By Eddy Landreth
Staff Writer
When Carolina fans thought about the 2010 football season back around Memorial Day, few would have imagined Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff against William & Mary could be called a critical game.
Back when runners evoked images of who would carry the ball and tutors were not even a thought, this game appeared to be one UNC could get by on its talent. After a string of emotional games to open the season, the Tar Heels would not have to dip into its emotional reservoir for once, or so it seemed back then.
Suspensions and injuries have shredded those thoughts, at least among the fans. Certainly, if the team hopes to win this game and stay in contention for a bowl bid, the players had better understand the critical nature of this week’s game.
The Tribe (6-1) is an elite team in what we used to call Division I-AA, the same classification as Appalachian State and Furman and Richmond. Teams from this category have defeated Division I-A schools through the years.
“If you don’t respect your opponent, I think it’s the biggest trap in America,†Coach Butch Davis said. “That is why I’ve always tried to make such a big deal that it really isn’t about the opponent. It doesn’t matter who the other team is. It’s more about how you play.â€
What makes this game so important is that Carolina stands at 4-3 after losing 33-10 at Miami on Saturday.
By the end of that game, injuries had cut the Tar Heels’ depth in the secondary to the bone. Kids who would have been third-string contributors were on the field against Miami’s first-string offense.
Yet even before that happened, Carolina had problems stopping the run because of suspensions and the lack of recruiting at defensive tackle.
Now UNC, quite simply, cannot afford to lose this game.
A victory would leave UNC with four games to play, and it would need two wins to earn a third consecutive bowl bid, which would be a considerable accomplishment given the controversy and troubles this team has endured.
Carolina has to regain some of the emotional edge and crispness of execution that helped it win four straight before losing at Miami.
“We had a meltdown on Saturday,†safety Deunta Williams said. “The biggest thing that I think was a factor was that they could turnaround and hand the ball off any time they wanted to.
“I think we did a good job sometimes in controlling the run, when we lined up right. But we’ve just got to man up and go play.â€
No one should have been surprised that Carolina would lose its edge for one week. But one week is all it can afford.
“This group of kids and this football team has been remarkably resilient all year long, to deal with all the things that they have had to deal with,†Davis said.
Resiliency will be among the qualities needed most at 3:30 on Saturday.