University of North Carolina Athletics
RAMblings - North To Boston - Rams Club
RAMblings 11.18.09- North To Boston
by Lee Pace
The final two weeks of the college football season have taken on an added level of intrigue and energy given Carolina's three-game win streak. The Tar Heels, 7-3, venture into New England on the cusp of winter with their hand-warmers and parkas packed for their noon kick-off against Boston College.
The Tar Heels are going to a place they have never been before-Alumni Stadium on the campus of Boston College. They have played the Eagles five times-three in Chapel Hill, once in Charlotte in the 2004 Continental Tire Bowl, and once in nearby Foxborough in 1984. That road game was the return match in early 1980s home-and-home pairing with the Eagles, but it was played in the old home of the New England Patriots long before BC's on-campus site was enlarged and refurbished in 1988. That day Doug Flutie passed for five touchdowns as the Eagles rolled to a 52-20 win over Carolina.
They are apt to see some familiar faces on the sidelines and playing field. There are two former Tar Heels on the roster of the Patriots-receivers Sam Aiken and Brandon Tate, Aiken in his second year with the Pats after moving from Buffalo and Tate a rookie who just tweaked his knee again and is on the injured reserve list. The Eagles staff includes two assistants to Frank Spaziani who have recent ties to Chapel Hill-Gary Tranquill, the offensive coordinator under John Bunting from 2001-06, and Dave Brock, the receivers coach in 2005-06.
And the Tar Heels have fueling them some lofty goals to complete a 9-3 season and land as prestigious a bowl berth as possible. One year ago, Carolina was 7-2 and finished the regular season with losses to Maryland and N.C. State and a win over Duke to land at 8-4.
"There's always a chance to go out there and win more and more, just to get a better bowl," tight end Zack Pianalto says. "I think that keeps guys hungry. Last year we stumbled a little bit at the end. So all of our focus is going towards Boston College. We can't get complacent."
Adds quarterback T.J. Yates: "We can't afford to hit another speed bump this late in the season."
The Tar Heels have rebounded from their shocking loss to Florida State a month ago with wins at Virginia Tech and at home against Duke and Miami. Their offensive line is back to full strength and Pianalto is healthy, and the defense has locked down three straight outstanding quarterbacks in Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech, Thaddeus Lewis of Duke and Jacory Harris of Miami. Kicker Casey Barth has connected on 13 straight field goals. In order to continue their impressive late-season bounce, they'll have to beat a 7-3 BC squad that is fighting for first place in the ACC Atlantic Division and then travel to Raleigh to battle State, which has won two in a row over the Tar Heels.
The game for Carolina is all about momentum-building it and sustaining it.
"There've been some unbelievable things happen in this program over the last 30 months," Carolina coach Butch Davis says. "Facility improvements ... recruiting improvements ... the jam-packed stadium improvement ... everything that is going to be done in the future (to the stadium) ... going to a bowl game last year ... that's how you do it. You get momentum, you get a wave of enthusiasm going, and you ride it, and you keep doing it."
The Tar Heels certainly want to build on their positive vibes to enhance their bowl opportunities. The Fed-Ex Orange Bowl berth reserved for the ACC champion is out of reach, and the Chick-fil-A Bowl would appear a miniscule long-shot. But there are a cluster of five bowls taking ACC teams with the third through seventh selections in the league's bowl selection process that could be possibilities for Carolina.
A 9-3 Tar Heel squad could land in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on New Year's Day or in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando Dec. 29. A loss in Boston and a win the following week in Raleigh would make Carolina more likely for the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte Dec. 26), the Emerald Bowl (San Francisco Dec. 26) or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Dec. 27).
Yet all of the bowl speculation is secondary to winning Saturday and letting the bowl chips tumble where they may. The Tar Heels have had two excellent road appearances this year-winning at UConn and Virginia Tech-and one terrible one at Georgia Tech. But the Tech loss came during a stretch when Pianalto, center Lowell Dyer and guard Jonathan Cooper were out of the lineup. Now they are back and playing very well.
The Tar Heels stunned the college football world on their last road trip-on ESPN's Thursday night telecast from Blacksburg three weeks ago with a 20-17 win. As much fun as playing at home can be, the Tar Heels also find a sense of bonding and camaraderie traveling into a hostile environment.
"There is just something about the road," safety Deunta Williams says. "It's bare bone football. It's you, your teammates, it's everyone together. It brings out the best in you, it makes you focus and execute."
"It's fun to play road games," Yates adds. "It's fun to go into a loud, hostile environment, play well and take the crowd out of it."
Carolina was 7-2 last year in mid-November but dropped a 17-15 decision to Maryland in College Park. A similar road trip this week gives them an excellent litmus test to learn how far the program has evolved in a year.