A few weeks back, on this very site, I implored the Carolina fan base to relax, chill out and give Butch Davis and his coaching staff time to do their work. Davis and company quickly responded by dropping an ugly game to Virginia. At home. For the 50th year in a row. And oh yeah, Virginia was winless at the time. Sweet. So I had to follow up that post with another one a week later telling the Heels fans it was still too early to freak out. These freak out articles come up at least once a season because fans instinctively freak out at least once a season and it almost always happens too soon (keep an eye out for my note to Carolina basketball fans).
But the reason I wrote that with extra conviction at the time was that Carolina has too much talent, especially on defense, to not turn things around. Further, the offense (most notably and importantly the offensive line) was decimated by injuries. And Butch Davis, regardless of the on-field results, remained remarkably even keel throughout it all. The only thing for Heels fans to do was trust in the guy they wanted and got, and ride out the season with him and his team.
If you listen to him post-game, mid-game, mid-week, on his coaches how, ordering food, asking directions and probably just about any other time of day, his tone and inflection rarely change. He doesn't let the lows get too low nor the highs too high. Not to say he doesn't celebrate and enjoy big wins. But after that big win against Virginia Tech for instance, he had his team superbly prepared to battle the best passing attack in the ACC against Duke the following week.
And facing yet another ranked team in Miami last week, his team displayed the kind of level-headed performance that has been missing in past years, and truthfully even earlier this year (Florida State). (But even after that gut wrenching loss he was able to steady his team and develop a game plan to win in arguably the most hostile environment in the ACC, Blacksburg on a Thursday night.)
Offensive coordinator John Shoop also deserves a lot of credit for the recent three-game win streak. Shoop, who like most anyone else involved with the offense over the first month and a half of the season, took a lot of heat for Carolina's inability to move the ball. Against the first four D-I opponents of the season, Carolina topped 300 yards just once and was twice held to under 200.
The Heels have gained 300 or more yards in the past four games, beginning in the loss to Florida State. And since the Virginia Tech game, Shoop has gotten much more colorful in his play calling and his personnel (defensive back Mywan Jackson on a catch and run against Miami) as the team continues to lose key players like starting running back Shaun Draughn. Now 300 yards a game isn't exactly the 2000 St. Louis Rams, but with this Carolina defense it's just about enough.
Perhaps we all were way to critical on a team that was starting the season with more holes in its offensive line than a box of Krispy Kremes. Couple that with almost no experienced wide receivers, and the loss of quarterback T.J. Yates' favorite (check down or otherwise) target, tight end Zach Pianalto, for a few weeks and it would have been a minor miracle for that squad to beat what has turned out to the best team in the conference, Georgia Tech. (Still no excuses for that Virginia loss.)
And while Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney should get the most votes for ACC Coach of the Year, Butch Davis' name should not be glanced over. In fact, throw him a vote. Too often coach of the year is broken down into one of two categories: the coach who's team wins the most games or the coach who's team was picked to finish dead last but finished above .500. And sometimes those two categories intersect (2006 Jim Grobe) which is perfect.
There's not often any room for the coach who coached his team up and avoided a complete nosedive. Well, in 2007 Al Groh won 9 games after losing to Wyoming to start the season and won the honor that year, much to the dismay of Cavalier fans. But more often than not, the award goes to a coach in the first two categories, and more often than not it should.
Every season has it's own ebb and flow and trust me I'm not campaigning for Davis to be awarded coach of the year. But I don't think he should be thrown out of the conversation altogether either.
If, that is, he can get this team to finish what it started this season. And, to that end, finish what it started last season. This time last year Carolina was 7-2 when the Heels lost three of their last four. And two of those losses were microcosms of that stretch run. In the Maryland and West Virginia game, Carolina had leads in the last quarter, only to give up late scores and lose.
The Heels couldn't finish those games and as a result couldn't finish out the season. Even though Carolina beat Duke and even though the West Virginia game was one of the best bowl games of the season, the fact of the matter was Carolina had a legitimate shot at 10 wins. And 10 wins is a major stepping stone for a program. This year 10 wins is again in play, amazingly. It won't be easy, but it certainly seems a lot more attainable than it did a few weeks back.
David Walker
david@thebigtailgate.com