Tar Heels, Terrapins each know bowl bids are at stake

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Posted 3:54PM on Friday, November 11, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) North Carolina has gone from beaten-down to ascending, shaking off a humbling loss at Louisville by winning consecutive home games against ranked opponents to give themselves a shot at a bowl bid. The Tar Heels have played well knowing they have little room for error. Now they get to play a team in the same situation. North Carolina and Maryland meet Saturday with each needing two wins to qualify for a bowl game, setting the stage for a tense contest that will boost the postseason hopes of the winner and damage those of the loser. ``We have to go down and win in a tough environment,'' Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said. ``That's what it's like in this league, so we just have to do it.'' The Tar Heels (4-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) are coming off a 16-14 win against Boston College, which followed a 7-5 win against Virginia two weeks earlier. Those wins have energized the program, which has ridden a significantly improved defense into bowl contention despite some shaky offense. North Carolina closes the season with home games against Maryland and Duke before traveling to Virginia Tech. The Terrapins (4-4, 2-3) are coming off a bye week, which followed a near upset of Florida State on the road. Maryland closes at North Carolina, at home against Boston College and at North Carolina State. The Terps have lost two straight games to put their bowl chances at risk, but North Carolina coach John Bunting is wary of a Friedgen-coached team coming off a bye week. ``I think he's a dangerous man with extra time,'' Bunting said. Friedgen has had Bunting's number since the coaches took over their programs before the 2001 season. Friedgen has won all three meetings, with his team scoring 59 points in each of the past two victories. In the last meeting, a 59-21 home win for the Terps, Maryland set an ACC record with 39 points in the second quarter. The Terrapins won 59-7 here in 2002. ``I kind of block those games out of my memory,'' senior defensive end Tommy Davis said. ``Those are the games you want to block out.'' North Carolina hasn't beaten Maryland since taking a 13-10 home win five years ago. ``I remember that the last time we played Maryland, it was a loss, and that is enough motivation,'' said receiver Jesse Holley, who has had 23 catches in the past four games. But the Tar Heels appear to be a better defensive unit, holding teams to 25.5 points per game on the year and just 12.5 points in four games at Kenan Stadium. That has helped compensate for an offense that managed one touchdown and three field goals in the last two wins. North Carolina's defense will likely face Sam Hollenbach at quarterback. The 6-foot-5 junior strained his left shoulder in the loss to Virginia Tech on Oct. 20, and ran only five plays in the 35-27 loss to Florida State nine days later. But Friedgen said he expects Hollenbach who has thrown for 1,700 yards and eight touchdowns to start. ``It comes down to how badly we want to go to a bowl game, so we have to go practice and play like that is our goal,'' Friedgen said. ``There's no doubt in my mind that we can do that, but we're playing some pretty good teams that have the same goals we do, so it will come down to who wants it more.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)