There is a reason UNC football fans are always hesitant to get excited about this program.
It isn't because they don't care. It isn't because they don't want to believe. And it certainly isn't because they aren't desperate to see this program finally turn the corner.
It's because they've seen games like Saturday night far too many times.
Just when UNC gives you a reason to believe, it finds a way to remind you why you shouldn't.
The Tar Heels entered Saturday night's matchup against Syracuse riding some legitimate momentum. They had won back-to-back ACC road games against Pitt and Duke, including an emotional rivalry victory that felt like another step forward for Bill Belichick's program.
Then came the opportunity to build on it.
A sold-out Kenan Stadium for a night game against a struggling Syracuse team coming to Chapel Hill. A chance to win three straight ACC games and continue building momentum heading into next week's showdown with No. 1-ranked Miami.
UNC couldn't have asked for a better opportunity, and somehow still found a way to let it slip away.
UNC had every opportunity to put Syracuse away and didn't
The frustrating part is more than just UNC losing a football game in overtime: it's more about how it happened.
UNC jumped out to a 10-0 lead and controlled the opening quarter, outgaining Syracuse 143-50. The Tar Heels eventually stretched their advantage back to 10 points when Demon June's 25-yard touchdown run made it 20-10 in the third quarter.
This was a game North Carolina had control of until the wheels fell off the bus.
Syracuse cut the deficit to three with a 76-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. UNC drove downfield, but instead of scoring a touchdown and potentially putting the Orange away, the Tar Heels settled for a field goal.
The door remained open, and Syracuse barged right through it.
The Orange marched 75 yards and scored with 1:54 remaining. With a chance to take its first lead of the night, Syracuse gave North Carolina another gift-wrapped present: a missed extra point that kept the game tied.
UNC needed a field goal to win it, but instead, Billy Edwards Jr. took a sack on fourth down, a decision that was questionable given the field position it provided Syracuse.
Fortunately, the defense got a stop and forced overtime. UNC scored first, and all they needed was one more stop.
However, Syracuse continued to drive right through the defense, and decided they were going to go for two to win it.
The Orange just barely got into the endzone for the two-point conversion to win it, but more than just that play will haunt Tar Heel fans for quite some time.
This is why UNC football fans are always waiting for the other shoe to drop
That's the bigger problem here.
Saturday night's loss didn't feel like some isolated bad performance; it felt like deja vu.
The UNC football program has spent years flirting with taking the next step. It's had talented rosters, NFL quarterbacks, and some big-time wins. Plenty of moments have made you wonder whether this might finally be the year things are different.
Then comes the reminder.
Earlier this season, UNC took on Clemson and built a 17-6 halftime lead, with a chance to earn a statement victory. The Tar Heels were outscored 22-3 after halftime and lost 28-20.
Saturday night was another version of the same story. While the opponent and circumstances were different, they both have that same feeling.
That's why it's hard to blame Tar Heel fans for being skeptical when things start going well: they've been trained to be this way.
Two consecutive road wins were enough to spark interest again. Beating Duke made things even more intriguing. Suddenly, UNC was 4-2 and had a chance to get to 5-2 before hosting the No. 1 team in the country.
Instead of generating genuine excitement around that matchup, North Carolina somehow managed to lose at home to a Syracuse team that entered Saturday 2-4 and hadn't won an ACC game in nearly two years.
Brutality at its finest.
You can't ask fans to believe until you give them a reason to
The biggest takeaway from Saturday night might simply be this:
UNC football doesn't have an excitement problem, it has trust issues.
Fans want to believe this program can become something more than what it has traditionally been. They want to believe the big win will finally lead to another big win, not be followed by crushing disappointment.
But trust has to be earned.
You earn it by finishing games like this and by beating teams you're supposed to beat.
No one will believe in you if you build a double-digit lead against a struggling opponent and then choke it away in front of your home crowd.
Every big win seems to always be followed by one painful question:
How are we going to get hurt this time around?
Saturday night provided the answer nobody in Chapel Hill wanted: a momentum crushing loss to Syracuse.
This is why UNC football fans don't let themselves get too excited, because every time it feels safe to believe, this program finds another way to remind them why they shouldn't.
At this point, it's simply the harsh reality that the program has made its identity.
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