University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Taking The Easy Way
October 25, 2003 | Football
Oct. 25, 2003
By Adam Lucas
CLEMSON, SC--This North Carolina football team could make things easier for everyone involved if they would just give up.
For the upperclassmen, definitely. Then they wouldn't have to worry about these persistent heartbreaks that seem to happen on Saturday afternoons. Guys like Jeb Terry and Jason Brown, a pair of offensive linemen who helped propel the Tar Heels to a 287-yard rushing performance--against a Clemson team that had given up a grand total of 302 rushing yards in their last 16 quarters of play, which came against four of the best teams in the ACC--wouldn't have to walk off the field with nothing to show for a stellar effort except grass-stained jerseys and another loss.
For the underclassmen, no doubt. Some of the freshman members of this team--like Adarius Bowman, who caught a touchdown pass, and Larry Edwards, who had another quality performance--could go ahead and give up on their freshman seasons and get ready to play a big role for the 2004 Tar Heels.
Giving up would certainly be easier for the coaches. Then they wouldn't have to continue getting this Tar Heel team ready to play week after week, wouldn't particularly care that in the last two weeks Carolina has been victimized by--in addition to some poor play--a horrendous spot on 2nd down last week against Arizona State that would have clinched the game and a bizarre officiating performance against Clemson that included a trio of illegal touching penalties and a mysterious pass interference call against Rabbit Waddell that negated an interception and led to a Tigers field goal.
Seriously, have you ever seen three illegal touching penalties in your life, much less all in one game? Go ahead and brush up on your rules for next week, when the arcane "disconcerting offensive signals" rule (it's a real rule, look it up) is sure to play a big part in Carolina's game at Maryland. If you're spending your Saturday afternoon stewing about the officiating these past two weeks, here's a bit of good news: if odd calls truly even out, the Heels are going to get a boatload of breaks in the weeks to come.
But it's also worth remembering that the game wasn't decided by the guys wearing black-and-white striped shirts. Instead, it was determined by Clemson having just one or two more playmakers on the roster than the Tar Heels. That's an improvement over last year, when teams regularly had a decisive advantage in talent, speed, and athleticism. Unfortunately, it's still about eight points--at least on Saturday--short of a win. Darian Durant, who was playing in front of over 50 family and friends in his final trip to his home state, ended the game about six inches from a late-game touchdown that would have caused some sweaty palms in Death Valley. Carolina may not return here until 2007, and since the Heels haven't won back-to-back games at the home of Howard's Rock in over 30 years, the long trip down I-85 won't be missed.
John Bunting began his press conference on Tuesday by citing one of his former coaches, who told him, "A man learns from his mistakes directly proportionate to how much he suffers from them." At this point, Bunting has learned so much he's ready to write a book. The Tar Heels have been on the doorstep of victory three different times this season, only to lose each of the three. Reverse the outcome of those games, and you're looking at a 4-4 team and one that is whispering about bowl possibilities.
When Bobby Bowden was building a powerhouse at Florida State in the early 1980's, he told Seminole fans that first they had to lose big, then they would lose small, then they would win small, and then they would win big.
The Heels lost big last year, including a 30-point home defeat to this same Clemson team. They're losing small this year, with a trio of defeats by a score or less.
There's no guarantee, with an expanded and more powerful ACC ready to begin play in 2004, that Carolina will continue the trend and win small next year.
But no one in light blue seems willing to give up on that possibility just yet.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
