I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm not disappointed. I am. I would have loved to have won the football game today. But we didn't. We played well but ran into a team that was one game out of the BCS. For me to be writing about having gone to a bowl game at this point is remarkable, considering how intimidating the schedule was and the ups and downs of the season. We have seen a team mature before our very eyes. I'm also not saying that 6-6 is good enough every year. But it's a start. As the team wins games, expectations are raised, and of course we're disappointed with a bowl loss. But the Tar Heels were the only team in the state of North Carolina to get that bonus game, to get the extra practice, and to get the fans another month of anticipation. Baby steps, people, and they're going in the right direction. I'll have more time to post my thoughts once I get some perspective, but I'm just exhausted right now.
If you got a CD from me today, thanks for checking out the site. I hope you enjoy it.
We've been waiting for this one since November 20, and the win over Duke at Wallace Waste stadium (that's not a commentary on Wallace Wade the man, but the stadium is a horrible, horrible facility).
But I digress. Kick-off for the Continental Tire Bowl is less than 27 hours away as I write this, and I'm about to hit the road to Charlotte. If you're not going to be in BofA Stadium Thursday, it'll be on at 1 pm on ESPN2.
So the Tar Heels face the future conference rival Boston College Eagles. Besides the annoyance that we will face the Eagles pretty regularly, it looks to be a good matchup. So, what can we look for? I'm excited about writing this as it's my first football preview since HeelsBlog began.
1) Lots and lots and lots of blue. I've heard estimates of 60-65,000 tickets sold to Tar Heel fans for the game, and I expect them all to be wearing blue. It is going to be a true home game with probably more Carolina fans in BofA than have been in Kenan for any one game all season (given the capacity).
2) Choo Choo Chad Scott. The O-Line is as pumped as ever to line up against BC's size. I've read some previews saying that the Tar Heels won't be able to run against BC, but I just don't buy it. Chad dropped 175 yards on the Miami Hurricanes, and he's a smart runner. He knows when to stay with his cuts and not try to be too fancy. Big game from #6.
3) Big plays on both sides of the ball. Gerald Sensabaugh may be the best one-year wonder since Bob McAdoo. He's going to hit somebody, and I wouldn't be surprised to see an INT by his name before it's over. BC's QB has been sidelined with a fractured throwing hand, so he may be a little sloppy. Offensively, #9 Jesse Holley will have something to say. Now's not the time for it, but I am sooo excited about our returning receiving corps. Also, Darian Durant will want to have a great finale.
4) BC is going to want to run on the Tar Heels, so we have to find a way to stop it. Someone needs to step up from the front seven, and Tommy Richardson must make himself a factor.
5) Most places I read say Carolina by 3 or 4, and one says BC by 4. Don't forget about the home-field advantage. This one is going to be a lot of fun.
Wow. The first game of this stretch after the break was an up-and-down affair. The Heels got the win, yes, but what an ugly game. The first half was fantastic, capped off by a Melvin Scott 3-pointer that was great to see, especially for Melvin himself. I think he needed that confidence boost. But the first fifteen minutes of the second half - wow - what a snoozer. The crowd was absolutely dead. The officials (Alan Spainhour, especially) decided to try to reel in a game that wasn't winnable for UNC-W. I don't know why the refs thought that they should insert themselves into the flow of the game. 1) I'm biased, and 2) I can't see every little thing that goes on from row R of section 205, but it seems like the technicals were silly. And a double technical is the worst cop-out in all of sports. It means that you, as an official, didn't see what happened, and you're taking the easy way out. If something happened, a player on one team or the other had to start it. Melvin might have been jawing, but it wasn't at the ref, and the UNC-W player pushed him. I saw that much. Double technicals need to be eliminated. If you don't know who is accountable, don't make the call.
Jawad looked great. Just great. He played tough, probably remembering last year's concussion against the Seahawks. Jawad is a leader, and played like it. He and Sean just dominated UNC-W on the blocks.
Quentin Thomas is getting more and more confident off the bench as the point guard. I think some of us Carolina fans need to just be patient with the kid. His only offense is not being Raymond Felton. He had no shot attempts and some nice assists last night. In some cases he might have been trying to do too much, but Roy will reel that in. And the hair? I hear you, Q! One love, baby!
