John Bunting entered the 2006 football season proclaiming his team “the new blue” and also that his team would be competitive in every game . It didn’t take long for fans and analysts to realize that UNC was down right terrible, and that maybe “the new blue” held another meaning.
UNC hasn’t been this bad in football in a long, long time. Even back in Bunting’s second and third seasons, things weren’t this bad for the Heels. Under Buntings helm, Carolina has gone 25-45 with two games left to play.
On the flip side, NC State is 3-7. The Wolfpack have lost five straight since starting the season 3-2.
With Bunting already fired, and Amato’s seat getting hotter and hotter after every game, there is a lot to play for in this battle of bitter rivals.
Bunting would like to go out on a high note, and what’s a better way to do so that to beat the team you hate the most?
Amato is trying to beat UNC for the first time in two years, and to also cool down the Wolfpack fans that are calling for his head in Raleigh.
For the team’s to be successful, quarterback play is the key. NC State quarterback Daniel Evans has thrown for six touchdowns and eight interceptions. The quarterback that Evans took over for, Marcus Stone, threw four touchdowns and four interceptions in the first few games he was starter.
Who would have thought that UNC’s quarterback stats would make State’s look like national championship contending numbers. Cam Sexton has thrown only four touchdown passes and eight interceptions. Not to outdo that however, recent starter Joe Dailey has thrown for five touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The game rides on the arms of the quarterbacks, and also on the playmaking ability of the receivers on both sides
UNC wide receiver Jesse Holley spoke about the circumstances surrounding this bitter match up.
“The bottom line: they don’t like us, we don’t like them,” Jesse Holley said. “We’re going to go out there and play football to win our last home game – for our seniors, that’s our last home game, that’s Coach Bunting’s last home game. It’s a game that we want to win. You don’t want to lose to State. Despite whatever the circumstances are, you just don’t want to lose to State.”
NC State coach Chuck Amato toned it down a little and said the following about this weekend’s game.
“It’s an ACC game against a team that’s a rival and we all want to win it,” Amato said. “We do, they do, our fans do and their fans do.”
When these two teams meet it’s always worth watching no matter the records involved. In what should be a highly emotional game for UNC on Saturday, look for a defensive battle in which a touchdown or two could mean victory.
