Excitement, Tough Road Lay Ahead

It was such an odd sight at the end of a UNC football game, let alone one against Florida State, that it was hard to believe it was real.

Were these Kenan Stadium stands still filled to near-capacity? Were these smiles on the faces of Tar Heel fans? Was this (gasp) excitement -- downright manic excitement -- in the air?

But this was no dream. And the bright yellow human shields were ready.

Bracing for the impending rush on the field, security officer Malcolm Logan said he and his fellow officers' main goal was to protect the field goalposts.

How, pray tell, were they planning on doing that?

"I think that's going to be a very interesting exercise," Logan said as the Tar Heels headed downfield on their final toucdown drive. "We're going to try to form a circle around it and see if they respect our lives enough not to take us down."

They didn't.

The mob rushed the field, looked confused for a little while, jumped on the goalpost adjacent to the tunnel leading to North Carolina's locker room and, 40 minutes later, succeeded not in tearing them down, but rather snapping them in half.

We'll give you a break, though.

You're new at this.

But get used to celebrating.

No, the Tar Heels' 41-9 win against the sixth-ranked Seminoles doesn't mean they'll have a winning season.

You think this game was emotional? Now the Tar Heels have to get up for Saturday's game at N.C. State and then come home for a meeting against East Carolina a week later. Not even to mention games at Clemson and Georgia Tech looming down the road.

The win doesn't mean the Tar Heels will beat Florida State next year. Or the year after next. Or the year after that.

The Seminoles don't have 14 consecutive finishes in the national top five for nothing. They lost to State in 1998 and still played for the national title that season. And the next two. They'll be back.

The win doesn't mean the Tar Heels have established themselves as one of the nation's top programs. Heck, it doesn't even necessarily mean they're on their way to doing it.

But get used to celebrating.

A last-second field goal, you could wave off as a fluke. A late fourth-quarter interception returned for a touchdown, you could dismiss as lucky.

But this win was no fluke.

Fifteen lost starters or no, this was still Florida State. Some will point to FSU's 14 penalties, a few of them questionable, for 103 yards. Fourteen penalties can make a difference in a 10-point game. Not a 32-point game.

North Carolina's defense was suffocating. Its offense was opportunistic and took care of the ball.

After playing a decent second half at Oklahoma and a competitive first half at Texas, the Tar Heels finally put together a complete game against a national powerhouse.

More will be certain about the North Carolina football team in the coming weeks. How will the Tar Heels respond to quite possibly the biggest win in their 111-year history?

Will they build on it? Or will they let the momentum sputter?

Bunting said the best is yet to come. He's already set himself up for a tough encore after a historical homecoming. But after Saturday's performance, it's hard to resist believing him.

"Obviously, I didn't anticipate everybody being on the field after the game," Bunting said. "I guess if you're going to win, that's going to happen, isn't it?"

Yeah, Coach, it is.

Better get used to it.

James Giza can be reached at giza@email.unc.edu.