PAGE 16
SCOREBOARD
BEN COUCH
VIEW FROM THE COUCH
Disbelief
abounds
at Kenan
Saturday night, North
Carolina beat Miami in
football.
One word WOW.
It’s a word that came out of my
mouth early and often. At first,
my usage was casual, but as the
game went on, I found myself
really meaning it
l\vo minutes 30 seconds into
the game: “Wow. Mike Mason just
burned Antrel Rolle for a touch
down catch. Isn’t Rolle supposed
to be the best cover comer in col
lege?”
Three minutes later: “Wow.
The Hurricane defense isn’t look
ing so good Chad Scott has 54
yards on seven carries.”
Just after the start of the sec
ond quarter: “Wow. UNC just
stopped Miami three-and-out.
Did that really just happen?”
Six minutes later: “The Tar
Heels tied the game. Wow. They
might actually be in this.”
Five minutes later: “UNC just
came from behind and took the
lead against Miami? Wow.”
Of the many “wow” moments,
the biggest one for North Carolina
came at the end of the first half.
After forcing Miami to go
three-and-out again, the Tar
Heels drove 78 yards in 1:19 to put
themselves into scoring position.
With seven seconds to play,
UNC faced a third-and-goal from
the one.
And John Bunting made a call
that should save his job.
Up by seven at home against
the No. 4 team in the country,
Bunting pulled a Fassel.
Hearkening former New York
Giant coach Jim Fassel’s famous
stretch-run speech, the chips
were down, and Bunting pushed
his to the middle of the table.
He tried to score a touchdown.
Yes, the pass was intercepted by
Miami’s Greg Threat and nearly
returned for a touchdown. But
not only did Jesse Holley make a
TD-saving tackle, Miami threw an
illegal block that would have nulli
fied the score.
Look at it this way:
Bunting leads a North Carolina
program that has the potential to
contend nationally. UNC is a large
university with deep-pocketed
alumni, a commitment to sports
and past football success.
After finishing 3-9 and 2-10
the last two years, Bunting need
ed to show progress.
And with ACC expansion, he
needed to show that he could
keep UNC competitive in a newly
formed superconference.
Making that call accomplished
both goals.
Bunting let the world know that
his team would not settle for a 10-
point lead if they had the chance to
score more.
UNC was playing to win
instead of trying not to lose.
Don’t underestimate the effect
that kind of call and this kind of
victory has on a program.
“We’ve been going up and down,
very little consistency, and that’s
what we’ve been working towards,”
said senior center Jason Brown.
“But these next three weeks, there
will be consistency. And we are
going to win out our season.”
Brown guaranteed a 7-4 finish.
That means a bowl game for
North Carolina.
That means better recruiting.
That means better players.
That means better results.
UNC currently has incredible
momentum. To maintain it, the
Tar Heels need to keep playing
to win just like they did at the
end of the first half.
A field goal is safe; it’s the
“smart” play. Going for six is the
kill shot. Programs have turned
around on less.
John Bunting tried to slay the
’Canes.
And then he did.
Wow.
Contact Ben Couch
at bcouch@email.unc.edu.
Sports Monday
FIELD HOCKEY UNC 4 ODU 1
Offensive line dominates UM
Tar Heels control line of scrimmage in 31-28 shocker
BY JACOB KARABELL
SPORTS EDITOR
Next to the doorway of the
players’ lounge, a large group of
reporters had swarmed around
North Carolina running back
Chad Scott.
As Scott answered question
after question about his unexpect
ed 175-yard performance against
Miami, UNC offensive tackle
Brian Chacos walked by.
“You’re the man, Chad!”
Chacos yelled, trying to penetrate
his statement through the wall of
microphones and tape recorders
surrounding the senior running
back.
While Chacos was quick to
credit Scott for the team’s success,
he and the offensive line could
not defer their accomplishments
Saturday.
The line of Chacos, Charlston
Gray, Jason Brown, Kyle Ralph
and Willie McNeill dominated
Miami’s front four. It propelled
the Tar Heels to 545 yards of
offense against a defensive unit
SENIOR DAY STRUGGLE:
TAR HEELS FALL TO WFU
BY BRANDON PARKER
SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR
North Carolina’s matchup against Wake
Forest turned out to be a day of finality for the
men’s soccer team.
On the same day that the regular season
home career of four North Carolina seniors
Ray Fumo, Tim Merritt, Andrew Rhea and
Marcus Storey came to a conclusion, the Tar
Heels’ five-game winning streak ended with a
2-0 loss to die No. 9 Demon Deacons at Fetzer
Field on Sunday.
