fourth trip in five years to the ACC Title game, so both of the squads are in need of the W, and that makes this game very interesting.

Carolina has to have a balanced attack game, where they are never in third and long, or else they will be playing in the hands of Virginia Tech. This means that tail back Giovani Bernard has to have another one of his games, where he hits the triple digit mark in yards gained (averaging 101.2 per game) and makes the usage of play action something that the opponents will have to be leery of and will have to respect. This will also help out QB Bryn Renner have better possibilities at a good game without turnovers while finding his favorite target Dwight Jones. What this time can not do in this game, against this tough of competition, is come off slow and let the first half pass before finding its rhythm. If that was to happen this game will be over before the two squads head to the locker room for the half. Neither Bernard, who had 47 yards last week against the Wolfpack, or Bernard, who threw for 76 yards, can have a repeat performance tonight, that is for sure. The QB, who suffered a small concussion in that game, says he is fine for tonight’s match up…

“I don’t worry about that at all,” Renner said. “I think the biggest thing you can do (to recover) is practice. Once I got back on the practice field (last) Thursday and then (Sunday), it was all of the confidence that I need to play on Thursday.”

…and it seems his head coach is sure he will be fine and play well in this one as well…

“I expect him to respond like a starting quarterback at a Division I, BCS school,” Withers said. “I expect him to take the challenge and go with it. Hopefully, we’ll protect him better.”

The defense also needs to have a very good game tonight, as they can not let the Hokies take control of the game or else the Heels in catch up mode will put it on the arm of their gunslinger and that will cause problems. The defensive front seven of Carolina has to step it up in Blacksburg if they want to have a chance for a win. This is the game where UNC really needs a great one from the likes of someone like Quinton Coples, who should be a force in the National Football League in years to come. In this one the D Line and the LBs need to stop the run early and that is not going to be an easy task as Va Tech has a running back that is as good as Giovani Bernard is.

I would love to think that the Tar Heels could repeat what the did two years ago in Blacksburg and take down a Top 10 team, but I just do not think it’s going to happen, and sadly I think that it’s not due to the lack of motivation this squad has. The Vegas line on the game is 10.5 with the Hokies being heavy favorite, and I think the score will reflect that pretty close, as I see this ending up as a 35 to 24 game, with the Heels being on the losing end of it.

In yesterday’s game against NC St. tailback Giovani Bernard broke the 1,000 yards mark, and became the first running back to do so in fourteen years for the Tar Heels. Other than that I have to say there is not much positives to say about this game. On the road, North Carolina (6-4, 2-4 in the ACC) got shut out by their rivals North Carolina State (5-4, 2-3 in the ACC) by the final score of 13 to 0, something that had not happened since 1960 to Carolina, and the fifth straight game that the Wolfpack have taken from the Heels. But above the lackluster performance that had interim head coach Everett Withers pull his starting QB, Bryn Renner, it’s the comments after the game by Bernand that has me wondering what the heck is going on with this squad! The young man said the following after the game (quote found on Scout.com‘s Inside Carolina’s site)…

“I don’t know that it’s being surprised, I think it’s just a matter of not feeling right. I didn’t feel right going into the game. I felt guys were just joking around and not taking this game seriously. I knew guys were just not really focused in.”

If this is true, and I would see no reason why the back would have a reason to lie about this, you have to believe that Withers’ chances of being the head coach are over and done with. But that is not the problem, as if this is true, you have to ask what the heck is going on as a coaching staff knowing the importance of this game, not just for the sixty minutes, but for the rivalry and for the overall record as the squad looks for a decent bowl game. And if you take away the first series for North Carolina the words spoken by Bernard seem to ring true, especially on the offensive side of the ball, as the squad just seemed not to be able to do anything against a team that was with inferior talent on both sides of the ball. For a team that is looking to get past the off the field problems, a coach that is looking to see if he could have a chance at taking the interim tag off, a staff that is probably gone for the most part if a new head coach arrives, something just did not work quite right in all of this.

And while most people will forget about this game, since they are all waiting for the new AD Bubba Cunningham to come in and begin the search for the new head coach, the reality is that this week the team was not ready and those comments made by Withers might have something to do with all of this. For the last five season, since Butch Davis had come to Chapel Hill, this squad just does not get into this rivalry game as much as the Wolfpack does. All of this makes it so that in the Davis era, as in my opinion Withers and the staff is still Davis’ era, the Tar Heels are 0 and 5 against a team that should have beaten, if not all, most of those games. Particular to this game, where NC St. won by less than two touchdowns, but were able to shut out the Heels, who come off the last three games where UNC had scored 24, 38 and 49 points versus better competion than this team they faced yesterday. It worst the worst showing by Carolina this season with just 32 yards in the first half, and this was done against a defense that is ranked 82nd in the country.

