North Carolina football coach John Bunting coaches his final game for UNC Saturday as the Tar Heels travel to Durham to face the Duke Blue Devils.
It will be an intense rivalry between two ACC cellar dwellers. But, win or lose, John Bunting's coaching career at UNC will come to an end once the clock strikes 0:00.
And although this chapter in UNC football will come to a close, the program will continue to move forward as Butch Davis will be announced as the new head coach for UNC just 48 hours later.
UNC will hold a press conference on Monday at 3:00 PM to formally introduce Butch Davis as North Carolina's new head football coach.
With this hiring comes a renewed hope for the UNC team and its followers, but it won't be without its challenges. Davis has been out of the college game for several years and will be far removed from the fertile recruiting grounds of Florida where he assembled the roster that won Miami's Larry Coker a national championship.
Davis must also assemble a top-notch staff capable of restoring confidence to the returning players, retain current verbal commitments, and upgrade the level of incoming talent on an annual basis. Oh, and then there are always the X's and O's of football to consider.
It's no easy job, to be sure. But if anyone seems capable of the challenge, it's Butch Davis.
NC State fans were talking trash about the Tar Heels even before the season began. And after Saturday's 23-9 whipping of the Wolfpack at the hands of UNC, it's time to look back at some of their pre-season remarks and make them eat their words.
Here's a rundown of some of the message board mumbo-jumbo overheard earlier in the year regarding their thoughts on the team that would smack them around Saturday:
After four years as a UNC linebacker and six as their coach, Tar Heel coach John Bunting ended his ten year career at Kenan stadium by whipping rival NC State 23-9 Saturday.
The Heels looked impressive from their opening possession as UNC running back Ronnie McGill rushed for 80 yards in the first quarter alone.
The UNC defense looked equally impressive, keeping the Pack from even sniffing the end zone, allowing just three field goals, intercepting three passes, and scoring a touchdown of their own to clinch the deal.
The victory was a bitter-sweet one for Bunting, who will be replaced by new coach Butch Davis after next week's game against Duke.
"I won't forget some of the locker room experiences that I just went through with guys like Jesse Holley, Melik Brown, Brian Rackley, Larry Edwards, those guys. It was an emotional locker room in there."
Bunting ends his coaching career against the Wolfpack with a 4-2 record, placing NC State coach Chuck Amato squarely on the hot seat to start next season, if not sooner.
Today's game between rivals North Carolina and NC State may not look that appealing on paper given the two teams' combined twelve game losing streak, but don't tell that to the two coaches on the sidelines.
This game is huge for both UNC coach John Bunting and NC State coach Chuck Amato for very different reasons.
Bunting, a former Tar Heel linebacker and team captain, is coaching his final game in Kenan stadium as UNC's head coach, having been replaced by Butch Davis effective at the end of the season.
This will be a very emotional game for both Bunting and his players, who undoubtedly will be playing to win one for their coach.
Neither Bunting nor his team have anything to lose in this matchup, and that makes them a very dangerous opponent for the Wolfpack and coach Chuck Amato, who will find his coaching seat very hot if he drops a third straight game to his rival.
NC State may have an advantage in overall team talent, but they also have little to play for the remainder of the season. So, give the talent edge to NC State and the motivational edge to UNC.
Although the University of North Carolina has announced the hiring of Butch Davis as their new football coach effective at the end of this season, his appointment is not yet official.
There are two "small" hurdles UNC will have to clear before the deal is officially done. First, Davis must actually sign the contract. Second, the contract must be approved by UNC's Board of Trustees.
Each of these items should be addressed in "a matter of days" according to Nelson Schwab III, who also stated that the UNC system Board of Governors has approved certain exceptions in the contract (i.e. Davis' large salary) that allows the University to finalize their negotiations.
My question is why would UNC announce the hiring of a coach who has yet to sign a contract? Especially with such a high profile, highly sought after coach like Davis?
For athletic director Dick Baddour's sake and the sake of the Tar Heel program, I hope this deal is finalized quickly before it has the chance to blow up in UNC's face.
I sure hope no one is counting their chickens before they're hatched or we'll all have egg on our faces.
Greg Little, the prized four-star wide receiver from Durham, NC, elected to play football at Notre Dame today rather than his hometown favorite North Carolina.
Little announced the decision at an 11:00 AM press conference Thursday in the lobby of Durham Hillside high school.
He was expected to announce his decision at a press conference several weeks ago, but decided at the last minute to narrow his decision down to the two finalists of UNC and Notre Dame.
Little's decision follows a trip last weekend to South Bend where he watched the Irish defeat the Heels.