After playing 45 scoreless minutes, Wake
Forest used the second half to capitalize on
UNC’s sluggish play and
score the two goals that
made the difference in the
game.
“Today, we were without
energy” said North Carolina
coach Elmar Bolowich.
MEN'S
SOCCER
Wake Forest 2
UNC 0
“We didn’t produce enough. We were always
on our heels, reacting to the play offensively
and defensively. At no point in the game did
we take the initiative off of Wake Forest. They
were in total control of the game.”
The Demon Deacons’ first goal came less
than two minutes into the second half, when
forward Scott Sealy weaved through the UNC
defense before shooting from 6 yards out for
his 13th goal of the season.
“(Sealy) didn’t give up on the play while our
defenders were just looking at each other as
to who would stop him, and he just finished it
well,” Bolowich said.
In the game’s 54th minute, North Carolina
(8-7-2, 3-3-0 in the ACC) had a chance to
tie the score at 1 on a wide-open attempt by
sophomore forward Corey Ashe.
But instead of finding the back of the
net, Ashe’s shot bounced off of the left goal
post.
Eight minutes later, Wake Forest forward
Stephen Keel deposited a rolling shot into the
left corner of the net and put the game out of
reach for the Tar Heels.
“We just didn’t bring as much intensity as
we wanted to bring to the game today,” Storey
said. “We knew Wake Forest was going to be
a good matchup, and they just pretty much
outplayed us.”
The loss marks the first time since 1982 that
the Tar Heels have lost to the Demon Deacoifs
in Chapel Hill.
On the other hand, Wake Forest (11-3-1,5-
1-0) pushed its current winning streak to eight
games with Sunday’s victory.
In the Tar Heels’ previous five games,
they had surrendered just two goals to their
opponents, and three of the games were shut
outs.
But Bolowich said the same defensive effort
UNC climbs to 2nd in ACC with weekend wins
BY MARY DUBY
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
There was something missing
from the North Carolina volley
ball team against Duke on Friday
at Carmichael
Auditorium.
There has
been a standout
star in almost
every victory to
date, but it was
VOLLEYBALL
UNC 3
Wake Forest 0
Duke 0
UNC 3
the strong play
of the entire team that allowed UNC
to defeat the Blue Devils 3-0.
www.dthonline.com |
that entered the game allowing
an average of 301.
“A lot of us are undersized,
we’re not the most talented
guys in the world, but you know
what? We make up for it in our
toughness,” Brown said. “And
we go out there, and we match
them up.
“(We) might not match them
up pound-for-pound, but when it
comes to this right here heart
hey, we win the game.”
Throughout the season, UNC’s
offensive line had become one of
the team’s strengths.
But aside from Brown, who has
risen on enough NFL draft boards
to gain some national recognition,
the group has quietly jelled into a
cohesive unit.
Even after senior guard Skip
Seagraves’ season came to an
end with a broken foot after
UNC’s 56-24 loss to Virginia,
junior Kyle Ralph stepped in,
and the unit barely seemed to
miss a beat.
And Saturday, that unit clicked
***" ’ i 1 -tr
A
[ mb: .
DTH/PAT LAPADULA
North Carolina midfielder Andrew Rhea (14) looks to manuever past a Wake Forest player in UNC's
2-0 loss to the Demon Deacons, fhe Tar Heels mustered only five shots and had zero shots on goal.
was not apparent and was needed against a
team of Wake Forest’s caliber.
“When you play a top-10 team, you need to
fire on all cylinders, have guys on attack, have
three or four quality shots on goal, and we just
didn’t do that today,” he said.
The Demon Deacons outshot the Tar
Heels by a count of 13 to five, including eight
attempts on goal in the second half.
North Carolina’s efforts to make a
comeback were thwarted by Wake Forest’s
swarming defense and the three offsides
The Tar Heels (15-11,8-4 in the
ACC) defeated Duke 31-29,30-28,
30-26 in a non-conference match.
And after beating Wake Forest in
three games Saturday, the Tar
Heels have tallied three consecu
tive sweeps.
“That’s the goal every time, is
not to have a standout person,”
said co-captain Molly Pyles.
“It’s good that things got moved
around a lot.”
The defeat of the Demon
Deacons (10-13,2-10) moved UNC
into sole possession of second
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Duke Ist UNC 2nd
on all cylinders, which led to the
seemingly unbelievable 545-yard
output.
