A little after 3:30 p.m. Saturday a guy named Tate will jog out toward the end zone and wait for the opening kickoff.
If it's sent his way he has the instincts and explosiveness to wind up in the other end zone before the play is over.
Touchdown North Carolina.
Well that or touchdown Notre Dame.
In many ways the two teams that will square off Saturday in Kenan Stadium are mirror images of each other — right down to the names of their most explosive players.
Brandon Tate the NCAA-record holder for career kick return yardage leads a UNC offense that can spread the field with its talented receiving core.
And Golden Tate the up-and-coming sophomore Notre Dame receiver and return specialist" will provide the big plays for a dangerous Irish unit that is hitting its stride.
""Well" we'll have to see who's gonna win the battle of the Tates then" Brandon said with a smile.
But the similarities between these two squads go beyond one name on their rosters.
Both teams have 4-1 records, which equal or surpass their respective win totals from a disappointing 2007.
Both teams are still relatively young but are benefiting from an extra year within their systems.
Both rely heavily on the passing game in their run-and-gun offenses — whether it's Jimmy Clausen or Cam Sexton at the helm — and both struggle at times to run the ball.
The Tar Heels and the Irish each have three rushers totaling at least 84 yards but none topping 250.
Wherever the quarterback throws it" there's somebody that can make a play on it Brandon Tate said Wednesday.
And the running game's starting to come along. You know the first two weeks it was kind of rough but the coaches" they made some little slight changes.""
Tate was talking about his North Carolina team when he said this" but he could just as easily have been summing up the Irish offense.
The comparisons go further.
Both teams thrive on kick returns and return coverage and they both feature high-profile coaches with NFL-rich resumes.
A few years ago it might have seemed absurd to compare these two football programs as the Tar Heels floundered and the prestigious Fighting Irish flourished.
But regardless of the drastically different historical paths the two programs have followed" they enter Saturday's contest on close to equal footing.
""You go beat North Carolina at North Carolina" I'd say the odds are you'll be in the top 25 next week" Charlie Weis said.
It's been a long time since a Notre Dame football coach would have said that about the Tar Heels, if ever.
But as UNC and ND hover near the cusp of the national polls, they both are approaching Saturday's game as a means to validate their presence on the national level.
We don't live in a bubble"" he said. We know that it's Notre Dame and that it's a big game.""
Made bigger after UNC's 45-26 defeat the last time the teams played in 2006 — the first matchup between the two since 1975.
""With a football team with a tradition like that" you know we went up there two years ago and got beat" Sexton said.
And so we want to play well. We want to play well at home again and beat them.""
Sophomore tailback Greg Little has toed the Notre Dame-North Carolina line as closely as anyone.
As a high school senior"" Little verbally committed to the Fighting Irish before eventually deciding to remain closer to home at UNC.
Now the tailback plays the leading role in a platoon of Tar Heel rushers that will try to control the clock and open the field for UNC's playmakers — much like ND's team of backs will attempt.
And the sophomore back admitted that a contest with Notre Dame is a bit different than most others.
""It is" he said. We know it's the biggest game but we want to look at it as it's our next game" and we've got to play.""
An advantage to squaring off against a foe with so many similarities is that the defenses have had a chance to practice against the same kinds of playmakers throughout the season.
Sophomore defensive tackle Marvin Austin said that the benefits of chasing around No. 87 in practice all year will show against Notre Dame.
""I mean" we already face the real Tate in practice every week so I mean it's going to be just like facing those guys Austin said.
He also offered a bold prediction on the winner of the battle of the Tates.
(Brandon) already knows he's the real Tate" Austin said. We don't even have to talk about it.""
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
GO TO THE GAME:
KICKOFF: 3:37 p.m. Saturday
PLACE: Kenan Stadium
Old Well Walk at 1:15 p.m.
IF YOU CAN'T:
TV: ABC"" Channel 12
RADIO: WCHL 1360
ONLINE: Gametracker at tarheelblue.com
SPORTSATURDAY: Pick up a copy of SportSaturday from DTH dropboxes this weekend for the full lowdown on the game.
