A true test for Carolina

[Brad]

A true test for Carolina

Bulls' QB Grothe a tough opponent

J.P. Giglio, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL - As outlandish as it might seem to the outside world, North Carolina has a chance to win at least five more games and become eligible for a bowl, senior receiver Jesse Holley says.

"Why not?" Holley said. "We're 1-4. You start playing with the numbers and things still look bright. We want to win all seven, if we can't get all seven, but we need five out of seven."

The Heels are not in a position to overlook anybody, certainly not 4-2 South Florida, which comes to Chapel Hill today.

But the senior receiver can't resist a peek at the rest of the Tar Heels' schedule -- at Virginia, Wake Forest, at Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, N.C. State and at Duke.

Only two of the Heels' final seven opponents appear in this week's Top 25. Three of the first five, not including Miami, were ranked by The Associated Press this week.

While UNC coach John Bunting, like all coaches, preaches "one game at a time," he can understand Holley's mentality.

"That sounds like something I said to **** Vermeil about a hundred years ago," Bunting said, referring to his NFL coach with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Coach, all we need to do is win three in a row and we'll be fine ...' and he goes, 'I'm trying to win one.' "

One thing Bunting and Holley can agree on is the Heels, a 3-point home underdog, must win today.

South Florida, in its second season in the Big East, comes into this game with a different personality than the team that lost 14-0 to N.C. State in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in December in Charlotte.

Since that inept performance, the Bulls have switched quarterbacks and offensive schemes.

Last season, USF relied on running back Andre Hall, who led the Big East in rushing with 1,374 yards, and ran the offense out of traditional two-back sets.

This season, without Hall, the Bulls use more of a spread offense with four and five receivers. Redshirt freshman QB Matt Grothe does the bulk of the running.

Grothe leads the Bulls in rushing with 422 yards and seven TDs, and has thrown for 1,230 yards. He ranks ninth in the country in total offense, accounting for 275.3 yards per game (no player in the ACC ranks in the top 20).

But the Bulls' four wins -- Division I-AA McNeese State, Florida International, Central Florida and Connecticut -- have come against teams without a winning record. Holley and the Heels will take any angle, any edge to figure out a way to save their season. They aren't ready to panic.

"We're not to that point yet," said Holley, who leads the Heels with 274 receiving yards. "The lid is lifted on the panic button, but we haven't pressed that button yet. It's not there yet. There's still a lot of football left to play."

Staff writer J.P. Giglio can be reached at 829-8938 or jgiglio@newsobserver.com.

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[E.T.]

But the senior receiver can't resist a peek at the rest of the Tar Heels' schedule -- at Virginia, Wake Forest, at Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, N.C. State and at Duke.

;D

He better be looking for #17 among many others !

Go BULLS !!!

[E.T.]

South Florida, in its second season in the Big East, comes into this game with a different personality than the team that lost 14-0 to N.C. State in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in December in Charlotte.

Since that inept performance, the Bulls have switched quarterbacks and offensive schemes.

Really ?

:-/

[Bull Martin]

****! Inept is a harsh word.  If we'd of Nailed that field goal in the bowl game and been up 0 - 3 we would have won it.