CHAPEL HILL -- With five games left and North Carolina still three victories shy of qualifying for a bowl game, the Tar Heels' players said there's no reason to panic about the postseason.
No reason, that is, if they can keep their composure on the field -- something they lost while coughing up an 18-point lead against Florida State in Thursday night's 30-27 loss.
With former UNC defensive stars Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers roaming the sideline that night, the Tar Heels' defense in particular looked downright jittery in the second half, giving up 338 yards after halftime. It's a disappearing act that UNC (4-3, 0-3 ACC) can't afford to repeat if it wants any chance of upsetting No. 14 Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1) in Blacksburg on Thursday night.
"I wouldn't necessarily call it a panic. I just think guys wanted to step up and be the hero," senior defensive lineman E.J. Wilson said. "A lot of guys, they saw that they were moving the ball on us, scoring and having a little success, and they tried to do things that weren't their job, to go out and make plays. If we would have just done our jobs, kept our composure, I really think we would have had the same results in the second half that we did in the first half."
UNC's defense still ranks seventh in the nation in yards allowed (266.3 yards per game). But in an effort to avoid a repeat of last week's mistakes on either side of the ball, coach Butch Davis has been preaching to live -- and play -- in the moment.
"Don't worry about past plays, don't worry about future plays," said Davis, who was also concerned about UNC's seven penalties. "You can't control any of it; just concentrate on that play that you're playing, and play smart."
That will be key against the Hokies.
Davis called Frank Beamer's club "the best Virginia Tech football team I've seen probably since either 1999 or 2000 with the Michael Vick teams, the one that played for the national championship."
The Hokies' special teams, as usual, have big-play potential. Their defense is allowing only 19.1 points per game. On offense, Virginia Tech tailback Ryan Williams leads the ACC in rushing at 119.1 yards per game, and quarterback Tyrod Taylor leads the league with a 159.9 efficiency rating.
To slow them, Wilson said, Carolina's defense will have to play aggressively and consistently while, most importantly, keeping its composure.
"We talked over it, a bunch of guys -- me, Quan [Sturdivant], Bruce [Carter] got together -- and we said, "We can't let this happen again," Wilson said of last week's letdown. "Because it's been a sick feeling in your stomach, to just let a big Thursday night game -- the first one in Chapel Hill -- [get away] with the great players in Carolina history here. It just leaves a bad feeling in your stomach.
"... But one thing about that feeling in your stomach, it's going to turn into hunger -- hunger to go out here and get this victory, hunger to go out there and play to the level we know we can play."
Notes: Tight end Zack Pianalto, who sustained a head injury during Thursday's game, practiced Sunday and should be cleared to play, Davis said.
Sturdivant, Wilson and Kendric Burney were voted permanent defensive captains last week, and T.J. Yates and Kyle Jolly were voted permanent offensive captains.
