UNC is now one win from being bowl eligible. How the Tar Heels got to this point

Before North Carolina’s game against Mercer, Michael Carter said he called his father and delivered some bad news. He told his dad he was sorry, but he didn’t plan on being home for Christmas.

This Christmas, Carter said, he planned to play in a bowl game.

On Saturday, after UNC’s 56-7 victory over Mercer, the Tar Heels were close to making that a reality. They have five wins and are a game away from becoming bowl eligible. All the Tar Heels (5-6, 3-4 ACC) have to do is beat N.C. State (4-7, 1-6) next week in their season-finale.

“I’ve never played in a bowl game. I’ve been at home for Christmas the last two seasons,” said Carter, who finished with a team-high 159 yards rushing and three touchdowns. “I’m at home, while all my friends are playing. I’m at home watching them, working out, talking about, ‘well, next year.’ It gets old.

“So being able to have a chance to play for a bowl game and not come home for Christmas, I already told my pops I’m not coming.”

The last two seasons, this wasn’t even close to possible, as the Tar Heels combined for five wins and 18 losses.

Last season’s finale against N.C. State was played for pride. It ended with a loss as the Tar Heels finished 2-9.

“That’s a big deal. You go from two wins to possibly seven wins,” senior running back Antonio Williams said. “And I think we’re realizing that. And seniors want to go out that way, and start a tradition of making a bowl game again.”

The Tar Heels got to this point by fixing the little things. Players held each other accountable. They cleaned up after themselves. They made sure they were on time. And now the results have paid off with as many wins this season as they had the previous two years combined.

The Tar Heels were expected to beat Mercer on Saturday. But some times, when the opponent is not good, it can be hard for players to find motivation.

On Senior Day, they found it.

The Tar Heels’ win was one of the few times this season that a UNC game has not come down to the final possession. In the Tar Heels’ previous 10 games, nine had been decided by seven points or less.

But this game was over by halftime. UNC raced out to a 42-0 lead and did not play the majority of its starters in the second half. The Tar Heels scored touchdowns on their first six possessions and created two first-half turnovers.

“We dominated the game,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “Our guys were ready to play.”

The Tar Heels did a lot right in this game. For instance, fixing its red zone issues. Against Pitt last week, UNC had a 25 percent red zone touchdown percentage. Against Mercer, albeit a lesser opponent, the Tar Heels were 4-for-4 in the red zone, and scored touchdowns on each trip. They also rushed for a season-high 376 yards and five touchdowns.

After giving up more than 900 yards to Virginia’s Bryce Perkins and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett the previous two games, UNC’s defense was dominant.

“I feel like we took it real personal,” freshman defensive back Storm Duck said of the previous two games. “We had a real good week of practice and everybody came in with the mindset to compete, really every day, every snap.”

The key for UNC will be continuing that momentum into next week against a N.C. State team that would like nothing more than to end the Tar Heels’ dreams.

For UNC, there is a lot at stake. Win, and go to a bowl game. Or lose, and stay home for Christmas, like the last two years.

“We’ve got goals to reach, and I think we realize that’s what’s at stake,” Williams, the senior running back, said. “It’s a lot of pressure on us, but we’re ready for that pressure.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 10:16 PM.