What does this squad have to look forward to? Next week it’s a bye week, waiting for a Thursday night match up the following week against #12 ranked Virginia Tech (8-1, 4-1 in the ACC) and in first place in the Coastal Division. The week after that it’s Duke (3-6, 1-4 in the ACC) coming to Kenan Stadium to close out the season. Not sure what has to be said, or done, but the coaching staff has to get this team ready for both games as it would be nice to see the Tar Heels to end the season with two good performances.

When North Carolina (6-3, 2-3 in the ACC) meets N.C. State (4-4, 1-3 in the ACC) for the 101st time at Carter-Finley Stadium today at 12:30 pm EST (ESPN3) the Tar Heels should not worry about the records of each team but about the fact that the Wolfpack is 4-0, with three close games and a blow out of a ranked UNC squad, in the last four meetings. The last time that Carolina came out as a winner from this match up the the head coaches were John Bunting (UNC) and Chuck Amato (NC St.), which means that if head coach Everett Withers could win this one it would be a bit more than just the seventh W of the season for the Heels. However, it seems, that just like all good rivalries, the war of words has preceded the game, with both coaches taking shots at the other’s program. The Las Vegas insiders have the Tar Heels as a 3.5 points favorite, while Andrew Skwara of ACC Sports has the visiting squad winning it by close to two touchdowns.

But this game has more than just the rivalry at stake. Both coaches, Withers and Tom O’Brien, could be affected by the win (or loss) of this game. For the Carolina coach a win here, something that the team has not been able to get in a while and the fan base is craving for, would have to put some pressure in the AD’s office to once again look at him as the possible full time replacement to Butch Davis. The loss will probably close the discussion for good on that subject. For the N.C. State coach a win might give his team some hope to make it back to a bowl game, a loss might keep his team from a bowl game after a 9-4 season a year prior. This game also puts up two quarterbacks who played versus one another in high school as Bryn Renner and Mike Glennon played ball 18 miles away at the lower level and now are about 30 miles apart. (A side note: some believe that the comments from Withers might have closed the case on him getting the job in Chapel Hill). My personal opinion on all of this is pretty simple, both the teams and the head coaches are feeling the pressure of this game, as it means a lot to many, and when that happens it can lead, as this was the case here, to saying things that might not have been said under different circumstances.

If North Carolina is to win this game, which it should having the better talent on both sides of the ball, they must play a good game on offense, using a balance attack led by Bryn Renner, 2,195 yards (19 TDs) completing 72.7% of his passes, and Giovani Bernard 965 yards (11 TDs) the nation’s top frosh running back. If the tailback can find his rhythm soon into the game it’s going to open up the pass game for the QB to hit his favorite target, Dwight Jones 841 yards (8 TDs), and make it almost impossible for the opposition to stop this offense. The key for Brenner is not to force bad throws and give up possession with interceptions. On the other side of the ball the Tar Heels need to go after the NC St. quarterback and get to him early and often, as the Wolfpack does not possess a good running game and will rely on the air attack for most of the game. In the first eight games N.C. State has allowed 21 sacks, with the UNC’s front four this should be a stast to make them drool and want to add to it. For those people that believe Quinton Coples has not had the best of seasons, this could be the one game where he could excel at his position. And while it seems that this season the two teams have not had much in common, one thing is similar for them, both have a ton of injuries, as UNC has six out for this game and two questionable, while NC St. has eight out and one questionable.

In the end I see this game being key for UNC, as they need to reach eight games in order to get a good bowl game, and that means winning this game. I believe that to be the case, winning in a good showing, out performing NC St. on each side of the bowl and coming back to Chapel Hill with a 31 to 17 victory snapping the four game slide they have had in this rivalry.

On Saturday the UNC squad we had been watching at the beginning of the season showed up again in Kenan Stadium in a conference match up, as North Carolina (6-3, 2-3 in the ACC) handily defeated Wake Forest (5-2, 4-2 in the ACC) by the final score of 49 to 24, the highest scoring output for the year and the biggest one since 2004, and 2001 for an ACC game. In my preview I was partly right, by saying that tailback Giovani Bernard would be less than 50 yards from 1,000 yards rushing by the time this one was over. The running back is 35 yds from it. I was also partly wrong, as I said the Tar Heels would start off slowly, but did not, as they were up 14-0 by the time the first fifteen minutes were over, and 21-10 by halftime. Carolina won this game by playing with a balanced attack, as QB Bryn Renner threw for 338 yards (21 for 28) with three touchdowns and not interceptions, while Bernard and company ran for 224 yards scoring four TDs in all, with the featured back getting 154 yards on the ground (on 27 carries) and scoring two TDs and catching three balls for 21 yards and scoring another touchdown as well. The performance by Bernard was the best for a running back since 2003. And while I am very happy to have seen this team play as they did, before I talk about the game itself, let me just say this, if they had played like this the last month they could be still in the fight for the top of the hill and not for staying out of the basement.

