Here's arguably the biggest casualty of the loss to UGA....a further deflation of our fanbase. We all know the Carolina fanbase is a unique one. It takes a lot to get us excited, and it takes very little to get us deflated and disinterested. The 11-win season was great, but it's not enough for this notoriously fickle fanbase. Carolina fans put too much stock into this Georgia game. It's something I mentioned either on this board or the free board a couple weeks ago. Lots of our fans were building this UGA game up as a watershed game (it kinda was, IMO), and I predicted a lot of folks would jump right off the bandwagon if we were to lose to Georgia.
Hate me and call me negative all you want, but I heard it everywhere in the stands, starting after UGA's TD to go up 9 and continuing as I was leaving the game on Saturday night -- the fanbase is deflated and crushed and wondering why they continue to support the program. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not defending it. None of that. But I heard these comments with my own ears....
"...are you surprised? I'm not. We just don't win big games."
"...I'm tired of it, man. Driving all this way, paying these insane prices, just to see us lose another heart-breaker against a legitimate team."
"...Well, it's gonna be just like last year, we won't beat any great teams."
These comments, keep in mind, are from the small percentage of folks who actually made the commitment to attend this game. It's NOT a good sign when the portion of your fanbase that actually ponied up for this marquee game -- so theoretically, they should care the most and be the most excited about UNC Football -- is so defeated after this loss. Doesn't bode well for future games of this nature.
That's why myself and others on this board opined that the UGA game was the biggest on our schedule. Our fanbase needs something to cling to and to be excited about. Again, I'm not defending the fickleness, or saying it's right, but let's face it, this is a fanbase that's tired of Lucy yanking the football away. The fanbase was finally starting to jump on board late last year (Miami and Duke games), and then Baylor happened. This UGA game was really a great way to re-announce our presence and tell the nation that we're here to stay in the Top 25. Instead, we're already out of it, and we won't get back into it any time soon this season.
I'm very interested to see the number of people in Kenan against James Madison......
Hate me and call me negative all you want, but I heard it everywhere in the stands, starting after UGA's TD to go up 9 and continuing as I was leaving the game on Saturday night -- the fanbase is deflated and crushed and wondering why they continue to support the program. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not defending it. None of that. But I heard these comments with my own ears....
"...are you surprised? I'm not. We just don't win big games."
"...I'm tired of it, man. Driving all this way, paying these insane prices, just to see us lose another heart-breaker against a legitimate team."
"...Well, it's gonna be just like last year, we won't beat any great teams."
These comments, keep in mind, are from the small percentage of folks who actually made the commitment to attend this game. It's NOT a good sign when the portion of your fanbase that actually ponied up for this marquee game -- so theoretically, they should care the most and be the most excited about UNC Football -- is so defeated after this loss. Doesn't bode well for future games of this nature.
That's why myself and others on this board opined that the UGA game was the biggest on our schedule. Our fanbase needs something to cling to and to be excited about. Again, I'm not defending the fickleness, or saying it's right, but let's face it, this is a fanbase that's tired of Lucy yanking the football away. The fanbase was finally starting to jump on board late last year (Miami and Duke games), and then Baylor happened. This UGA game was really a great way to re-announce our presence and tell the nation that we're here to stay in the Top 25. Instead, we're already out of it, and we won't get back into it any time soon this season.
I'm very interested to see the number of people in Kenan against James Madison......
