By Eddy Landreth
Staff Writer
A Carolina football team held together by spit and tape managed to go 7-5 in the regular season.
Many may not comprehend how big an accomplishment this is.
“This football team, in my 37 years of coaching, is going to be one of my proudest group of guys that I have ever been around, for the way that they have answered the bell every single week, good times, bad times, tough times,†UNC coach Butch Davis said.
“These are some great kids, kids who refused to surrender, refused to use any excuses.â€
The team has been torn from multiple directions, was humiliated by scandal and watched its roster ground to rice paper. The players never stopped competing.
“It feels great,†senior safety Deunta Williams said after UNC secured a winning season with a 24-19 victory at Duke in the regular-season finale. “At the end of everything, you kind of think of the beginning. It feels great to go out on a win.â€
The beginning occurred just around the time summer camp convened and allegations of impropriety by several key players filtered through the media. By the time UNC went to Atlanta to start the season against LSU at the Georgia Dome, the Tar Heels were missing 13 contributors who had to sit out while they were investigated.
In the end, the opener served as a preview of how these players and coaches would respond. UNC came within two dropped passes in the end zone of defeating LSU.
With the suspensions and injuries, this team had to fight, scratch and claw for all it received.
“We doggone feel like we earned it,†Williams said. “When you’re in it, you don’t really realize all the things that are going on. You just kind of think, ‘Well, I can’t focus on that right now.’
“You have to just keep pushing, keep pushing. That has been the mindset of the team. That’s been helpful for us every game, coming out and competing.â€
In many ways, the victory against Duke reflected the season. The Tar Heels rode a roller coaster of emotions, mistakes and successes.
“I told the players in preparation for this ballgame that to win this game it was going to take a total team effort,†Davis said. “It took all three phases to win the game.â€
The Tar Heels went 4-1 on the road this year, broke a losing streak at Virginia that stretched to 1981 and even defeated Florida State in a miraculous victory in Tallahassee.
Every time a player was pulled from the field for a suspension or an injury, someone else stepped forward to take his place.
Anthony Elzy is the epitome of this resilience. Johnny White broke his collarbone in the midst of the best season for a Carolina running back since Jon Linton ran for more than 1,000 yards in 1997.
Against Duke, Elzy ran 23 times for a career-high 116 yards.
“Anthony ran with unbelievable determination,†Davis said. “He ran hard. He is a tough, physical kid.â€
So now it is on to a bowl game and a chance to finish with eight victories, which would be a remarkable accomplishment, given all that has happened.
1 thought on “A team that ‘answered the bell’”
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Kudos to a team that stepped up in the school’s darkest hour. On any given Saturday, this year’s players proved that anyone can be the “star”. The 2010 years team provided us with some unsung heroes we will never forget.