UNC Football Has Momentum

It's amazing how in about four hours a season's outlook can change in college football.

North Carolina's upset -- please note that UNC quarterback Matt Baker and wide receiver Mike Mason didn't dare want to call it an upset -- at

N.C. State now leaves these Tar Heels looking better and better.

Utah is next, and the Utes, still good but not as good as last year, are vulnerable on defense. Baker could have some big numbers against that secondary. Then there's Louisville, which some thought belonged close behind teams like USC and Texas. Truth is that the Cardinals couldn't win at South Florida, so if South Florida can beat the Cards, can the Heels do it too?

Why not?

Two obvious factors abruptly have changed the outlook of John Bunting's 2005 team -- the running game and the defense.

Baker, who has completed 47 of 99 passes for 738 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions, was good out of the gate in that six-point loss at Georgia Tech. He wasn't bad against Wisconsin, either, and those eight dropped passes in the first two games weren't his fault.

Baker's arm gives these Heels a chance in games that some figured they had no chance to win.

"We all know Baker can do a lot of good things, but it's hard for him to do anything on his back," Bunting said. "He can make things happen when we get him to hook up with the wide receivers."

Between games with Wisconsin and N.C. State, the challenge Bunting gave his offense was obvious -- block better, run better, catch better and the result could be better. And it was. UNC didn't just get a big win over an arch rival, it might have earned the kind of win that can turn a season into something special.

Naturally, it's speculation. One nice win doesn't mean an ACC championship or a bowl invititaion, but it can ignite something.

If these Heels can run the ball against future foes the way they did at N.C. State, against that highly publicized and highly respected defense, good things could happen for Bunting. Give Baker, a quality quarterback who has shown lots of poise and no panic in three career starts, a decent rushing attack and you've got a balanced offense that can control the clock.

And Connor Barth isn't likely to miss a couple of field goals -- such as he did Saturday -- in another game, either.

Defensively, here's what is most impressive about a segment of Bunting's team that many figured would doom the season: In its first two games, the Tar Heels allowed 14 fourth-quarter points. They gave up none in the fourth quarter to the Wolfpack, and while people like to point to certain factors that were instrumental in a victory, try this one -- UNC had the ball for 34:22 to N.C. State's 25:38.

Do that to future foes, and these Heels will win more games.

Most every UNC football observer felt the Tar Heels would be 0-3. Now some have done an about-face and are claiming UNC could be 3-0. And it's true.

Assuming Bunting's offensive line protects Baker, the receivers limit dropped passes and the running game provides similar success it enjoyed vs. N.C. State, these Tar Heels will be difficult to beat.

What Bunting's program has shown in three weeks is toughness, particularly late in games. Bunting's defense played very well against a Wisconsin team that is 4-0 and even better against N.C. State. That six-sack total really was impressive by the Tar Heels.

Last season, the Tar Heels went 4-2 at home, and wins over Miami and N.C. State were pivotal in their getting to a bowl game. This year's team gets Utah, Virginia, Boston College, Maryland and Duke in Chapel Hill.

After Saturday's result, who's to say UNC won't win those games?

Source-HeraldSun