Belk Bowl Bonanza
December 27, 2013 | Football
The 2013 Belk Bowl is a day away now. Carolina and Cincinnati will meet up on the football field for just the third time in the program's histories. Much has been written about the teams leading in to tomorrow's game, and we thought we'd bring the highlights to you in one place.
First, you'll want to read this excellent piece by Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham on why bowls matter to the university and the importance of football to the athletic department.
"In addition to playing in front of an important recruiting area, Charlotte also gives us the chance to play in front of one of our most important fan bases. Other than the Triangle, Charlotte has the next-highest concentration of North Carolina alumni. The city of Charlotte carries great weight throughout the Tar Heel State, and we want to be dominant in Charlotte. On December 28, we will demonstrate that the Tar Heels support the city of Charlotte, and the city of Charlotte supports the Tar Heels."
Next, get a refresher on the best of 2013 by taking a look at my Top Ten plays of the season. There were a lot to choose from, but I have to tell you, I'm partial to big returns and passes by non-quarterbacks.
On December 8, the Tar Heels got the news that they'd head to Charlotte for the Belk Bowl. Here's the official announcement, and a great Storify compilation of the Twitter reaction.
Larry Fedora spoke via teleconference on the day after the announcement. “I am extremely excited as we prepare for our first bowl here at UNC,” Fedora said. “I'm excited for our seniors, who have overcome a lot of adversity in the four or five years that they've been here and excited for our team. They've fought back from a 1-5 record early in the year. We are also extremely excited about being in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte where we have quite a few Tar Heel fans in that area. We're looking forward to playing Cincinnati, a very well-coached team that finished the season 9-3.”
Traveling to the game? I hope you didn't miss Jenn DiMeo's Bowl Travel Itinerary.
I caught up with a pair of Tar Heels as they finished exams and began bowl practice. Marquise Williams is set to start his first bowl game in his hometown of Charlotte: “I kind of regret that I missed the spring, but I'm kind of glad I did, because I wouldn't be where I am today,” he said. “I probably wouldn't have studied the playbook like I did, or wouldn't have taken the game as seriously as I did, so there's a reason for everything. It was tough for me just sitting on the sidelines (at Mallard Creek), just knowing that I should be out there, but it's just some adversity I had to go through.”
And I let Eric Ebron pretty much tell you in his own words about his final bow as a Tar Heel: Ebron knows that it's difficult to plan for a bowl game, what with Christmas obligations, budgets stretched and travel involved. But he thinks Tar Heel fans ought to make the trip to Charlotte. “Why not?” he said last week. “I mean, I've been exciting all season. Who wouldn't want to come watch Eric Ebron in his last game in a Carolina uniform? I mean, I would pay.”
A.J. Blue won't be on the field on Saturday, but his journey is worth reading about. Blue is proud of himself and his fellow seniors that helped steer the Tar Heel program through difficult times. “That just made us better people overall. It made us better teammates and it actually gave the younger guys something to fight for. In essence, I think it did something great for this program, gave it a chance to turn things around, put it on the positive step and kind of get the guys motivated to do something that we haven't done in a while.”
Before we turn our attention to this year's game, how about taking a look back at the Tar Heels' recent bowl history, and their history of playing in the Queen City? Over the last ten seasons, Carolina has appeared in seven bowl games. All but three of them have been in Charlotte. Saturday, December 28 marks the fourth time that the Tar Heels will have appeared in this particular bowl game (albeit under a different sponsor).
Now we get to Cincinnati. The Bearcats have put up big numbers offensively, but I wrote about an area of the game that the Tar Heels could win that may even decide the game itself: Special Teams. You can bet that Larry Fedora and his staff won't overlook that aspect of the game in their preparation for the Belk Bowl. The good news is the Tar Heels appear to have an edge over the Bearcats on special teams.
Lauren Brownlow gave us a good look at the Bearcats, who finished the season 9-3 and in third place in the American Athletic Conference. Cincinnati is good at almost everything - except penalties, turnover margin, red-zone offense and punting. (“Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln . . .”) But seriously, the Bearcats are in the top 50 or so in most other statistical categories - ninth in total defense, 20th in total offense, 68th in rushing offense, fifth in passing offense, fifth in rush defense and 33rd in pass defense. This is a well-rounded team.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes at least an entire building to get Carolina football to Charlotte. Take a look behind the scenes with director of football operations Joe Haydon and assistant equipment manager Jason Freeman. Freeman and the staff load the front of the truck first, with jerseys and equipment to be used at the game site, the truck's last stop (Carolina can't get into the locker room until Monday, after the New Orleans Saints have left town). Then it's likely the things needed at the practice facility, then the hotel. “You've got to make sure you pull off the right stuff at each one,” Freeman said. “You're constantly making sure you get everything you need before you send it to its next site. 'Do we have everything we need? OK, let's go over the truck one more time.'”
Carolina players and coaches arrived in Charlotte on Monday. "Our guys had a good week of practice and then went home for a few days off before coming to Charlotte," said second-year head coach Larry Fedora. "I'm sure they'll have a good time while they are here, but they know we're here on a business trip and we have a difficult opponent in Cincinnati."
Just yesterday, the football staff unveiled the uniform to be worn by the Tar Heels on Saturday - selected with your help on GoHeels.com. After a fan vote that whittled the uniform choices from six options down to two, UNC head coach Larry Fedora chose to go with a black helmet, Carolina blue jersey and Carolina blue pants.
Former Tar Heel offensive lineman Mike Ingersoll gave us a look at how bowl practice not only helps prepare the team for the bowl itself, but pays dividends down the road. Some of the greatest strides I made as a player were in 2008 and 2009 practicing for the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. It gave me one last chance that season to get back to the basics as far as footwork, punch timing, and body positioning that were essential to my line play, and it also gave me one last opportunity to pick the brain of, and learn from, some of the NFL-bound guys who were still there as they themselves prepared to play their last game.
Carolina lost a football legend on Wednesday when Art Weiner passed away at the age of 87.
That's all for now. For further reading, check the Belk Bowl media guide, and we'll see you tomorrow on GoHeels.com!
