University of North Carolina Athletics
Cedars History Report: Sept. 19, 1970
September 11, 2002 | Football
By Rick Brewer, SID Emeritus
It was one of the few remaining obstacles for Bill Dooley's Carolina teams.
Snapping a three-game football losing streak to N.C. State.
When Dooley had taken the head coaching job at Carolina prior to the 1967 season, he had said it would take four seasons to rebuild the program.
With freshmen ineligible for varsity competition, a four-year period was needed to get a full roster of a new coach's own players.
After struggling through 2-8 and 3-7 records in his first two seasons, Carolina had seemingly turned the corner in 1969 with a fast finish and a 5-5 record.
In that three-year stretch the Tar Heels had beaten all of their Atlantic Coast Conference opponents at least once with the exception of the Wolfpack and South Carolina. The Gamecocks were preparing to drop out of the conference after the 1970 season.
Of the two that really left State as one with which Carolina must contend in the future. A win was would help recruiting purposes, showing high school athletes that Dooley,s program was definitely on the rise. Plus, Tar Heel graduates wanted bragging rights since many lived and worked with Wolfpack fans.
Only once previously, in the late 1950's had State beaten Carolina three times in a row. Now the Tar Heels were about to end this new Wolfpack streak.
Sparked by sensational defensive play and the running of tailbacks Don McCauley and Ike Oglesby, Carolina defeated State, 19-0, in a game which should never have been that close.
The Wolfpack was limited to just 10 first downs, 11 yards rushing and 133 yards of total offense. Carolina, meanwhile, pounded State for 411 yards on the ground and added 51 more in the air.
Tackle Flip Ray, end Judge, Mattocks, tackle RobbiVandenbroek and linebackers John Bunting and Ricky Packard led a unit which basically shut down the Wolfpack attack.
State only had three first downs in the first half, but trailed just 6-0 at intermission. The Tar Heels moved the ball all over the field, but regularly stalled near the Wolfpack goal line. Carolina drove inside the State 25 three times without scoring.
A 24-yard punt return by Rusty Culbreth put Carolina in motion early in the second period. With McCauley doing most of the work, the Tar Heels kept the ball on the ground until they reached the State 12. Quarterback Paul Miller then faked another handoff to McCauley and threw to fullback Geof Hamlin who was open in the end zone. A fumble by the kicking team left UNC with a 6-0 advantage with 11:44 left.
State only crossed midfield once in the first half, reaching the Carolina 48 on its next to last possession of the half.
It was a steaming day in Kenan Stadium and McCauley was sick at halftime after 14 carries for 125 in the first two quarters. Oglesby, a sophomore backup, handled the tailback duties until McCauley recovered late in the third period.
A 14-play, 76-yard drive in the final moments of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth resulted in Carolina,s second TD. Carolina hammered the State defense by running on all 14 plays. Quarterback John Swofford, filling in for Paul Miller who had been injured earlier, scored on a one-yard run.
With the defense playing so well, State,s streak was actually over at that point. State,s last three possessions end with a fumble, a fourth-down stop by end Gene Brown and linebacker Mel Riddile and time expiring with the Pack at its own 25. The Tar Heels capped their scoring with another long dive -- 64 yards on 15 plays. McCauley powered in from the two on fourth down.
McCauley finished with 171 yards on 22 carries, including one 63-yard run. Oglesbly added 110 yards on 23 runs.
"Our defense was sensational," said Dooley after the game. "They kept State's offense off the field most of the game. That allowed us to really control the ball and put pressure on their defense all day.
"It was a team effort. We had to play a lot of people because it was so hot. I'm especially proud of our second offensive. They came in when our starters had to have a break and kept things going."
Dooley, of course, praised McCauley and Oglesby.
"Ike is going to be a fine back and anything I say about McCauley will be something you,ve heard before," he said. "Don is simply the best running back in college football."
In the suffocating heat, The Tar Heels ran 93 plays to 55 for the Wolfpack. They also ended the losing streak, marking a change of guard in the state's football structure.
Rick Brewer is in his fourth decade with the University of North Carolina athletic department and brings a unique historical perspective to TarHeelBlue.com. A native of North Carolina, Brewer served as UNC's Sports Information Director from 1975 until his retirement from full-time work in 2000. Email Rick Brewer at rbrewer@uncaa.unc.edu.
