UNC football sets its sights on winning the ACC Championship

RALEIGH — On Jan. 6, the North Carolina football team assembled to discuss its goals for the 2015 season.

For 327 days Coach Larry Fedora reminded his players of two objectives — claiming the ACC Coastal Division crown and a mythical state championship by defeating their three in-state conference opponents.

A week after achieving the first, UNC had an opportunity to accomplish the second against N.C. State. And as they did all season, the Tar Heels didn’t falter in their pursuit of either.

Behind a 35-point first quarter, North Carolina surged past the Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium, securing its first state title since 2004 in Saturday’s 45-34 win.

UNC (11-1, 8-0 ACC) had already seized the Coastal Division title and a trip to the ACC Championship game against No. 1 Clemson before Saturday’s contest. But Fedora said his players never looked ahead.

“No one talked about it,” he said. “The coaches didn’t talk about it. We knew what we had to do. This was to finish our goal. Now, we reset those goals and we can talk about it now.”

For Jeff Schoettmer and his teammates, the memories from the 2014 loss to N.C. State prevented them from changing their goals early.

Since falling to the Wolfpack 35-7, the redshirt senior linebacker had the score written on his calendar as a reminder of the defeat.

So when Schoettmer noticed the scoreboard showing the same familiar numbers at the end of the first quarter — this time reversed in the Tar Heels’ favor — he knew his team had sent the message it intended.

“They were talking in the media all week, ‘This is the same team they were last year,’” he said. “We wanted to prove to them that we weren’t and that this is our state.”

The victory over N.C. State marked yet another memorable moment in UNC’s historic season, as North Carolina has lost just twice since the 2014 defeat against the Wolfpack.

The Tar Heels now return to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the site of their season-opening loss to South Carolina, for Saturday’s ACC Championship game riding an 11-game winning streak — the longest in school history.

“To have to reset your goals because you sucked too bad is one thing,” said senior linebacker Shakeel Rashad. “To reset your goals because you accomplished something is another.”

With their goals accomplished, the Tar Heels reconvened on Sunday morning, where the team shifted its focus to a new objective for the first time in more than 10 months.

The program’s first ACC title since 1980 is only one win away. And if UNC defeats the Tigers, perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff could also be within reach.

“I don’t know how much we can control that,” Fedora said. “We’ve done everything we can to this point. Now we’ve got to play the No. 1 team in the country. If that happens, yeah, I think we’d be very deserved to be in the playoff, no doubt about it in my mind.”

The Tar Heels have achieved their first two goals. Now a third, more lofty one lies ahead.

@patjames24

sports@dailytarheel.com