Chansky's Notebook: Back and forth - Agriturismoleduefontane

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Georgia Tech and Carolina have a checkered history.

The 4-2 Ramblin' Wreck, which rolls into town Saturday at noon at Kenan Stadium, is one of five past and present ACC members who have a winning record against the Tar Heels. That's not the case with the other three of the Big Four, and it's not even close.

UNC has dominated the team now known as the Yellow Jackets since the days of leather helmets, going 9-3-2 from 1915 until the founding of the ACC in 1953. After the Jackets joined the conference in 1980, The Tar Heels finished 13th -4-1 before Georgia Tech rebounded to win 19 of the next 23 games in the series.

That included 1990, when Carolina led 13-10 late in the game before the Jackets kicked a field goal to leave town with a tie and win one of two national championships at the time.

And Mack Brown often reminds us, “They drew us, we didn't draw them” in his first winning season at UNC with a 6-4-1 record and had to turn down a bowl bid when then-Chancellor Paul Hardin said it was a conflict with final exams.

Fast forward to Brown 2.0, and technology is still ruining us in one form or another. They've beaten Carolina three times in a row, each time turning a potentially great season into something less.

After Brown's first encore meeting in 2019, a rare win in Atlanta was one of six wins that qualified UNC for its first bowl bid in three years. When COVID forced the ACC to postpone games in 2020, Tech did not visit Kenan as originally planned.

When Carolina returned to Atlanta the next year and played in the Mercedes Benz Dome, Carolina was heavily favored 2-1 against 1-2 Tech before backup quarterback Jeff Sims came on and went 45-15 in the final three quarters.

With Drake Maye replacing Sam Howell under center in 2022, the Heels were 9-1 before Georgia Tech blew up the Tar Heels' season, which ended at 9-5 with a loss to Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. Carolina could have easily escaped the Heat when safety Josh Downs fired Mayes' touchdown pass into the front right corner of the end zone and the Jackets came home with a 21-17 upset that instead could have been the elusive 10-win season can.

Last year, Tech won a 46-42 shootout at Grant Field, with Maye completing 17 of 25 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. But facing him was unknown Tech QB Haynes King, who threw four touchdowns as the Jackets came back with a 22-point, fourth-quarter victory.

Now, with the Tar Heels reeling, Georgia Tech is a 10-point favorite behind King, who has blossomed into a star — sixth in a tight ACC total offense race with 281 yards per game and 12 touchdowns. The Jackets have a top-12 running back and a top-6 receiver. In contrast, Carolina has the 15th best defense in the ACC.

Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including bestsellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has been a contributor to the WCHL for decades, making his first appearance as a student in 1971 The “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his opinion column “Art's Angle” appears weekly on Chapelboro.

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