Bunting, UNC Rally Around Untested QB

One of them might be familiar to most football fans -- he once wore No. 3 for Notre Dame.

"(Stephens is) very, very bright, very detailed, and his only problem he's had since I've been here is he's a little hard on himself," Bunting said. "I've been around those quarterbacks, like a Joe Montana, that get really mad, but the next moment he's ready to go."

Is Stephens the next Joe Montana?

You never know, but Bunting will be more than happy with a Tom Brady- or Tommy Maddox-like performance from his new starting quarterback Saturday at Wake Forest.

With former starter Darian Durant sidelined for the season with a thumb injury, Bunting said he'll use those examples of backup quarterbacks rallying their teams in order to inspire his own squad.

"I'll pull out examples like that, absolutely, because they're ones that are easier to display for the players," Bunting said. "They follow all that stuff, and I think they'll relate to that."

But despite their 2-5 start and the recent onset of significant injuries, the Tar Heels might not be that difficult to fire up.

The players have seen what Stephens is capable of in practice, and they are eager to find out what he can do in a game situation.

"C.J. is a talented quarterback," said UNC defensive end Will Chapman, who will miss Saturday's game with an injury of his own. "When he was the scout team quarterback last year you just had to say, 'Wow.' You watch him throw the ball down the field, and he gets you excited."

And Stephens said he's come a long way since the days he was wowing the Tar Heels from the practice squad.

"I am a million miles now from where I was at that point in time," Stephens said. "I've not been able to have a lot of game experience, that is the one negative aspect of things. From the beginning of spring until now, I have learned so much about football in general and about our offense, and I really think that wealth of knowledge is going to go a long way. I am excited about the opportunity to use it at this point."

Stephens provided a sneak-peek at how much progress he's made when he drove the Tar Heels 79 yards for a touchdown in just over two minutes against Virginia on Saturday.

"That is a tough position to come in and play," Bunting said. "To come right in, get sacked, knocked around a little bit, hit a couple times, I thought he showed a great deal of courage and a great deal of grasp of what we were doing on offense when he was able to take the team down and score. I was really pleased with him."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.