As the losses–and injury woes–continue to pile up for the UNC football team, the Tar Heels’ veteran leaders are doing everything they can to make sure the team keeps a positive mindset throughout the final five games.

Head coach Larry Fedora said after Saturday’s loss to Virginia that it “kills him” because he hasn’t been able to get his guys over the hump so far in 2017.

Although a coach is supposed to feel that way for his players, it’s ultimately the guys out on the field in pads who decide the final outcomes.

That’s why after seven games–and six losses–it would be easy to imagine frustration and finger-pointing finding its way into the locker room.

Back in 2014, reports of in-fighting and unhappiness surrounded a UNC team that finished 6-7 and ended the year with an embarrasing 40-21 loss to Rutgers in something called the QuickLane Bowl.

With this particular Tar Heel squad, however, everyone still seems to be supporting each other and on the same page.

“This is North Carolina,” quarterback Brandon Harris, a graduate transfer who has taken on a large leadership role in his first season with the team, said on Saturday. “It’s a big program. So with outside noise, it’s easy for guys to stray away and get guys to believe in negative stuff.

“But this team has stayed together,” he added. “We have been very positive and the future is bright here.”

Another of the Tar Heels’ most prominent leaders has been senior cornerback MJ Stewart.

Many young players have singled Stewart out by name throughout the season when asked who provides the biggest voice in the locker room.

When asked how he plans on keeping his guys together down the stretch, Stewart answered confidently.

“You just gotta let the guys know that you gotta keep grinding,” he said. “That’s the only thing we can do because if we hang our heads, we might as well call the season quits already.

“I just gotta assure the guys that it’s going to turn our way.”

With UNC trailing Virginia by a score of 10-0 at halftime on Saturday, tight end Brandon Fritts–a redshirt junior–delivered an emotional halftime speech to the team.

“He wanted to reiterate that we were not playing up to our standard of Carolina football,” freshman tailback Michael Carter told reporters. “Because there have been a lot of greats here and a lot of great teams, so it was just a matter of strapping up for the second half and doing what we do.”

Carter then came out of the locker room following Fritts’ speech and exploded for 114 yards and two touchdowns on UNC’s first two drives.

He did all this on only four carries. Not only that, his two touchdowns represented the Tar Heels’ only scoring of the afternoon.

Despite being one of the younger members of the team, his play led by example and provided yet another reason for UNC to think positively about the future.

“There’s teams, and then there’s families,” Carter said. “Families can’t be separated that easily. It’d take something really, really big.

“I just think, like, no matter what, this team sticks together because we’re brothers,” he continued. “We’re family. And it’s always gonna be like that.”

Related Stories
‹
UNC Football Single Game Tickets Go On Sale Monday
Beginning on Monday at 9 a.m., single-game UNC football tickets for the 2021 season will be available to the general public. Season tickets have already sold out according to the school, as the Tar Heels look to meet the high expectations awaiting them for the upcoming campaign. Limited quantities are available, with pricing starting at […]
Sam Howell Selected to Davey O'Brien Award Watch List
Preseason accolades continue to roll in for UNC junior quarterback Sam Howell, who was named earlier this week to the watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award. Howell was one of 30 players on this year’s watch list for an award which has been presented annually to the top quarterback in the country since 1981. […]
Ty Chandler Selected to Watch List for Doak Walker Award
Ahead of his first year with the Tar Heels, Tennessee running back transfer Ty Chandler was named Wednesday to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award. The award is presented the top running back in college football. Chandler arrives in Chapel Hill ranked fifth in Tennessee history with 3,245 all-purpose yards — 2,015 of […]
Former UNC Kicker Noah Ruggles Transferring to Ohio State
Through a post on Instagram earlier this week, former UNC kicker Noah Ruggles announced he has accepted a scholarship offer to take over the kicking position at Ohio State. Ruggles will join the Buckeyes as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining — filling a desperate need on special teams for one of […]
Kick-Off Times and TV Info Revealed for Five UNC Football Games
The UNC football program revealed Thursday that it has received the game times and TV information for five games in the upcoming 2021 season. First is the season opener in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech, which will kick off at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3 and air on ESPN. The Tar Heels then move on […]
UNC Agrees to Home-and-Home Football Series With South Carolina
UNC announced Monday that it has agreed to a home-and-home football series against South Carolina, with the games set to take place during the 2028 and 2029 seasons. The first of the two games will happen in Columbia, SC on Sept. 2, 2028. South Carolina will then make the return trip to Kenan Stadium for […]
New York Jets Select Michael Carter In Fourth Round of NFL Draft
Day Three of this year’s NFL Draft began very similar to Day Two, with a Tar Heel running back taken off the board early–as the New York Jets selected Michael Carter with the second pick of the afternoon and 107th overall. Carter’s partner in the UNC backfield last season, Javonte Williams, was taken with the […]
Javonte Williams Selected No. 35 in NFL Draft by Denver
UNC junior running back Javonte Williams became the first Tar Heel off the board in this year’s NFL Draft on Friday night, as the Denver Broncos selected him in the second round with the No. 35 overall pick. Williams ran for 2,297 yards and 29 touchdowns during his three years at UNC, including setting a […]
Washington Football Team Selects Dyami Brown in Third Round of NFL Draft
In the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Washington Football Team used the 82nd overall pick on UNC junior wide receiver Dyami Brown. Brown spent each of the last two seasons as the top deep threat for UNC quarterback Sam Howell, and became the first UNC receiver to ever post back-to-back seasons of […]
UNC Football Game at Notre Dame to be Nationally Televised in Prime Time
The UNC football program announced Thursday that its game at Notre Dame on Oct. 30 will be nationally televised on NBC in prime time at 7:30 p.m. It is likely to be one of the toughest games of the season for the Tar Heels, who are expected to begin the year among the top 15 […]
›