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This reminds me of the famous 2004 John Bunting do-or-die game.
Twenty years ago, John Bunting faced the same circumstances that Mack Brown may be dealing with going to Florida State Saturday. Besides both being great guys who love Carolina, they don’t have much else in common. Bunting was a star player for UNC and in the NFL. Brown went into coaching early and made it to the Hall of Fame.
The Tar Heels have not had a great season in Brown’s sixth year back on this job. Alumni and fans got fed up with big expectations and bad finishes, and there have already been discussions about whether this will be Mack’s swan song. The 41-14 win at Virginia was impressive after four consecutive losses but created a new crossroad.
With a favorable schedule in the last four games, Carolina could conceivably win them all and a bowl game to finish 9-4, which would be Brown’s best record in his second UNC stint. If the Heels did that and Brown wanted to stay, who could argue?
In Bunting’s fourth season after he became the popular pick to fill the coaching vacancy when Frank Beamer changed his mind and stayed at Virginia Tech, he was working on a 16-28 record when fourth-ranked Miami came to town.
Rumors were rife that Steve Spurrier, who was hanging out in Gainesville, Florida, after coaching the Gators to the 1996 national championship and bombing out in less than two seasons with the NFL Redskins, was using the old “sleeping giant” description of the Tar Heels program.
UNC Chancellor James Moeser and athletic director Dick Baddour were deciding whether to keep Bunting or tell him he was gone after that season. If the latter, they could approach Spurrier before someone else hired him (South Carolina eventually did). It came down to how the 3-4 Tar Heels played against the mighty Hurricanes. Connor Barth kicked his famous 42-yard field goal as time expired to break a 28-28 tie and Kenan went crazy.
Now two decades later, Brown may have to validate the win in Charlottesville by beating 1-7 Florida State, which is having a horrid season. The Heels are favored and, on paper, should win. Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins raves about the talent the Seminoles have “all over the field.”
If FSU gets it together and beats Carolina, Brown will be back in the same old spot. After a bye week on November 9, he would likely have to win the last three games to finish 7-5 and reach a middling bowl. Or worse, go to a bowl with a 6-6 record. Indeed, the Noles are 17th and last in ACC offense, so what exactly is Collins talking about? FSU doesn’t have a running back listed in the league’s top 25 or a quarterback in the top 16.
Thus, it looks like a must win for Brown, if not his Heels.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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