University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Look to Break Kenan Stadium Skid
November 5, 2003 | Football
Nov. 5, 2003
by The Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL -- With the start of basketball season less than three weeks away, it would be understandable for North Carolina fans to start losing interest in a 1-8 football team.
However, coach John Bunting doesn't believe that will happen this weekend as the Tar Heels host Wake Forest and attempt to break a school-record 10-game home losing streak.
"We have not won many games, but we have played some exciting football," Bunting said Tuesday. "We've been fun to watch for the entire season.
"This is a football team where the fans will want to show their appreciation for their effort and are excited about our future. And it's always interesting to see what we're going to do on defense, that's for sure."
For the most part, the Tar Heels haven't done much positive on that side of the ball, allowing 39.3 points and 514 yards a game - both next-to-last in Division I.A.
Last weekend, North Carolina surrendered a season-worst 59 points in a loss at Maryland, including an ACC-record 39 points in the second quarter.
"That was kind of a blur. I've never been around anything like that in my life," Bunting said. "We just didn't make any plays. It was a mental thing here, a physical thing there."
unting took partial responsibility for playing the Terrapins too aggressively on a poor field.
"We paid the price a little bit," he said. "We didn't match up as well as we thought we would. We want to be aggressive and that's the way we want to play defense around here, but at the same time I've got to be a little smarter about the field conditions.
"It was an ice rink, but they had to play on the same field."
unting was upset with his team's poor tackling over the weekend, saying his defense regressed, especially in the secondary.
"I want to see our tackling get back to where it was for a couple of weeks," Bunting said. "That's the name of the game on defense - tackling."
Defensive end Madison Hedgecock is confident the Tar Heels can regroup for the Demon Deacons (5-4) on Saturday.
"You can't point fingers at anybody because this is a team sport," Hedgecock said.
unting has yet to beat Wake Forest as North Carolina's head coach, losing 31-0 last season and 32-31 in a miraculous second-half comeback at Kenan Stadium in 2001 against a defense that featured first-round draft picks Julius Peppers and Ryan Sims.
Wake Forest heads into this meeting with the ACC's top rushing attack at 193 yards a game. They've averaged 221.3 a game in their six ACC games.
"If you're not ready on very play they are going to grind you up," Bunting said.
