University of North Carolina Athletics
Car-O-Lines: Seniors Play Final Home Game After Unusual Four Years
November 9, 2000 | Football
Nov. 9, 2000
By Rick Brewer, SID Emeritus
Read More Car-O-Lines from Rick Brewer
It has been a bumpy ride over the last four years.
The seniors on North Carolina's football team, who close out their home careers against Maryland here this weekend, have had about as many ups and downs as a number of dot.com stock prices.
Some people believe that sports helps build character in its participants. If that is the case, Carolina's coaches and players have more integrity than anyone on last Tuesday's election ballot.
However, former Texas Coach Darrell Royal differed on that contention.
"Football doesn't build character," he once said. "It eliminates the weak ones."
Royal may well be right. After all that has happened here in the last four years, there are no individuals of weak character left on Carl Torbush's football team.
That isn't to say every player is a saint and the coaching staff always makes correct moves. After all, these are human beings. People will make mistakes, on and off the field. Some will be physical errors because an opponent is simply better. Others will be emotional ones made because of poor judgment.
But, a lot of young people have grown up quickly in the last four years. Much of that has come from dealing with adversity. It's ironic how tough times can do that quicker than when things are going well.
After seven consecutive bowl games, it's no secret the Tar Heels have struggled the last two seasons. The reasons are many, but no one wants to hear excuses. Fans, alumni and students simply want the consistent winning to return. The same is even truer for the coaches and players.
A victory last week at Pittsburgh may have signalled that is not far away. There are still two games left this year. Maryland proved it will be a very formidable opponent by toppling N.C. State last Saturday. Then there is Duke in a game that has produced the unexpected on too many occasions to count.
Wins in both and Carolina would be 6-5 and eligible for post-season play. However, the Terps are 5-4 and must defeat either the Tar Heels or Georgia Tech next Saturday to be bowl-eligible themselves. They would like to earn that sixth win in Chapel Hill and get it out of the way. This sets up what should be a bruising battle for survival in Kenan Stadium.
But, after all that Carolina's players, and especially the team's 14 seniors, have experienced in the last four years, nothing less could have been expected.
Yes, despite what some opposing coaches would try to tell people, the Tar Heels actually have only 14 seniors. Last week at Pittsburgh just seven of them saw extensive playing time. And of those seven, only Alge Crumpler, Cam Holland, Brandon Spoon and Sedrick Hodge had come into this season with a good deal of experience.
That's why it's amusing at times to hear people talk about this "veteran" Carolina team.
Years ago, before freshmen became eligible for varsity competition, coaches would say they had an idea of how successful they might be when they looked at their starting lineups. They emphasized there was no substitute for experience and that they could expect to lose one game for every sophomore they started.
Last week Carolina's regular lineup featured five sophomores and two freshmen. Still, if you listened to a tape of the game, you heard television broadcasters talk about a veteran Tar Heel team.
Many of Carolina's underclassmen have indeed played a great deal. But, this is a team whose best games are still ahead of it.
Last week's 20-17 win at Pittsburgh was a reversal of some past performances in which the Tar Heels had big edges in several statistical categories, but lost on the scoreboard. The Panthers had 407 total yards to 293 for Carolina. However, 163 of Pitt's yards came on just three plays. The Tar Heel defense dominated play most of the night.
Afterwards, Torbush praised the plan put together by Ken Browning and the defensive staff and the way Mike O'Cain and his offensive coaches handled the attack.
The unique thing about Carolina's troubles over the last two seasons has been the continued popularity of Torbush among his players, the student body, the media, potential recruits and fans and alumni who have gotten to know him well.
His principles, candor and refusal to make excuses have certainly been major factors in that. People not only want Carolina to win, but would like to see him be successful. They know he walked into a difficult situation and promptly lost Oscar Davenport, his senior quarterback, in the 1998 season opener. Ronald Curry, who otherwise may have been red-shirted, was forced to play immediately as a true freshman.
Then, of course, in 1999 it was Curry who suffered a season-ending injury just as he was beginning to make noticeable progress. Torbush ended the year by first playing Antwon Black, a defensive back, and then Dominique Williams, his fourth-string tailback, at quarterback.
In addition to Davenport and Curry, Torbush has also had to deal with major injuries to key performers like Spoon, Crumpler, Bosley Allen and Merceda Perry.
The decision by Torbush, O'Cain and Darrell Moody to go with freshman tailbacks seems to be paying off as this season has progressed. The offensive line isn't as dominating as it was in the 1970's and early 1980's when Carolina was turning out so many 1,000-yard tailbacks, but it has made a great deal of improvement under Robbie Caldwell. Torbush feels he has a good group of young linemen who will be battling for playing time next year.
The seniors who play their final home game Saturday have twice been to bowl games and many have experienced three. Because of his injury, Spoon has actually played in three. They also went through a gut-wrenching 1999 season and have been on a roller-coaster ride this fall.
Whether football builds character or eliminates weak character, these players have certainly grown up a lot in their time on campus. But, isn't that one of the reasons all students come to college?
Fortunately, for the Tar Heel players, they've had the right kind of leadership to help them through this tough period. There will be much more difficult times ahead in their future lives and, hopefully, they can use what they learned here to get through those. They will find out how invaluable the effect of one upright individual, like a head coach, has been.
Players Mentioned
