University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Utes Gone Wild
October 17, 2004 | Football
Oct. 17, 2004
By Adam Lucas
Maybe we should've enjoyed it a bit more when Carolina football was reeling off five straight wins in the middle of the 2001 season. Should've coasted a little bit more, taken the time to look around and soak in the ride.
But at the time, no one realized it would be the last shred of momentum the Tar Heels would enjoy for at least three years.
That's how it must feel for John Bunting. After watching Saturday night's 46-16 defeat at the hands of Utah, he might be able to find Atlantis, the Lost Colony, and Jimmy Hoffa before he discovers any shred of elusive Uncle Mo. 2001, Carolina wins the Peach Bowl and is the program of note in the state of North Carolina. But then Darian Durant decides to leave the team, a colossal concrete barrier on the I-40 of football momentum.
Sure, he came back. But the momentum didn't.
Fast forward to 2004. The Tar Heels topple fast-talking NC State and Chuck Amato, winning a nail-biting 30-24 decision in front of a rowdy home crowd. It seemed to be the kind of win that turns around seasons, the kind of win coaches look back on as a turning point for their program.
But there wasn't even 48 hours to enjoy it before the suspensions of Adarius Bowman, Fred Sparkman, and Isaiah Thomas were announced. And Bunting spent the first 15 minutes of his regular Tuesday news conference answering questions about discipline rather than about the win over the Wolfpack.
The hope was that the remainder of the team would band together in the absence of their three teammates. Even if they did, though, it was almost impossible to tell against the Utes because of the regular procession of players to the sidelines for injury treatment. At one point, Ronnie McGill, Jacque Lewis, and Darian Durant--merely the three players who might be the most irreplaceable on the offense--were all hurt.
Their injuries will probably be a rightful footnote in the days to come to the defensive disaster that happened on the FieldTurf at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Carolina gave up a school-record 669 yards; seven of the 10 worst defensive performances (as measured by total yards) in program history, which dates to 1888, have happened in the past three seasons.
"We failed miserably as a defense," Bunting said after the game. "I understand we've set a new team record and that's very embarrassing."
The embarrassment bubbled to the surface for the coach, who was plainly disheartened at his team's performance. It seemed to appear in some of his players as well, who have to be perplexed by the constant inability to gain any sort of concrete measure of their improvement. A season-opening win? Good. A whipping by Virginia? Bad. Beat Georgia Tech at home? Good. Take a shutout from Louisville? Bad. And so it goes. The North Carolina State Fair came to Raleigh this weekend, which was appropriate. You can get more whiplash from following these Heels that you can on the Himalaya.
Other than the chance to heal some physical wounds, it doesn't seem to be a particularly good time for a bye week. Instead of quickly turning the page and moving on to a new opponent, the Heels will have a full week to sit in this loss before they turn their attention to the Miami Hurricanes.
There is no question about the quality of opponent presented by the `Canes. There still may remain one, however--through no fault of their own--about Utah. Just ask the head coach of the Tar Heels what he thinks of the Utes' credentials.
"They certainly didn't beat anybody any good tonight."
That's not a slap at Utah, a team so eager to capitalize on its fleeting moment of football glory and prove a point to a BCS school that it was still passing on the last possession of the game and running onside kicks with 1.8 seconds left in the first half. It's just some plain talk from a man trying to find some momentum.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. His book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about the book, click here.
