Incumbent Jinx Haunts UNC QBs

This was not the first time a Tar Heel starting quarterback has run into adversity early in the season following a year in which he racked up lofty achievements.

In fact, it's happened enough times in the past half-decade to send chills up the spines of UNC observers.

There just might be unnatural forces at work here.

Consider the 1996 season. Junior college transfer Chris Keldorf erupted onto the Chapel Hill scene, setting North Carolina single-season passing records for completions, yards and touchdowns. He led the Tar Heels to a 9-2 record, before fracturing his left ankle in the regular-season finale.

Oscar Davenport took the helm in the Gator Bowl, winning MVP honors as UNC beat West Virginia, 20-13.

Keldorf was healthy heading into the 1997 season, and it was hard to imagine the All-ACC quarterback losing his job to Davenport. But that's what transpired.

The Incumbent Jinx was born.

Davenport went on to earn the team MVP award, completing 62.8 percent of his passes during the season.

Though Keldorf regained the starting job in the ninth week of the season when Davenport broke his ankle, the question lingers: how did Keldorf manage to lose the job in the first place?

Davenport was back in action to start the 1998 season, and without Keldorf in his rear-view mirror he seemed primed for a big season.

But the Incumbent Jinx had other ideas. On the very first series in the very first game of the year -- a loss to Miami (Ohio) at Kenan Stadium --Davenport partially tore his left MCL.

Enter Ronald Curry.

The highly-touted newcomer established UNC freshman records for passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and total yards.

Davenport returned a few games into the season, but the reigning team MVP did not regain his full-time quarterback position. Rather, UNC coach Carl Torbush rotated Davenport and Curry on alternating series.

Davenport was gone following the season, and the job was Curry's and Curry's alone. Before the start of the 1999 season, Curry said, "I'm looking forward this year to having the whole quarterback position to myself."

He soon learned that taunting the Incumbent Jinx is, well, ill-advised.

In North Carolina's fifth game, Curry tore his right achilles tendon. He missed the remainder of the season.

And the Jinx wasn't finished with Curry.

His junior year was a good one. Curry stayed healthy from beginning to end and set the UNC single-season record with 2,676 total yards of offense in 2000.

He entered the 2001 campaign poised to break the school's career mark for total offense. It was Ronald Curry's senior season, his last chance to live up to the loftiest of expectations that had been bestowed upon him.

But while he easily broke the total offense record, in addition to UNC career records for passing yards, rushing yards by a QB, and rushing touchdowns by a QB, last year did not go at all how Curry had hoped or expected.

And the first setback came in the season opener.

Curry struggled in the first half against Oklahoma -- during which UNC committed five turnovers -- and was pulled early in the third quarter in favor of redshirt freshman Darian Durant, who rallied the Tar Heels for 13 fourth-quarter points.

The North Carolina faithful grumbled for more Durant, and Coach John Bunting obliged. Ronald Curry, on the verge of breaking four major UNC quarterback records, was splitting time with a freshman during his senior season.

But the Jinx giveth, and the Jinx taketh away.

After shattering all four of Curry's freshman passing records, Durant entered this season as the starter. And in the season opener against Miami, he turned the ball over six times.

Down by a couple scores late in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive opening day, Bunting again went to his backup quarterback. And again that backup led an exciting near-comeback. And again a sizable contingent of Tar Heel fans is clamoring for the backup to see more playing time.

And again the Incumbent Jinx appears to have found a victim.

Aaron Fitt can be reached at fitt@email.unc.edu.