The worst part of this game did not happen inside the game, but outside, as ESPNU and their crews are just to marvel at sometimes. The errors they make, and not just in this one, seem to reflect the black and white movies starring key stone cops. Next to that we have to say that the Heels did have a good game, but they do did have their mishaps, nothing major, nothing that could have put the game in danger, but still needs to be accounted for, starting with a sub performance by the man of the O line. Yes, the offense generated over 500 yards of offense, but close to ten tackles for loss, including two sacks, against a small defensive core has to be pointed out. Maybe it’s a nit pick of mine, but as the team celebrates that they are bowl eligible they have to figure out that the offensive line needs to pick it up in order to win some more games as the season enters its last quarter. One person that you have to give credit to is quarterback Bryn Renner, who after a good beginning had been sliding each game of late, who came out and played a very good game when it was needed against a team that needed the win. Along with the QB the great expectations that have been place on his partner in the backfield, Giovani Bernard, have been met and surpassed for the most part. The running back got Rookie of the Week in the conference for this play against Wake Forest.

But the young back was not the same to be honored by the ACC as senior line backer Zach Brown also made the list, having had nine tackles, of which 2.5 for losses, a sack, an INT, a forced fumble and recovering one as well. Brown leads the team with 62 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for losses. But he was not the only one as the UNC D in this game was able to produce their share of turnovers, getting four picks and one fumble recovery. In the end it was a game that UNC took control from the beginning til the end on both sides of the ball, and was able to stop a two game slide that could have been a lost worst if this had been a “L” when it was said and done. Now, we have to realize that this team has three games left and what they do with them will determine where they end up going to a bowl game. Next week it’s N.C. State on the road, a game that somehow Carolina has had a problem winning, and depending on which team shows up will determine the outcome this time around. After a bye week the Heels will face off on the road #12 Virginia Tech, and without a doubt the Hokies will be a favorite in this one. Leaving the final game of the season, at Kenan, against Duke.

As we all know, in order to go to a decent bowl game this squad needs to win two out of the last three games, being the games in the Triangle, against in-state rivals. An 8-4 record is going to get a lot more doors opened for this squad than a 7-5 one, especially if they have to get that last win at home against a Duke team that is going to be below .500 when they meet. On the other hand, like we all should do, I am going to worry about one game at a time, and wait to see how this team reacts to a great game and prepares for this rivalry game coming off a high. Especially when we will be facing an N.C. State squad who is right now at 4-4 (1-3 in the ACC) and is coming off a shut out from FSU by the final of 34-0. Head coach Everett Withers showed us that he can turn the slide and have a great showing, now he is going to have to show us if he can get the student-athletes back to focus for this crucial game.

Sometimes as fans, or bloggers, we begin to think way ahead for our own good. We should really learn to work in the same way that the head coaches for the teams we follow do, and think one game at a time. It was not long ago, say a couple of weeks, that I was seeing this UNC football team making great strides and playing weel enough to get a nice bowl game. Fast forward to today at 3:30 pm EST, when North Carolina (5-3, 1-3 in the ACC) will meet up with Wake Forest (5-2, 4-1 in the ACC) in the friendly confine of Kenan Stadium, and a loss could put this squad in a state of collapse. With almost ten players for head coach Everett Withers’ out or doubtful it is not wonder that ESPN’s ACC Blogger Heather Dinich gives the edge to the Deamon Deacons, as does Andrew Jones from Fox Sports South. None of this truly helps this squad, who the Vegas insiders believe to be a touchdown favorite in this one. All of this does not bode well for a team that right now needs something, anything to go right with them. As quarterback Bryn Renner said this week…

“We’re a good team, we just have to start playing like it.”

The one silver lining, if you wish to call it that, is that for the first time in many decades Carolina will once again have a running back that rushed for over a 1,000 yards in a season. Tailback Giovani Bernard has already accumulated 811 yards (on 141 carries) and scored 9 touchdowns in the process. If you add in his receiving yards, 222 (on 30 catches), the young man has 1,033 overall for the season. Put that with the 703 yards (on 48 catches) with eight TDs from Dwight Jones and you can see that the offense is there to be a good team, as the young QB said, and now, today, in a game they need to win, the Tar Heels need to prove exactly that to the rest of the conference and especially to themselves. The first thing that must happen is that the turnovers must somehow stop, and UNC can not throw away scoring oppurtunities because of them. So, while we all knew or believe, the talent to be there, what I am not sure is if the power to overcome the turmoils off the field along with the ones on is there.

