“I think we’ve got a good plan for short weeks and what we do with our guys, try to keep them fresh so they are ready to go on Thursday,” Coach Larry Fedora said. “Everybody knows their bodies have to peak on 7:30 on Thursday, so their clocks have to change in their heads.”
Two seasons ago, the Tar Heels were faced with a similar situation. On Nov. 20, 2014, UNC beat Duke 45-20 on a Thursday night game in Wallace Wade Stadium.
It was a dominant win and a memorable night. North Carolina notably broke out chrome helmets before the Duke game, to the delight of the players and the hearty pro-UNC contingent in attendance.
“I just remember two years ago, before I got here, that Thursday night game,” said sophomore linebacker Andre Smith. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I don’t think we are going to get chrome helmets, but just go down there, whoop some behind, whoop some Dukies.”
The game two years ago was memorable not only for the chrome helmets, but also the spray paint celebration afterward. Following the win, North Carolina’s players rushed to the Duke side of the field, grabbed the Victory Bell — the trophy for the UNC-Duke football rivalry — and spray-painted it Carolina Blue.
“That was crazy,” defensive tackle Naz Jones said. “I still have the spray-paint can from that game in my room. It was ridiculous. We brought out the chrome, and I think we did a great job with just doing what we had to do to win the game.”
At practice Monday, the Victory Bell was on display, but something was off. One side of the newly painted bell stand was Carolina Blue, but the other was Duke Blue, with both schools’ logos appearing on the bell.
Usually, the tradition is that the bell stays the color of the victor throughout the entire school year.
