CHAPEL HILL
North Carolina is dealing with unexpected success this season, but a plan devised by Coach Butch Davis is helping players handle the burden.
Each week, as the wins mount, UNC draws more attention at home, across the nation and in the polls. Davis doesn't worry about any of it.
His concern is his team and what it must do to play better. Davis has instructed his players to do the same and think only of what went wrong in the last game and what they need to correct.
"Only worry about the things that you have any control over," Davis said. "That's how we play, how we prepare and how we practice."
UNC (7-2, 3-2 ACC) is in a three-way tie for the Coastal Division lead with three weeks left in the regular season and has another important game Saturday at Maryland (6-3, 3-2).
Davis has no doubt that UNC could not have overcome what he considers a near-devastating run of injuries without strict attention to details and firm focus. Tight end Zack Pianalto is out again, this time indefinitely after breaking the fibula in his left leg in Saturday's 28-7 win over Georgia Tech. He had missed the previous two games after severely spraining his right ankle against Notre Dame.
UNC also has played without quarterback T.J. Yates, receiver and return specialist Brandon Tate and fullback Anthony Elzy. Yates missed six weeks with a broken left ankle but returned as a reserve Saturday. Tate (knee injury) and Elzy (fractured shoulder blade) are out for the rest of the season.
"The best thing our players have done this entire season is that they've been able to focus on one game at a time," Davis said. "And look at ourselves honestly and every week realize that we're not perfect."
UNC has climbed to No. 17 in The Associated Press and USA Today polls. Football is a hot topic on campus, and students stop players to talk about the last game or the next one.
A spot in the ACC championship game is now a possibility. If UNC wins its three remaining games and Virginia Tech loses once, UNC can win the Coastal Division title. Quarterback Cameron Sexton said he isn't staying up late pondering what might happen.
Sexton's only concern is for UNC to establish its running game again and to find the holes in Maryland's pass defense.
"It is difficult; there's a lot of distractions," Sexton said. "But these are good distractions. We're enjoying them. I think this group is a pretty focused group, and we're not going to have any problems being distracted by some of those outside things.
"We've overcome adversity because we've all faced some adversity. I think some of the younger guys have related well to our experiences. We've got some great older leaders who have been through some tough times. We've got some good times going on, but we know where we've been and understand it can be quickly taken away from us, where we are now."
UNC has its highest poll ranking since Sept. 5, 1998 and is No. 16 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Defensive lineman Marvin Austin said he doesn't care what UNC's BCS ranking is.
"I haven't seen the standings; I'm just trying to rest up and get ready for the next game," Austin said. "We try not to get into the BCS standings and stuff like that because we can get out of focus.
"This is the biggest game of the season, because it's the next game."
■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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