Covid presnted an additional challenge. Some handled it better than others. Look at the schools that completely lost focus. The elite programs kept their eyes on the prize and didn't let a convenient excuse derail them.
How old are you like 19?
It was the timing of the GT cancellation that affected them imo. Once they were eliminated from winning the ACC, which didn't happen until Saturday night after they beat Duke, the UNC game took on a far, far less significant meaning for them. Sunday it gets announced that the UNC game is at 3:30 and not in primetime. Tuesday's rankings cemented their elimination from CFP consideration, and then their final game was cancelled on Friday. It must have been a miserable week at the Hecht culminating in the choreographed ***-raping we witnessed on Saturday. The ACC title carrot was dangled in front of them for 4 months and when that fell through it was all over.
It's unfortunate but not so abnormal. The team was galvanized and ready when they took the field against Duke because their goals were still within reach. Advancing to a NY6 bowl played inside their empty, rented stadium is no prize when compared with the ACC and CFP aspirations that propelled them all year. And besides, it's North Carolina. They don't come here to play in games devoid of meaning against a team like UNC. Fans care about beating UNC because they're our nemesis but playing that game on Saturday was a chore. Nothing more. Watch the effort on some of these plays. Did that look like a team that wanted to be there? Begin with Roche at :35 seconds or any play where Carter was involved:
I don't know who's excusing it. I'm just trying to make sense of it.
Maybe not, but we got exposed. You could tell on the first run play that we were in trouble. RB ran through a wide open hole up the middle with not a Canes player in sight. Combine that with a coaching staff that refused to adjust and players that were too undisciplined and came in at poor angles and you get exactly what we got.
