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The Daily Tar Heel

Unranked Tar Heels want ‘respect’

Photo: Unranked Tar Heels want ‘respect’ (Mark Thompson)

Coach Everett Withers speaks to cornerback Charles Brown during the Tar Heel’s game against the University of Virginia.

Jabari Price wants respect.

North Carolina’s cornerback doesn’t necessarily want veneration from fans or other teams, but he does want it from the 65 college football sportswriters and broadcasters across the nation whose votes make up the Associated Press top 25 poll.

“We’re not really getting no respect,” Price said. “As you can see, we’re 5-1 and we’re still not ranked.”

But not every Tar Heel shares that sense of urgency. Offensive lineman James Hurst and others seem content to let the polls develop.

“We try not to pay attention to that stuff,” he said. “Obviously, we do see that stuff, but it’s not that big of a deal to us.”

Price said the Tar Heels talk about their lack of national respect all the time, and if he or UNC wants it, Price knows exactly what the Tar Heels will have to do.

“In order to make a statement to the world, we have to show up in the end of the season right here, right now,” he said.
And he’s right.

The Tar Heels’ final six games pit them against four winning squads — three of which are one-loss teams.

“You see, teams like Virginia Tech, they’re 5-1, but they’re ranked,” Price said. “Obviously, being ranked is not a big deal to me, but it shows a sign of disrespect to me, personally. I feel like we’re one of the better teams in the country right now.”

But UNC struggled Saturday at what had been its strength through the season’s first five games.

Prior to UNC’s 14-7 win against Louisville, the Tar Heels had scored 94 of their 157 points before half time. Against Louisville, UNC failed to find the endzone in the first half.

But after posting the doughnut, interim head coach Everett Withers was encouraged by how the Tar Heels responded.

“I know there’s been some talk about (how) we haven’t made adjustments in the second half,” Withers said. “I think we did this ballgame.”

The difference was more than just out-scoring the Cardinals 14-7. The Tar Heels held the ball for nearly two-thirds of the second half and forced the Cardinals into three-and-outs in four of their six drives.

Withers said his team has developed a sense of serenity in difficult situations, and the calmness carried over into the locker room during intermission of UNC’s game with Louisville.

“We came in at halftime, and there was no yelling or screaming — no panic,” Withers said. “It was just, ‘OK, let’s go back to work.’ I think these kids do that.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.

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