Bunting Era winds down with visit to No. 11 Notre Dame

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - One of John Bunting&#39;s last games as a North Carolina player came at Notre Dame. It&#39;s fitting that South Bend also will be the site of one of his final games as the Tar Heels&#39; coach.<br> <br> ``I&#39;ve been looking forward to it for a long time. This is a special trip for us,&#39;&#39; Bunting said Tuesday. ``It&#39;s just disappointing that we won&#39;t have the record we would like going into the game.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It has been a wildly miserable season for the struggling Tar Heels (1-7), who are preparing for their final four games under Bunting, a lame-duck coach who was fired last week but who is sticking around for the rest of the season.<br> <br> ``I want these kids to play well down this stretch,&#39;&#39; Bunting said. ``That&#39;s my only concern for them. How could they have a great deal of confidence right now, with the exception of this they work hard, they practiced well and at times they&#39;ve played well. The word of the season is the consistency.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It&#39;ll take more than the consistently subpar play that has plagued North Carolina for the Tar Heels to have even a glimmer of success against the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish (7-1), who have thrived in two seasons under former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.<br> <br> ``For the seniors, it&#39;s kind of a downer because we wanted to come in (to the Notre Dame game) with more wins,&#39;&#39; running back Ronnie McGill said.<br> <br> The last time Bunting visited Notre Dame with North Carolina he was a senior linebacker and co-captain on Bill Dooley&#39;s 1971 team. The team lost 16-0 to the Fighting Irish despite Bunting&#39;s 20 tackles and went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference title that season.<br> <br> ``All week long, we had heard how great Notre Dame was, and (Dooley) talked about them very positively,&#39;&#39; Bunting said. ``I don&#39;t think he embellished much. ... I know we played them tough, hung around for 3.5 quarters and gave them a game.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The teams haven&#39;t met since 1975, when sophomore quarterback Joe Montana led Notre Dame to 21 fourth-quarter points and a 21-14 come-from-behind victory in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels went on to finish that season 3-7-1.<br> <br> In the middle of another losing season, and knowing he only has a job for another few weeks, Bunting is remaining steadfastly optimistic that he can help the program rebound.<br> <br> ``My attitude and approach every day is relative to the opportunity that exists with the players, coaching staff and great university that I graduated from and have been proud to be the head coach of,&#39;&#39; Bunting said. ``That&#39;s the way I&#39;ve always been all my life, and that&#39;s the way I&#39;ll continue to be.&#39;&#39;