(Bruce Young, aka The Man of Many Talents, in spite of his horrible taste in music, is THI's social coordinator, official bureaucrat, available bachelor, International Playboy, back seat driver, photographer and resident Tar Heels' fan)
For those of you that travel following the football and basketball Tar Heels, you how much fun it is when you go into someone's house and come out victorious. For me, having the opportunity to cover the Heels on the Road is a dream come true. I'm on the field or the court after games and even though I don't celebrate outwardly, I'm busting with pride about my Heels winning in hostile situations!
To look into the crowd and see their disappointment gives me goose bumps and puts a huge you-just-got-whipped smile on my face. When Carolina comes to town and leaves with what Danny Green used to call "their cookies," there's no better feeling in the world. I'm not gonna apologize for that, even though it might sound mean. This is a very important part of our lives, and as you know, I'm a Tar Heel. I also know without a shadow of a doubt, I'm not alone feeling this way!
The Oldest Rivalry in the South resumed last Saturday as the Tar Heels and the Cavaliers played for the 121st time with the Tar Heels winning 35-14! Older Tar Heel Fans will remember that going to Charlottesville and winning a football game just didn't happen from 1983 to 2009. Carolina lost an astounding 14 games in a row during that stretch at Scott Stadium and there are a lot of Tar Heels who were beginning to believe that the Heels would never win there again. I know I did!
Thank God all that has changed since 2010, as Carolina has won the last 4 games in Charlottesville over the last 6 years. Walking the sidelines and hearing the Cavalier fans yelling "Carolina Refs, Carolina Refs" after several calls go against their team, hearing them yelling at our players about fake classes with obscenities, and watching our young men take the high road almost every time, is something that makes victories on the road so special.
To me, Virginia Fans have always had an "arrogance" about them when Carolina came to town. While their students would show up for games wearing their little dark blue sport coats with their little orange bow ties, their little khaki shorts and their little penny loafers or little Birkenstock sandals (believe me, they really wear these), they carried themselves as if the Tar Heels and their fans were beneath them. Their arrogance, and the fact that we went through the 14 straight losses in a row, made UVA one of Carolina fans’ most hated non-local rivals! For many of those 14 straight losses, I was present to witness their arrogance as fans and I'd leave Scott Stadium having to endure the ridicule and obscenities from their fans and their preppy students. In the last 6 years, I've been in Hoo land and witnessed Carolina's 4 straight victories and what sweet victories each has been! For those of you who wear Birkenstock sandals, please forgive me, but, they do look funny with the attire listed above. Just saying!
The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for Carolina. The injuries on both sides of the ball have mounted up over the last several weeks. Several players who were not being counted on to play major minutes early, such as offensive linemen William Sweet, Nick Polino, tight end Carl Tucker, running back Khris Francis, wide receiver Thomas Jackson and many more, have all stepped up and made major contributions to Carolina’s 6-2 overall record.
Each one of these young men should play important roles in the November 5th showdown against the sometimes questionable blocking tactics of the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill! As stated in earlier columns, our offensive linemen will be on high alert against illegal chop blocks by the Yellow Jacks defensive front and linebackers. The Tar Heels surely cannot afford more injuries up front and I'm positive that Coach Chris Kapilovic and his offensive staff will have those guys ready to go to battle. GO HEELS!!!!!
