University of North Carolina Athletics
CAR-O-LINES: A Win to Build On
November 2, 2004 | Football
Nov. 2, 2004
by Rick Brewer, Sports Information Director Emeritus
When Darian Durant completed a 12-yard first-down pass to Chad Scott with less than two minutes to play last Saturday night, fans began moving through the southwest corner of Kenan Stadium.
They were heading toward the field.
Carolina was only on its own 26-yard line in a 28-28 game with fourth-ranked Miami. But young people always seem to be optimistic.
Two plays later Durant threw a 14-yard pass to Jawarski Pollock and then found Jon Hamlett wide open down the middle for 22 yards and another first down at the Miami 34.
Now the southwest corner looked like a lava flowing slowly down through the stadium. People were actually running over each other, but they were packed so closely together it looked like one big sliding mass.
As Connor Barth's 42-yard field goal on the game's final play was completing an improbable 31-28 victory, fans were climbing onto the playing field. It was 10:36 p.m. and both goal posts were down in less time than the 2:25 used by the Tar Heels on their final drive.
Miami was the highest-ranked team Carolina has ever beaten and it certainly ranks as one of the school's greatest wins in history.
Now comes another difficult task -- trying to put the game in perspective. That will be a vital assignment for the rest of the season, starting Saturday against Virginia Tech.
Coach John Bunting and his staff face the problem of bringing their team "back to earth" following what happened a week ago. But, at the same time, there is a need to use that win as a building tool for the rest of the season. It was a game Carolina players certainly should remember.
The Tar Heels used a great offensive game plan, big plays in key situations on defense and the last-second field goal by a freshman to upset the Hurricanes.
Carolina rolled up 545 yards of total offense, most allowed by Miami this year. The Tar Heels did so with a balanced attack, rushing for 279 yards and throwing for 266.
In a game like that, there were a number of individual standouts--Durant, Scott, Hamlett, Barth, fullback Madison Hedgecock, wide receivers Jesse Holley and Mike Mason, defensive end Tommy Davis, linebacker Jeff Longhany and linebacker Tommy Richardson.
But, the biggest stars were up front in the offensive line. Center Jason Brown, guards Charleston Gray and Kyle Ralph and tackles Brian Chacos and Willie McNeill overpowered the Hurricane defensive front. They did not allow any pressure on Durant, even in obvious passing situations.
They opened big holes for Scott. There was also good downfield blocking and Scott broke plenty of tackles on his own.
It was a coming-out performance for Scott and it could not have happened at a better time. Jacque Lewis and Ronnie McGill, Carolina's top two tailbacks, were sidelined with injuries. Scott, a 5-9, 196-pound senior, moved into the starting role and simply ran for 175 yards on 25 carries. Scott, who transferred here two years ago from Kentucky, scored on a 14-yard run to tie the game, 14-14, in the second quarter.
A hip-pointer sidelined him midway through the third period. He was out of action until early in the final quarter. His nine-yard touchdown run gave Carolina a 28-21 lead with 10:57 in the game. That run capped a 12-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 7:16. Rarely has an offense kept the ball away from Miami for such a long time.
The offensive line also helped the Tar Heels control the ball for another long scoring drive. It covered 80 yards in 11 plays, consumed 5:59 and resulted in Scott's 14-yard run.
Time of possession for the entire game was a big factor in the win with Carolina keeping the ball for 36:44 to 23:16 for the Hurricanes.
"Give North Carolina the credit," said Miami Coach Larry Coker afterwards. "They outplayed us and deserved to win the game. We gave ourselves a chance by pinning them deep and making them go the length of the field. But, we couldn't stop them all night."
Before Coker was even through with his post-game comments fans had virtually cleared the field. It was a strange sight. For 20 to 25 minutes it was covered with fans. But, they all seemed to leave together. Campus parties and Franklin Street beckoned.
Barth, meanwhile, was talking to the media inside the Kenan Football Center. The freshman was as calm as he had been on the field. It had been a lot of pressure to put on a freshman kicker, but he was seemingly oblivious to it.
"I had never kicked a game-winner, even in high school," he said. "When you're a kid you dream about things like this."
Three hours later traffic was still backed up on Franklin Street. It was turning out to be a tremendous weekend for merchants and drinking establishments--a stunning football win Saturday night and Halloween the following evening.
For Carolina players and coaches it was a payoff for two weeks of practice. The Tar Heels had been open the previous Saturday after a 46-16 loss to Utah.
"That extra practice had to be a great help as they prepared to play us," Coker had said.
Now things are slightly changed. Virginia Tech will have had 10 days to get ready since a Thursday night win over Georgia Tech. The Hokies are 6-2 and ranked 18th nationally.
This game could be an indication of how well Carolina will use last week's win for the future.
