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The North Carolina football team took on Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. As was expected, the Tar Heels had a tough time containing Jackson, as he went for 525 total yards and six total touchdowns. The Cards pulled away in the fourth quarter en route to a 47-35 victory in Chapel Hill.
The game consisted of some familiar issues for the Tar Heels: two quarterbacks got snaps (Surratt did get injured, though), the secondary consistently got beat, and the defense struggled to get off the field on third downs. However, the UNC basketball team gave fans an escape from the ugliness when they came out to accept their championship rings during halftime.
On April 3rd, 2017, the North Carolina Tar Heels got their redemption by defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the National Championship. Five months later, it’s still amazing to reminisce on the game and the run that got them there.
Roy Williams and his team walked out of the tunnel to thunderous applause while highlights of their tournament ride played on the jumbotron. They lined up on the field and everyone who played some kind of role for the team was introduced. Then, the giving and receiving of the rings commenced.
Members from every championship team that Carolina has had (not counting the 1924 squad) rolled in to help honor the latest bunch. The list included Tyler Zeller, Wayne Ellington, Melvin Scott, Eric Montross, James Worthy, Lennie Rosenbluth, and many more. Sean May was in attendance as a member of the current championship team as well as the 2005 championship team.
The ceremony saw a former champion deliver a ring to each individual from the 2017 championship team. It reminded fans of the wonderful memories that were made not only this past year but in the years before then as well. As soon as all the rings were handed out, the PA announcer gave one final congratulations to the team, which, of course, resulted in one final standing ovation from the people of Kenan Stadium.
The basketball team will get things started back up on October 13th at Late Night with Roy, which is where the hanging of the championship banner will occur. Don’t expect the title celebrations to end any time soon.