UNC's energetic play fuels raucous crowd

After Darian Durant found Jon Hamlett in the back of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown pass that put North Carolina up by 11, the Tar Heel fans went nuts.

Carolina blue pom-poms snapped back and forth, sending intangible waves pounding across Kenan Stadium, where they impacted viscerally on each stunned N.C. State fan.

Ten minutes and 57 seconds later, those same Tar Heel fans were shocked, drained and heartbroken after a referee signaled that T.A. McLendon had just tied the game at 30 with a touchdown.

But wait.

A buzz of hope started to crackle in the cockles of every UNC fan's heart.

The referees were conferring.

The buzz erupted when the points came off the board after McLendon was ruled down inches short of the end zone.

On its feet, louder and bluer than its been in the last four years, the crowd's chests heaved in collective anticipation.

And then it happened.

Defensive end Khalif Mitchell not only stuffed McLendon at the goal line, but he also popped the ball loose.

The roar that went up equaled the one from the pre-game jet flyover.

That sea of blue in the stands spilled onto the field, starting with a trickle of brave souls hopping over the barriers and quickly turning into a full-fledged flood.

"Oh yeah, man, Kenan Stadium was rockin' tonight, baby," Mitchell said. "It was rockin' tonight."

With good reason.

Playing against a defense that was better statistically than the heralded Florida State unit that limited the Tar Heels to 16 points last week, North Carolina did all the things it didn't do in Tallahassee.

There were clutch third-down conversions - six, after a goose egg last week - big plays, some luck and clutch performances by unheralded role players.

Madison Hedgecock took his first carry in two years for 12 yards and went from there to convert one of the biggest plays of the game - gaining 25 yards on a fourth-and-1 to put UNC in position for its final field goal, which forced State to score a TD to tie.

Former golden boy Larry Edwards, coming out of the doghouse to make his first start of the season, snagged a tipped pass for a momentum-shifting interception.

And most importantly, given the chance to make one more play, Mitchell made a game-saving stop on McLendon.

"He's a big guy, but I wanted him all night," Mitchell said of McLendon. "I didn't get a chance to hit him all night. And I was like, 'If I get my hands on him, I'm going to go get him.'"

That's a true freshman talking and backing it up.

After the fact, sure, but that's the kind of attitude it's going to take to compete in the revamped ACC.

It bodes well for North Carolina that the game's biggest plays were made by freshmen and sophomores - Edwards and Melik Brown on the interception, Adarius Bowman and Jesse Holley reeling in touchdown passes, Isaiah Thomas and Terry Hunter keeping McLendon short of the goal line on second down, Mitchell doing it again on third.

There's talent on this roster, and it's starting to mature. If the Tar Heels take this win and build on their momentum for a second consecutive week, there's a bowl season in the making. If not this year, then next.

For now, UNC needs to focus on Utah.

But there's nothing wrong with enjoying this vindicating win.

Before the season, John Bunting said that the close games of 2003 were a step in the right direction, but with the wrong results.

"We had people on the edge of their seats at times," he said before the season. "Unfortunately, like me, they had their hearts torn out. My only hope is that we'll play those types of games, and our hearts will remain intact."

Mission accomplished.

Contact Ben Couch

at bcouch@email.unc.edu.