Who says Christmas is over? This week is a great one for Tar Heel fans. HeelsBlog will be at four games - three basketball and one football - as well as ring in the new year -in the next six days. It's a huge road trip for us. So yesterday 12/27, we left Goldsboro (my hometown) for Raleigh (home of HeelsBlogGirl). Tonight it's to Chapel Hill, back to Raleigh, to Taylorsville tomorrow (staying with my grandparents), from there to Charlotte for the Continental Tire Bowl, back to Chapel Hill for more basketball, back to Raleigh, ringing in the new year, then back to Chapel Hill on Sunday for a game against William & Mary. I was hoping to get to a women's game sometime this week, but it will be tough. Here's the rundown:
12/28 - Basketball vs. UNC-Wilmington
12/30 - 1 pm - Football vs. Boston College
12/30 - 8 pm - Basketball vs. Cleveland State
1/2/05 - 1 pm - Basketball vs. William & Mary
What to do Sunday afternoon? The Panthers have to win at home over the Saints to stay alive for the playoffs (and even then they'll need a little help), and that game kicks off at 1 as well.
The basketball Heels get 3 games in 6 days coming back from the holidays. Here's a chance to try some new things. I am hoping Quentin Thomas will see more action for 2 reasons. 1) So that he can improve his point guard play in the flow of the offense, and 2) So Raymond Felton can rest his wrist before ACC play. I predicted we wouldn't see much of Raymond vs. Vermont, but he still had 24 minutes to QT's 13, and the Heels won that game by 28 points.
UNCW is missing its leading scorer, John Goldsberry, and he is the only player averaging double figures (13.8) for them in scoring. I predict their 6'11 center Aaron Coombs (5.4 ppg) will foul out. Also, am I making this up or did Halston Lane transfer from an ACC school? Georgia Tech?
Cleveland State gave us a scare last year, but that ain't happening again. Likewise William AND Mary. Unless Lang Campbell works out of the shotgun, the Heels will roll.
I'll probably get to my Continental Tire Bowl preview later tonight or tomorrow, but, we're pumped, even if the city of Boston isn't. Hope to see you at a game or two (or four) this week!
Sorry. I've had to take the remix down temporarily, as the song has inspired a whole lot more activity than I expected. Feel free to email me if you want it. If you already have it, please share it with friends. I'll probably put it back up after the first of the year.
So check this out: I've been working for a while on a remix of Petey Pablo's 'Raise Up' song since the Miami game. Actually I started it a while back and have procrastinated, but wanted to finish it for HeelsBlogGirl for Christmas. Anyway, it's for you too. I've thrown in pre-game comments, postgame quotes, a little play-by-play, and the whole kitchen sink. It's clean, except Jesse Holley says "...no chance in hell," or something like that. So feel free to download it and tell your friends.
Here's a list of people I'm asking not to sue me:
Petey Pablo, The University of North Carolina, John Bunting, Woody Durham, Connor Barth, Darian Durant, Chad Scott, Jesse Holley, Jim Rome, Andy Britt, Taylor Zarzour, and anyone else I can't think of right now. Enjoy! and Merry Christmas from HeelsBlog. It may be easiest to right-click and Save-As to your Desktop, rather than stream it. Here you go.
HeelsBlog will be taking a little break here to enjoy the holidays at home. But I thought I'd take a shot at summing up the fall semester. We've got a men's basketball team that is playing like world-beaters, a women's team hanging around the top 5, a football team headed back to a bowl and recruiting well, and a baseball team that is ranked #7 in the preseason. I will be back sometime around the UNCW game on the 28th, though I may be posting incidental articles here and there. Hopefully in the new year I can see the Lady Tar Heels in person. Also, I'll be making the road trip to see the football Heels play in Charlotte on the 30th and come back for the basketball game against Cleveland State that night. We've got a lot to look forward to as Tar Heel fans, and a lot to be thankful for. Merry Christmas from HeelsBlog!
Caulton Tudor, famous (to me, at least) for being able to settle in nicely on one side of an issue, then only weeks later take the other side, will probably want to turn off his email inbox for a little while after today's column about hometown boy Shavlik Randolph. I suppose it took something like this happening to a local kid for someone to see how K over-recruits, just to deprive other schools of a certain player (see Michael Thompson, Ricky Price, et al), effectively ruining that player's career. I agree with Tudor on this one. Randolph could have been a star just about anywhere else.
Brian Payton, a running back from Fort Wayne, Indiana by way of Fork Union Military Academy, has committed to the Tar Heels. Reading the above-linked article, he seems like a class-A guy. What does this mean for Toney Baker? I don't know. I have zero inside information, but Baker will be a great catch wherever he goes.
