Fullback carries UNC to win

Madison Hedgecock found himself in an unfamiliar position Saturday.

Nearly a dozen tape recorders and microphones confronted the North Carolina senior when he took a seat in the Tar Heels' players lounge after the performance of his career.

A defensive end or fullback since he arrived at UNC, Hedgecock has fully experienced life in the trenches, a life of working outside the spotlight while allowing the team's skill players to reap the rewards of personal glory.

But when a persistent injury to sophomore Ronnie McGill forced Hedgecock into another unfamiliar position - tailback - the hard-nosed veteran took full advantage of the opportunity under the lights.

Hedgecock carried the ball 10 times for 69 tough yards, including 57 in the fourth quarter, and his contributions included drive-sustaining conversions to drain the clock and maintain UNC's momentum.

"That man, he is a nail, he is a rock, he is a brick," said UNC center Jason Brown. "Anything strong and tough that you can think of, that's what Madison Hedgecock is."

Entering play on Saturday, Hedgecock had carried the ball just four times in his career. In fact, he'd spent half of his sophomore season and his entire junior season as a defensive end for the Tar Heels, recording 76 tackles and contributing veteran leadership to players still jelling as a unit.

But the development of North Carolina's young defensive line in the offseason allowed Hedgecock to return to fullback, his natural position, and to provide muscle in front of the Tar Heels' talented tailbacks.

"He's our best special-teams player, he at one time was our best defensive end, which is amazing, and now he's doing a great job at fullback," said UNC coach John Bunting.

When McGill's sprained ankle didn't heal in time for him to play against N.C. State on Saturday, Bunting and his staff decided it was time to give Hedgecock an opportunity to carry the ball.

That decision couldn't have reaped more dividends for the Tar Heels. Hedgecock didn't lead the team in rushing - that honor went to tailback Jacque Lewis, who scampered for 89 yards on 13 carries - but two fourth-quarter rushes might have made the difference in the game.

Entering the final stanza, in fact, Hedgecock's stats mirrored those of his career before Saturday - 12 yards on four carries.

The Wolfpack had just surged ahead with a T.A. McLendon touchdown late in the third quarter, and North Carolina faced a critical third-and-1 deep in its own territory.

Hedgecock took the ball from quarterback Darian Durant on the rst play of the fourth quarter and lumbered around the right side for a 12-yard gain.

"Maybe their coordinators thought that I couldn't run the ball, and they thought I might just be in there to pass block, so maybe that's why they weren't really respecting the run the rst few plays," Hedgecock said.

Four plays later, Durant found Adarius Bowman along the right sideline for a 46-yard touchdown pass to give the Tar Heels the lead.

N.C. State rallied midway through the fourth quarter to narrow the score to 27-24, but North Carolina's ensuing drive stalled at the Wolfpack's 37-yard line.

The Tar Heels had to extend the drive on fourth-and-1, and that meant they had to put the ball in Hedgecock's hands.

The veteran runner took advantage of blocks from tackle Willie McNeill and fullback Jocques Dumas to rumble around the right side for a 25-yard gain.

"He kept pounding and pounding," said N.C. State defensive end Mario Williams. "He kept going, and we couldn't slow him down."

The fourth-down conversion set up a Connor Barth field goal, and it also set the stage for the Tar Heels' dramatic goal-line stand in the closing seconds.

It seemed ironic, in fact, that North Carolina's fifth-leading tackler of a year ago provided the defense with a chance to seal the victory but wasn't on the field for its most important play in years.

"I wanted to be out there, but I couldn't," Hedgecock said. "Wouldn't you want to be out there, the last play of the game?"

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.