I came into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with considerably low expectations for our football program. Throughout most of my adolescence, the team had sucked pretty badly and despite four different head coaches, Carolina could never seem to piece together an ACC Championship win.
While there are some bonafide legends to come out of Chapel Hill, namely Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers and Dre Bly, there had hardly been a cohesive unit to take the field in those powder blue uniforms during my lifetime. And, truthfully speaking, I was alright with that. I figured that our basketball team was the pride and joy of the university and to ask for two nationally-acclaimed athletic programs would be nothing short of greedy.
Over the course of my status as an underclassman, that theory seemed to hold up. The UNC football team finished with a lousy 3-9 record under head coach Larry Fedora in my first year as a student and followed that up with an even worse campaign in 2018, boasting a mere two wins on the year. It was despicable.
Carolina Basketball lay on the opposite end of the spectrum during that span. They finished with records of 26-11 and 29-7, respectively, which were both followed up with bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Heels were awarded a #1 seed in 2018, a #2 seed the following year and while they fell short of a championship berth in both cases, the overall season was anything but a disappointment.
Oh, how the tables have turned since then.
Prior to the start of the 2019 season, Carolina Football saw a head coaching change – Larry Fedora was replaced by former UNC head coach and national champion, Mack Brown, who came out of retirement to take the job. In just a matter of months, it seemed as though Brown had been able to turn the program around. The excitement in Chapel Hill was contagious.
Tar Heel fans coined the phrase “Mack is Back” and under the guidance of Brown, alongside true freshman quarterback Sam Howell, North Carolina ended the season with a 7-6 overall record. It wasn’t a perfect season, but it was a drastic improvement from what had taken place in the two years prior.
Meanwhile, it seemed as if the bad fortune that had plagued the football program for so long had been passed along to Roy Williams and the inhabitants of the Dean Dome. Just a short year after finishing at #3 in the AP Final Poll, UNC missed the 2020 NCAA Tournament with an abysmal 14-19 record. It was the first time under Williams that the Tar Heels finished a season below .500.
Without any reason to watch March Madness, Tar Heels’ shifted their attention toward the up and coming football program, the season that lay ahead and as the months dragged on, anticipation only grew stronger. By the time the Tar Heels took the field in September, Mack Brown’s team sat in the national spotlight.
They started the season on a hot streak, winning their first three matchups against conference opponents. Florida State interrupted that rhythm with a 3-point victory, in Tallahassee, only for Carolina to respond the following week with a dominant 27-point W over NC State. As the season rolled on, it became evident that this North Carolina team was dangerous and had improved significantly in the offseason.
By the end of the year, the Tar Heels had lost only three games by a combined margin of 20 points, 14 of which came against a talented, and experienced, Notre Dame squad. An overall record of 8-3 earned them a spot in Capital One’s Orange Bowl where they would face Texas A&M, which became arguably the program’s most high-profile bowl appearance since the 1950s.
I bought a ticket as soon as they became available to students and packed my bags to leave for Miami on New Year’s Day. The clock crept towards 8 PM on January 2nd and as soon as I arrived at Hard Rock Stadium, I felt an energy like no other.
While the game itself was somewhat of a blur, partially because of my alcohol content and partially because of the adrenaline coursing through my body, I distinctly remember sitting in the stands after the final whistle had blown and the clock ran out. The scoreboard read “Texas A&M 41 – 27 UNC” and I couldn’t help but think to myself, “What would the outcome have been if our most exciting players hadn’t opted out?”
Even now, looking back, I still ask myself that same question. Would we have hoisted the trophy that night? If you ask me, the answer is yes.
The Tar Heels were missing a first-team All-ACC linebacker in Chazz Surratt, who I drunkenly slurred my words to in the concourse that same night, the dynamic duo of running backs, Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, AND four-star wide receiver Dyami Brown.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if those particular four guys had taken the field in early January, North Carolina would be 2020 Orange Bowl Champions. But, I don’t blame them for a second. If you do, don’t consider yourself a fan.
Not only did each of these guys give their heart and soul to the football program week in and week out, but they collectively found a way to turn the program around altogether, Dazz Newsome included. Each player has the potential to be a superstar at the next level and no reasonable man would throw that opportunity away, especially with millions of dollars at stake.
With the 2021 NFL Draft quickly approaching, some of our favorite Tar Heels will soon depart. They deserve to be remembered, not for what they didn’t do, but for all they did. If you need a reminder, here are just a few highlights from some of the most electric players to ever suit up in Kenan Memorial Stadium.
Junior, Dyami Brown
Dyami Brown 2020 Regular Season Highlights | North Carolina WR
Senior, Michael Carter
Michael Carter 2020 Regular Season Highlights | North Carolina RB
Senior, Dazz Newsome
Dazz Newsome 2020 Regular Season Highlights | North Carolina WR
Graduate Student, Chazz Surratt
Chazz Surratt 2020 Regular Season Highlights | North Carolina LB
Junior, Javonte Williams
Javonte Williams 2020 Regular Season Highlights | North Carolina RB
In the words of the now, not so popular Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” An Orange Bowl appearance was just a glimpse into what will surely be a bright future for these Tar Heels.
Stanley out.
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