As the UNC football team tries to recover from its most painful loss of the season, it also must prepare for a visit from a hated rival–with Duke coming to Chapel Hill having won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
Close games have become the norm for this year’s Tar Heels, which have lost four times this season by a combined total of just 12 points.
Before last weekend’s loss in six overtimes against Virginia Tech—the first such game in ACC history—head coach Mack Brown had been a part of only one overtime throughout his entire Hall-of-Fame career spanning more than three decades.
Mack Brown and the Tar Heels must regroup after a close loss once again, with rival Duke set to visit Chapel Hill this weekend in a critical ACC Coastal Division clash. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP)
For a team in rebuilding mode battling numerous injuries, especially in pass coverage, losses are to be expected. But with the way this UNC team has been in contention to win all seven of its games in the final minutes, the losses seem to sting more and more as they continue to pile up.
“It’s really interesting in sports,” Brown told reporters at his press conference on Monday. “If we make the field goal, or make the two-point play [against Virginia Tech], we’re all talking about how great we’re doing. And life’s great. And oh my gosh, we have turned this thing, and it’s wonderful and we’re in the greatest place ever. This is unbelievable. But now we stink.”
Whether the Tar Heels stink or not, the way the loss to Virginia Tech played out will be tough to top.
A handful of chances to win the game each slipped away in the extra periods, causing the Tar Heels to lose their spot atop the Coastal Division and creating a situation where they have to win three of their final five games to gain bowl eligibility.
“On their way home Saturday night, they were devastated,” Brown said. “I walked into this room and they were whipped. They were just, come on, come on, man. What do we have to do to win a game? And I felt the same way. I felt whipped. It’s one of those days you don’t want to go to work.
“But then again, I came back to pick up kids and try to teach them and learn from difficult situations and no better one than this to learn from,” the coach added.
As tough as it is to get over a loss like the one last weekend, the Tar Heels have proven to be as resilient as they come all year long.
The fact that Duke visits Chapel Hill this weekend should only provide an extra spark, considering UNC’s lack of success recently in a rivalry it once dominated.
Just like the Tar Heels, however, Duke is also coming off a tough loss. The Blue Devils were demolished 48-14 by Virginia, a loss that knocked Duke to 2-2 in conference play just like the Tar Heels.
Both teams are now behind Virginia and Pittsburgh in the Coastal Division race, which makes Saturday’s showdown somewhat of an elimination game in that regard.
With that said, the way UNC takes advantage of plays in critical situations this week will go a long way in determining how much of a success this season is.
Brown has long stated his desire to win against in-state competition, while the Coastal Division title is always one of the team’s goals at the beginning of the season.
The Tar Heels have made changes at kicker and along the offensive line to try and fix some of their holes, but with how this season has played out so far—it’s not crazy to think this week’s game will once again come down to crunch time.
“It’s usually seven plays in a game,” Brown said. “This one [last week] had 10 or 15 that we win the game if we make any of those plays. So that’s what I told them. Let’s don’t feel sorry for ourselves. Let’s play better and get rejuvenated here for Duke. We haven’t had a good record against Duke the last seven years. I think we’re 2-5. So we need to pick it up and start worrying about [this] week.”
Cover photo via Associated Press
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