Let’s think about this for a minute, in the last year how much has this team as a whole, and these coaches and players, as individuals, have had to take in? From the initial scandal, to the John Blake issue, to the players not knowing if they would play or not, to the letting go of Marvin Austin, to the summer of hope that it was over that ended up with the firing of coach Butch Davis, to putting an interim tag on a coach that has to do above and beyond just to have a shot, to waiting on how the hearings in Indianapolis will go, to what type of sanctions will be handed down, to how much more I could say and have not! Physically players this age recoup like no one’s business, but mentally, that is another issue, especially when you add the fact that they are also still students. Now, I am not saying this to give them an excuse for their losses, or for what could happen today, I am saying it because like it or not, all that has been types here has gone on and affected most everyone on this team.

On the other hand, this game is basically a must win for Wake Forest, as no one would be able to catch Clemson if they were to get a two game lead in the Atlantic Division this late into the season. For North Carolina a win would put them two games behind Virginia Tech, but would keep them practically at the bottom of the Coastal Division, but would put them bowl eligible. So, both teams have plenty to play for, and what UNC truly needs, on both sides of the ball, is support, and that could be the difference today, as they play at home, hopefully to a packed stadium, and can have the energy of their fans help them out. In the end, with the team once again not doing well in the first quarter, I see North Carolina coming back and taking this one in a tight one, 28 to 27, using a balanced attack and with Bernard being less than 50 yards from the 4 digit mark in rushing.

As a side note, for a blogger like me, who lives so far away from the team I love, it is nice to see that they will be on the ESPN networks for the next three games, with the final one, against Duke, not yet scheduled for its game time.

While on the surface what happened in Kenan last Saturday was a loss for the Heels, the reality is that in those sixty minutes a lot more happened. With Miami (3-3, 1-2 in the ACC) taking down North Carolina (5-2, 1-2 in the ACC) 30 to 24 last weekend it brings many things into play. First and foremost, it does not put the Tar Heels bowl eligible, losing a game most believe they should have won. And while it is not the way to welcome in the new Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham, who will replace Dick Baddour next month, this game could also be the one that could seal the fate of interim head coach Everett Whiters. While there was little chance that the coach would have gotten the job, if he had kept winning, you would have to imagine that the new AD would have to look at him as much as any other candidate. So, while for the fans this game was definitely what they were hoping for, the ones that look a bit past it, this game was a lot more than a “L” on the schedule.

The game began exactly like I thought it would not happen, or better said, as I hoped it should not happen, with Carolina struggling at the beginning and while the come back was great, it was not enough. Even with QB Bryn Renner, who has been added to the Manning Award Watch list, passing for 288 yards and two TDs and tailback Giovani Bernard going for 110 yards and a TD, the Tar Heels just could not come back from a 27-3 decifit late in the first half of play, down by two touchdowns before the offense ever saw the field. With all of that, UNC had a couple of shots at the Hurricanes’ end zone from the 30 and 37 yard line as time was running out. If I have to point out a negative on the offensive side of the ball, Renner seems to be thinking a bit too much while in the pocket. Even worst in all of this is that UNC had the ball seven more minutes than Miami, outgained their opponents by over 100 yards, but had 1 extra turnover than the ‘Canes, and that could have been the difference.

I guess in the end what this game truly shows that winning helps to cover the problems. This game was nothing much more than a Louisville game with more points. Sluggish, or use another name for it, is not the way this team should be on offense, and it’s not the way that they can do anything in the ACC if they want to go to a bowl game that matters. In the end, for North Carolina this game just brought up what some games before this one had shown but been forgotten because there was a “W” at the end of the sixty minutes. To add to this the last play of the game was just not what I would like to see when you have someone like Dwight Jones that can go up with the best for any jump ball. All in all this offense needs to figure out how to put up more points on the scoreboard, if they do that this squad can still be good enough to find seven or eight wins going into a bowl game, if not, welcome to early December bowl games.

Off the field, as the Athletic Director position changes hand, the NCAA meeting comes closer and closer, there is one more thing: ex head coach Butch Davis is trying to have his cellphone records be quashed. I truly thought that all of the things from last season would be behind us, but they aren’t, and I guess we will be going back to normal next year! On the other hand, as the old saying goes “nothing changes if nothing changes”, so, until all of the events are over and done we are still in the NCAA Violations mode. Hopefully that too will be finished soon and we can stop reading about anything else but the sport programs.