Dec. 2 - As he rolled across the Lane Stadium grass on a cart Saturday, his left leg in an air cast, Kyndraus Guy clapped his hands together and shouted encouragement to his North Carolina teammates, imploring them to continue to compete against a Virginia Tech team rolling to a 30-3 victory.
The Tar Heels (5-6) never quit, swarming to the ball and fighting until the final whistle, but they ultimately had no hope of prevailing in the face of overwhelmingly superior talent on the other side of the ball.
The result reflected the problem that has plagued North Carolina for the past four seasons - plenty of desire, but not enough talent.
Sure, the rout in Blacksburg in part could be attributed to the mistakes that have afflicted the Tar Heels this season - imprecise throws, dropped passes, poor tackling and missed assignments along the offensive and defensive lines.
But a comparison of the North Carolina and Virginia Tech teams, both on paper and on the field, reveals a vast disparity in talent. The Tar Heels only are beginning to close the gap.
"It's about continuing to try to build, year in and year out," says Coach John Bunting. "What I see in our program is that we're getting better. We're getting more and more competitive."
The Tar Heels were competitive - defined for these purposes as ahead or within a touchdown at the half - in 10 of their 11 games this season.
But if they are to complete their transformation from bad to mediocre to good, actual victories will have to replace moral victories on a regular basis. No longer can the Tar Heels play two solid quarters and collapse, especially against foes as formidable as Miami and Virginia Tech.
