Nov. 21, 2009
By Turner Walston
It was almost too quick, the way Carolina jumped out to a 21-point lead on Boston College early Saturday in Chestnut Hill. In the first ten minutes of game time, the Eagles and Tar Heels had four possessions between them, and Carolina scored three touchdowns, two of them defensively. It was almost too quick because more than three quarters of football were yet to be played. It was almost too quick because a 21-point lead can seem safe.
"It was 21-nothing before we turned around," Deunta Williams said. "Give credit to them. They did a good job of getting back into the game."
Carolina wouldn't score again until the fourth quarter. Boston College used three Tar Heel turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) to put up 13 points before halftime. Almost too quickly, it was a one-score football game.
And then it happened: nothing. For more than 26 minutes of game time, no points were scored. Carolina got within sniffing distance of the goal line, but Roderick Rollins stepped in front of Erik Highsmith to snag T.J. Yates' third interception thrown of the day.
After the excitement of the first ten minutes, the ensuing non-action could have lulled the Tar Heel defense to sleep. After all, between Kendric Burney's pick six and Cam Thomas' fumble return touchdown, they'd done a lot of work to get that lead themselves. But knowing that eight points might not be enough, they went to work.
"It really tests the character of your football team," Butch Davis said after the game. "Sometimes things are so easy early, and then all of a sudden if you're not careful, you kind of let up a little bit and you allow the other team to get back in the game."
There was no let-up. Thirteen times the Eagles faced third down on Saturday. Thirteen times, they were unable to convert. That includes two visits inside the Tar Heel ten-yard line. In the second half, the Eagle offense did not cross the 50-yard line (they'd only done it once from scrimmage in the first). Montel Harris rushed for 132 yards on the ACC's top defense, but the sophomore is no slouch: Saturday he eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark for his career.
But anytime 25-year old BC quarterback Dave Shinskie thought about throwing, there were defensive linemen in his face. The Carolina secondary feasted on the resulting throws, picking off Shinskie and backup Mark Marscovetra five times in total. "It's a Thanksgiving dinner," Burney said. "As long as everybody's eating, we're happy."
Deunta and Melvin Williams joined the fun, too. Deunta's 39-yard interception return down to the Eagle one, and the resulting Ryan Houston touchdown, sealed a Tar Heel victory on a day when points were hard to come by.
About that: Let's face it: the Carolina offense has been inefficient at best this season. With injuries up and down the offensive line early this season, the season-ending injuries to Shaun Draughn and A.J. Blue, he lengthy midseason absence of Zack Pianalto and the youth in the receiving corps, scoring hasn't been easy. But Burney said he and his mates on defense have no problem taking up the slack. Carolina has scored seven touchdowns over the past two games. Four of them were scored by the defense, and a fifth gave the offense 1st and goal at the one. "As much as we struggled last year defensively," Burney said, "the offense bailed us out. It's kind of like a favor back."
At 8-3 and a week to play, Carolina can continue to improve in the eyes of bowl scouts. With a hungry Wolfpack eager to play spoiler, the offense needs to lend a hand. Burney called it paying a favor back, but he and the defense have gone above and beyond. It's time for the offense to join the cause. The defense? They've paid it forward.
Turner Walston is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly. Turner's weekly Tar Heel football podcast, The Walkthrough, is available on iTunes.
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