UNC 2012 Football Opener: More than Just a Game
September 1st marks the beginning of a new football season. On that day, 11 new players will take the field together and a new head coach will make his debut at a new university. He’ll employ a brand new system full of new plays and schemes and he’ll lead his team into battle against an opponent he’s never faced before. There will be a lot of unfamiliarity in a lot of different places, but it’s essential for North Carolina to put that behind them early. Elon may not be the game that stands out most on the 2012 football schedule, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks importance.
With the Tar Heels being held under constant scrutiny while trying to shake the ever-looming cloud of speculation that revolves around fraud, corruption and scandal. This gridiron match up against a small, private university from Burlington, NC will mean a hell of a lot more than just 60 minutes of hard nosed football where at the end of it all, the team with the most points wins.
The concept is so simple, yet the situation makes it all very complicated. This game will set the tone for all of UNC athletics not just for the 2012-2013 school year, but for years to come and if Coach Larry Fedora’s swag and charisma off of the field provides any indication of how he manages his football team on the field, then Tar Heel fans everywhere should have plenty of reason to smile on Labor Day weekend.
A win for Fedora and the Tar Heels will be a lot more than just a W on the schedule. A win will provide the students, faculty, alumni and fan base, that is so deeply tied to the university, a way for everyone to put that cloud behind them and move towards a bright new future of Tar Heel athletics.
Nothing can provide a feeling of optimism and pride around a university the way a successful football program can. This even holds true at a school that gains their identity through their basketball program. Tar Heel fans have longed not only to obtain football consistency for a long time, but prosperity as well. And every time it seems to be within reach and there for the taking, it’s snatched away.
There is no doubting Coach Fedora’s track record. His record precedes him and speaks for itself. Everywhere he’s been he has found success and we shouldn’t believe that things won’t be any different here in Chapel Hill. There is something new and fresh about him that we haven’t felt before. He’s the ultimate player’s coach and man of the people. He connects with everyone around him with his contagious personality and demeanor. I think most important of all, he has confidence that North Carolina football can be successful. He wasn’t turned away by all the speculation and NCAA sanctions, he felt that this university’s football program was ready to thrive in spite of that. That’s the type of coach UNC’s football program has been waiting for and he’s the perfect guy to dispel all the negative that’s been going around the university.
In less than two weeks, North Carolina will finally have it’s chance to show that the ‘Carolina Way’ will not be affected by any negativity surrounding it. I fully expect those Tar Heel voices to be ringing clear and true in unison as they band together to support Coach Fedora and the Carolina football team as they lead the university into a new era of pride and optimism.