Tar Heel fans were hoping that recent reports of Butch Davis becoming North Carolina's new football coach would have caused him to lean towards UNC, but that wasn't the case.
At any rate, it speaks highly of what the North Carolina program has to offer in that choosing between UNC and a traditional football power like Notre Dame was such a difficult choice for the young man. Best of luck to him.
From a North Carolina fan's perspective, I've heard nothing but great things about the Notre Dame program and their fans from fellow Tar Heels who made the trip to South Bend.
Since my brief article yesterday regarding "Butch Davis to UNC," there have been a slew of conflicting reports on whether Butch Davis has or has not signed a contract at the University of North Carolina.
This looks like one of those cases where you're going to have to pick the source you feel most comfortable believing and go with that until you hear anything different.
The one item that no one is disputing, however, is that there is every indication that Butch Davis will be the next football coach at UNC. It's just a matter of when the contract will be signed (if it hasn't already) and when an announcement will be made.
Here are what some of the important players are saying:
Steve Kirschner, UNC's associate athletic director for communications: "The reports are wrong. There is no signed contract. There is no new news to report on the UNC football coaching search."
ACC Journalist David Glenn: "I haven't heard one single word of concern (about getting a deal done) on either side"
Raleigh News & Observer: UNC General Counsel Leslie Strohm was asked by The N&O via e-mail Wednesday for any "contracts, documents or agreements that have been signed with Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis in regard to the football program at UNC," Strohm responded at 6:48 p.m.: "The University has no documents responsive to this request."
Marvin Demoff, Butch Davis' Agent: Butch Davis' agent, Marvin Demoff, told The Charlotte Observer that his client had not struck a deal with UNC and that it likely would be next week before anything is "really going to happen."
Several sources close to the UNC coaching search have reported that Butch Davis has signed a contract to become the next head coach at the University of North Carolina.
According to the sources, the only detail remaining to be worked out is when UNC will make an official announcement.
The timing of the announcement is a sticky issue since current coach John Bunting remains at the helm of the UNC program through the end of the season.
North Carolina senior linebacker Larry Edwards is once again proving how tough he is.
Edwards, who broke his collarbone during pre-game warmups against South Florida just over three weeks ago (and played the entire game injured), was deemed lost for the season after his initial diagnosis.
This week he made his return to practice, albeit in limited action. Several media outlets are reporting that he could make his return in time for the NC State game on November 18th. But he may see some reps on special teams as soon as this weekend's Georgia Tech game.
This bodes well for the Heels who have shown some improvement on offense and some more passion on defense since learning of head coach John Bunting's dismissal upon season's end.
The primary problem on defense, however, remains a lack of talent and depth along the front seven. Edwards' return would really help in this regard.
At any rate, it's great news if Edwards can return because seniors deserve to go out on their own terms rather than on doctor's orders. And the Heels can use any positive news they can get during this tough season.
The quarterback carousel continues for the North Carolina Tar Heels this week as junior transfer Joe Dailey has been named the starter once again for the Georgia Tech game this Saturday.
Dailey has continued to outplay redshirt freshman Cam Sexton over the past couple of games and performed extremely well in the Heels' 45-26 loss at Notre Dame last week.
Against the Irish, Dailey was 14-22 for 213 yards and three touchdowns. He also helped receiver Hakeem Nicks set the UNC freshman receiving record with 171 receiving yards in a single game.
Aside from last week's pressure packed passing performance, Dailey adds another dimension to the game which Sexton has not shown to date: the ability to run when forced out of the pocket.
It will be interesting to watch him go head to head against GT quarterback Reggie Ball. Both are known for their inconsistently hot and cold performances and improvisational play making abilities.
If UNC is going to pull an upset this season, this would be the week since the Heels are undoubtedly confident after holding their own for three quarters in South Bend.
NC State fans were talking trash about the Tar Heels even before the season began. And after Saturday's 23-9 whipping of the Wolfpack at the hands of UNC, it's time to look back at some of their pre-season remarks and make them eat their words.
After four years as a UNC linebacker and six as their coach, Tar Heel coach John Bunting ended his ten year career at Kenan stadium by whipping rival NC State 23-9 Saturday.
Today's game between rivals North Carolina and NC State may not look that appealing on paper given the two teams' combined twelve game losing streak, but don't tell that to the two coaches on the sidelines.
Several sources close to the UNC coaching search have reported that Butch Davis has signed a contract to become the next head coach at the University of North Carolina.
The quarterback carousel continues for the North Carolina Tar Heels this week as junior transfer Joe Dailey has been named the starter once again for the Georgia Tech game this Saturday.