“No, I couldn’t (believe it),” said
Coach John Bunting. “That offen
sive line and those kids believed
they could do it.”
The Tar Heels rushed for 279
yards and passed for 266. UNC
quarterback Darian Durant had
plenty of time to throw, helping
him complete 21 of 29 passes for
266 yards while being sacked just
once.
“(Miami thinks) that they’re
good enough to come get you
and sack the quarterback with
four guys,” Chacos said. “I think
we locked the four guys down,
and even when we were running
the ball, I think we were pushing
them out of the way.”
The offensive line’s success
was exemplified on a third-and
five play late in the third quarter
just after Miami had knotted the
game at 21.
SEE OFFENSIVE LINE, PAGE 13
penalties the Tar Heels received in oppor
tune situations.
“I don’t think our forwards and midfielders
took enough shots to test (Wake) that much
today,” Storey said. “We know we are good
enough to play with a team like them, so it’s
just a point of bringing the necessary intensity
to the game.”
North Carolina will play its last regular sea
son game Nov. 7 against Clemson before tak-
SEE SOCCER, PAGE 13
place in the conference, as Miami
fell to Clemson and Georgia Tech
this weekend.
The Tar Heels did not take the
opening point in any of the games
against Duke (16-8), but they did
not roll over as they have tended to
do in other games this season.
“I thought we played as well as
a team as we have all year,” said
Coach Joe Sagula. “I feel the dif
ference was anytime Duke had
leads of two or three points, we
never self-destructed.”
In the first game, the two teams
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY N.C. State Ist UNC 10th
jSj E;
DTH/ANDREW SYNOWIEZ
UNC’s Mike Mason (2) pulls down a 35-yard pass over the head of Miami's
Antrel Rolle (6) to score the Tar Heels' first touchdown in the 31 -28 upset.
battled through 14 ties and were
tied at 29 before UNC captured
the final two points. A fierce kill
from Pyles put the game away.
The Blue Devils took a 4-1 lead
in game two, but the Tar Heels, led
on offense by Pyles and fellow out
side hitter Dani Nyenhuis, quickly
closed the gap and eventually won
the game 30-28.
In the third game, it looked as if
Duke would prevent a sweep when
it jumped to 16-12 lead. But UNC
went on a 4-0 run to stay in the
game, which also had 14 ties, and
©lj? Daily ©or Hwl
NOVEMBER 1, 2004
UNC falls short
against Deacons
BY DAVID MOSES
ASSISTANT SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR
Known throughout the ACC
for being one of the fastest teams
around, the North Carolina men’s
soccer team is also one of the
shortest.
The team’s three leading scorers
Marcus Storey, Corey Ashe and
Jamie Watson are listed at 5 feet
8 inches, 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet
9 inches, respectively.
These heights put UNC at a
significant disadvantage against
Wake Forest, which started two
defenders who are 5 feet 10 inches,
one who is 6 feet tall and another
at 6 feet 2 inches.
North Carolina isn’t just small
on offense the defense lacks
height as well.
Tim Merritt, the tallest starting
defender Sunday, stands at 6 feet
tall.
It seemed as though every time
the Tar Heels crossed a ball near
the Demon Deacons’ net, it was
easily headed away by the taller
Wake Forest players.
While UNC coach Elmar
Bolowich admitted that his team
is shorter than others, he said he
doesn’t think it should make much
of a difference.
“The crosses, we keep them
fairly low,” Bolowich said. “It is a
matter of timing, and the timing
was off of getting in front of the
defender. When you bring low
crosses, you want to get at the
right time, in front of the defend
er instead of behind him. Today,
we were too many times behind
him.”
Storey said playing a taller
team puts the Tar Heels at a dis
advantage, but he agreed with
Bolowich that there are ways
to get around the height differ
ence.
“As long as you are in the right
position, height doesn’t matter as
much as that,” Storey said. “We
just try to put the ball in the right
position when we do play a taller
SEE HEIGHT, PAGE 13
eventually won 30-26 on another
huge kill by Pyles.
The match marked the second
time UNC defeated Duke this sea
son after its 3-1 victory in Durham
on Sept. 21.
' “This one was the better of the
two,” Pyles said. “It was in three
games, it was home, we had egads
of fans and it was the last time I’ll
probably play them for awhile.”
The offensive effort was spread
out as Pyles led the team with 21
SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 13