(Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
The game between North Carolina (1-2) and Rutgers (2-1) was a crucial game for the Heels, as I said in my preview of the game. And while some fans think it was not a good game, it was the Scarlet Knights defeating themselves, it was this, it was that, I think that it was a game that head coach Butch Davis and his squad needed and got. And while not many people might admit to this, tell yourself that when Rutgers had the ball late in the game you were not thinking “oh no, not another game where we come back and lose by a small margin”. But untlike the first two games, which could have also been won if lady luck had been on UNC’s side or if the twelve players still out would have been playing, the Heels kept chopping (as my friend Michael Felder of In the Bleachers says) and got the victory in this one. And coach Davis made sure that everyone knew how he felt about his team when the game was over…
“I don’t know that I’ve been prouder of a football team with the courage, the will and just the commitment and passion they made to each other this week in practice and in the way that they played today,” said head coach Butch Davis. “It was a hard-fought win. Rutgers is a good football team. But I think the will of our kids in wanting to hang in there and persevere (made the difference).”
It was a heck of a game for the Heels, who didn’t look as confident on offense as they did in the first two games, but played well on defense, led by senior line backer Bruce Carter (blocked punt, INT returned for 55 yards that turned the game around, seven tackles) who was named ACC DB of the Week, who did everything but drive the bus and fly the plane back home to Chapel Hill. Second on that list has to be junior defensive end Quinton Coples, who seemed to be in the opponent’s backfield every single play. Sure, could the Heels D do a better job on Mohamed Sanu, who caught 9 passes against UNC, but on the other hand let’s give credit to D Coordinator Everett Withers who figured out how to stop Sanu when in the wildcat formation. This was a great job by this defense, who last week struggled heavily against the triple option, then in this game was getting beat by the wildcat, however figured it out and played well as a unit. Rutger’s QB, Tom Savage, got pounded on most every play in the last part of the second quarter and in the second half. The defensive line, who did not play well in the game against Georgia Tech, seemed to be on a mission in this game, and when the game was over, it was evident that they had complited that mission successfully!
On offense things were not as crisp as I would have thought they would be. However senior running back Johnny White played well (until he had to leave with a small tweak in his knee), and senior QB T.J. Yates threw for over 200 yards with a TD and an INT, which was his first of the season. What I did like out of the gunslinger was that he looked (and found) many targets, throwing to eight different receivers in the game, with six of them having two or more catches, while the top three receivers only had four catches each. This makes it pretty hard for a defense to look at what is going on and try to figure out who should be double covered. And while the miscues (four turnovers) did cost the Heels something, it was nice to see that the offense kept on working it out and found the way to overcome a 10 point deficit.
As I talked about in my preview this game had the feeling of two years ago, when UNC needed that win against Rutgers. Unlike two years ago this was a much tough fight, especially going down ten points so quickly. However these young men did not give up and fought back, things clicked and worked for the Heels, who now have to face off against East Carolina in the friendly confine of Kenan Stadium. And we can sit here and keep thinking about the “what could have been” theory, but the thing that we can be thankful for is that with a win this weekend the Tar Heels would be 2-2 and that sounds a lot better than 1-3!
