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Hanging In There: Tar Heels have shown the ability this season to maintain their composure when faced with adversity
AP Photo
The recent play of UNC's Hakeem NIcks has Coach Butch Davis all smiles.
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Published: October 28, 2008
CHAPEL HILL
A changed attitude is helping North Carolina as it closes in on its first winning record since 2004.
Grit, resolve and determination are becoming common traits among players who have known only setbacks and struggle in their careers. Last Saturday's 45-24 win over Boston College marked the second time in six weeks that UNC recovered from a close, disappointing loss to post a victory seven days later.
"It comes from some of the trials and tribulations we've been through as a team," quarterback Cameron Sexton said. "We've got a good understanding of how to work and achieve some of these goals. The losses hurt even worse now. We go out there expecting to win, not trying to win."
UNC is 6-2 and doesn't play this weekend.
The odds Saturday against Boston College for getting a win and qualifying for bowl eligibility did not look favorable after the first two possessions.
Boston College led 10-0 then after driving for a field goal and then recovering Sexton's fumble and returning the ball 13 yards for a touchdown. UNC trailed an opponent by at least 10 points in the first half this season for the third time, including a game at Miami (down 14-0) and a home game against Notre Dame (17-6). Each time UNC rallied to win.
On Saturday, Sexton was angry for not getting rid of the ball and allowing Ron Brace, a Boston College defensive tackle, to knock it loose. Mark Paschal, a UNC linebacker, realized then that extra effort would be needed in the final 51 minutes.
"We could have made a bunch of excuses but we had the heart and character to bounce back," Paschal said. "It speaks volumes about the kind of kids we have on this team. It's an unbelievable atmosphere to walk on the sideline down 10-0 and say, `You know what? That's all they're getting.'
"I told the guys out on the field when they were going for the extra point, ‘The final score is not going to be 10-0. It's a long game. We've just got to make up for mistakes that have happened and move on from here.' The guys responded so well. You've got to give credit to the entire team. It was a total team victory."
Paschal said that Coach Butch Davis is responsible for the team's inner drive.
"Coach Davis just exudes confidence in himself and in this football team," Paschal said. "He never gets that panicked look on his face. It's very reassuring knowing that everything's going to be OK, especially when you get down early.
"Three or four years ago we might have said, ‘OK, here we go again.' This team's completely different."
Davis hasn't done everything right. North Carolina might not have lost a 17-3 lead to Virginia Tech to lose 20-17 had he played Sexton instead of Mike Paulus, a redshirt freshman, after T.J. Yates broke his left ankle in the game.
One idea that Davis had been telling his players since the first day of August practice came into play against Boston College: Games are usually not won in the first minutes or the first quarter.
"We've talked to them for 18 months or more that when we walk off that field, win or lose, we're going to love them," Davis said. "No regrets: let's play as hard as we can and do the best we can and give great effort and compete the best we can. If we come up short, we just come up short. We'll try to fix it and we'll be better next year or next week.
"I think that it's a philosophy that you have to have. If not you become one of those football teams that becomes an enormous emotional roller coaster. You're sky-high when you win and then when you tank one you're so low because you lost that you can't bounce back."
Sexton has played a major role in UNC's success. Since coming off the bench at Miami he has completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 964 yards and six touchdowns. Shaun Draughn is becoming a threat at tailback.
The defense, led by Paschal, has 17 interceptions, the most in the nation.
"There's one thing that I clearly believe and I've seen it in every program where I've been," Davis said. "The thing that's the (common) thread on a lot of that stuff is confidence from the longer that kids get to play in a system.
"Last year we'd break the huddle and it was, ‘Where's my guy? What's the formation? Where am I supposed to be? Oh, there went the ball.' Now they've been in the fire a little more. They're more confident in their fundamentals and technique and they can focus more on playing the game."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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