Under Head Coach Larry Fedora, the Tarheels are 43-34 in the seasons reaching from 2012 to now. Many see this as being right where North Carolina’s football program should be. To many, this program was never a really bad football school or a really great one either. This number, however, is telling a very wrong story for Fedora and his unit.
The Early Years
Herbert Lawrence Fedora came onto the North Carolina football scene really in the beginning of 2012, after announcing he would be coaching the team in December of 2011. This was a much-needed hire after the round of scandal that had taken its toll on the program from former head coach, Butch Davis. Many fans were excited for the new hire, since Fedora had a great amount of success at Southern Mississippi were he led the Golden Eagles to a 12-2 season in 2011.
Under Fedora, the Tarheels were led to an 8-4 season with a winning conference record, which was the first since 2004. Junior QB, Bryn Renner, led the Tarheel’s offense to take ACC opponents head on and dictated much of the play that season. In fact, the Tarheels had such a season that they had the record and wins to compete in the ACC Championship against Florida State. Unfortunately, for the Tarheels, the team could not compete in the ACC Championship due to NCAA suspension. This did not deter Fedora and his unit from trying to achieve a new found expectation in North Carolina.
Then, somewhat of a cloud of inconsistency laid upon the program from the 2013 season to the 2014 season. The Tarheels looked very sluggish for parts of both seasons and ultimately failed to get past the 6-win hump. The team seemed to struggle against the same ACC teams both years and couldn’t get it done physically or mentally. But, something in the heart of all ACC fans knew that the North Carolina program would bounce back, it was just the timing that no one had ever imagined.
The Jump and Spit
You could sense it in the air in Chapel Hill during the 2015 season: the winning mentality. Larry Fedora had his boys ready to go when the Tarheels took on rival, South Carolina, in the Belk Kickoff Game in Charlotte. It was a tough and very close loss for the Tarheels, but that meant little to what they had their minds on for the season. The North Carolina team put away 11 straight opponents to take the Coastal crown and to take a trip to Charlotte to take on Clemson for the ACC title.
It was sure to be a game for the ages when the #8 Tarheels were to take on the #1 Clemson Tigers for the ACC Championship. Both teams were hungry for their chance to play in the College Football Playoff. It was neck and neck the whole time with the teams trading blows, each edging to take the lead. However, when it was all said-and-done, the Tigers of Clemson had escaped with a win in their column. The final score 45-37 laid on the scoreboard in Charlotte for all to see. This had been all what this team fought for, but they had let it slip away. Fedora and the Tarheels had to maintain focus.
The North Carolina Tarheels were announced to take on the Baylor Bears in the 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl. The Bears were looking very strong, after losing only 3 games by 10-points or under in a hostile Big 12 Conference. North Carolina opened as a favorite to the public, just because of their seer fight they put against Clemson. As the game started, it was clear that we had a dog fight. It wasn’t until the 3rd quarter where Baylor broke off and won with force. This was the end of UNC’s great 2015 season.
The Crumbling
The 2016 season wasn’t a failure, but it wasn’t great either. With new head coaches in the division, the ACC Coastal was looking to heat up its completion to spice up a slow division. Fedora, however, wasn’t intimidated by these other coaches as they pressed to make their mark on the conference. The Tarheels looked great in the season all up until their collapse during Hurricane Matthew to Virginia Tech. Tarheels went from the Coastal favorites to back to the pile of others. They trudged on the rest of their schedule, but dropped 2 other conference matchups to Duke and NC State.
With poor showing in their last season, the Tarheels wanted to rewrite the past and get back to the ACC Championship. Then, a very bad string of mishaps during the 2017 offseason ruined the chances of the program’s advancement. There had been many injuries that put a number of key starters out for lengths of the 2017 season. This showed quickly as the Tarheels were being blundered by ACC opponents, only amounting one ACC conference win on the season. This delivered a massive blow to the heart of the North Carolina program, as well as, Coach Fedora.
What Now?
The current 2018 UNC team is looking much like the last. Many of their players are on suspension, after an infringement of rules by a number of players dealing with team-exclusive goods. This left the team in a state of disarray like the 2017 season. The fans aren’t sure if it is Fedora to blame or the roster talent. The Tarheels currently sit at 1-4 on the season with one ACC win.
If I were to give a piece of advice to the Tarheel fans it would be along the lines of, “Fedora has shown to win consistently when the pieces are there and the maturity is there. Currently, you have a young and immature, and even incomplete, team that aren’t ready”. I think the current problem is not Fedora, but rather the players. If Fedora wants to get back to ACC Championship level of contention, then Fedora must go the extra step to ensure that he is doing all he can to make sure his players are where they need to be on and off the field. When that is done, I think we see a reemergence of the great football this program can give us.
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