The Bears rejoiced in the aftermath of a 49-38 win over the Tar Heels in the Russell Athletic Bowl — where Baylor rushed for 645 yards, the most in any bowl game ever.
While UNC’s loss marked perhaps the lowest point of the season, Fedora grasped for the proper words to describe an otherwise historic campaign.
“We had a lot of positive things happen with this football team this year,” he said. “And we came a long way when we think back to where we were Jan. 6 and feeling about our program and what was going on with our program, from the outside. I couldn’t be more proud of this football team.”
In many ways, this North Carolina team was unlike many before it.
There were 11 straight wins and a first Coastal Division title. There were wins over every in-state foe UNC faced and a spot in the College Football Playoff discussion.
But after falling to Clemson in the ACC Championship and then to Baylor, the Tar Heels were left to make sense of a difficult finish, while also taking pride in all they achieved.
“They just flat-out beat us,” said redshirt senior linebacker Jeff Schoettmer after the Baylor loss. “Today, they were the better team. But just looking back on the year, it truly made my senior year special.”
“I’m forever grateful to this university, and I can’t tell you enough how proud I am of the senior class and the rest of the team, because we left a legacy here. We set the standard for North Carolina football for years to come.”
