Chansky’s Notebook: Win Or Lose

Cheer for the Tar Heels to play a good game and maybe they’ll even win.

After only two losses and one hurricane-induced cancellation, I’ve heard a lot of negativity and sense even more apathy about the 2018 season. The true curse of Carolina football is a perennially powerful basketball program, which is easy to turn to when things on the gridiron aren’t keeping pace.

Yes, a lot of the malaise has been self-imposed over recent years. An academic scandal that lingered and hurt recruiting after the first wave of players who Larry Fedora signed finished up. Then, the 13 players involved in Shoe-gate cost the team more than two dozen games of eligibility.

Now the team sits 0-2 with apparent offensive problems and more penalties and mistakes than winning programs commit. Even with the Heels catching a break by having the game against powerful Central Florida wiped out by the threat of Florence, the schedule continues to stiffen with Pitt, at Miami, Virginia Tech, at Syracuse (which has already beaten Florida State), at Virginia (which looks better than predicted), Georgia Tech and at Duke. How many wins do you see in those opponents?

Maybe the return of Chaz Surratt and more snaps for freshman Cade Fortin will create a down-the-field passing game Carolina needs. Maybe after the suspensions, a defense with both talent and experience will keep improving to the point of being a game-changing unit. But, right now, the Tar Heels are on a wing and a prayer against better competition on paper.

Does that mean fans should consider the season a loss right now? Should ticket holders quit showing up at Kenan Stadium or other fans not buy single-game seats? Fedora’s not a quitter and says his players aren’t. But going out there in a half-full stadium, even if the losses mount, does not help the current squad and certainly not the coaching staff that is recruiting against schools with better records right now.

UNC is asking fans to wear navy Saturday, I guess to contrast all the new Carolina blue seats in Kenan. In the future, there will be a white-out game, Homecoming, military appreciation day and Senior Day against N.C State. Frankly, I don’t care what shade of blue you wear. Just put it on and be there, win or lose.

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