I hope Western made big bucks for taking two trips down the mountain.
Is anyone out there feeling as perverse as me in seeing similarities between the two slaughters of Western Carolina in the last 2½ weeks? Sparse crowds at both UNC venues watched an aggregate 169-71 score of the football game on November 18 and the basketball game last night as WCU was thoroughly punished by UNC. Thank you, sir, may I have another?
There are some interesting similarities between the two bushwhackings of the Catamounts, except when you come to the relative seasons both Tar Heel teams were/are having. In football, Carolina needed a second straight win as bad as mouth wash after dropping six straight to avoid the dreaded 10-loss record. The basketball Tar Heels were after their fourth straight “W” and ninth overall heading into what should be two more competitive games before ACC plays begins on December 30.
The football Heels won 65-10 and scored the most points since flogging Duke in 2015. The hoop Heels equaled their most three-pointers, shooting 72 percent from downtown Chapel Hill, in the Ol’ Roy era. Guess we could have used about 8 of those 16 v. Michigan State and still beat the Cats by double digits.
Reserve quarterback Nathan Elliott threw for a college career-high four touchdowns against Western. Freshman Jalek Felton, vying for more playing time at quarterback so Joel Berry can slide over to the two guard, had his best college game with 15 points and four treys from the arc.
Anthony Ratliff-Williams, who turned out to be Carolina’s best offensive player after everyone else got hurt, caught his fifth TD pass of the season against Western. Luke Maye is vying to become UNC’s best hoopster (and that would be saying something) with another double-double, his sixth of the season while also tying his career high with five assists. Not bad for the one-time walk-on.
As for other unsung news, former bench jockey Josh Cabrera had his first multi-TD game with two scoring receptions, while freshman Michael Cater notched his second 100-yard rushing game. Compare that to Andrew “Where Did He Come From” Platek, hitting three bombs, dishing for three assists and scoring 11 points. And, finally, Austin Proehl made his highly anticipated return at wide receiver versus the Catamounts.
Your move, Cam Johnson. C’mon in.
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Art, while the Catamounts did take whippings from the Tar Heels, as a resident of Western North Carolina (and a graduate of both institutions), it pleased me to see UNC play a school from the western part of the state. WCU academics and athletics have been improving as of late, and the exposure they get from playing a school like UNC helps with the bottom line and with recruiting. Plus, Coach Williams is from WNC and I feel he is helping the region by playing UNC-A and WCU. While I know they can’t play every year, it is my hope that UNC will keep scheduling WCU in the future. The Tar Heels play teams from down east. It’s good to see them reach out to the western part of the state and give schools from our side have a chance.